Here, we discuss sport-related self-confidence issues and what you can do to address them.

Self-confidence refers to your overall belief in yourself, whereas technically, self-efficacy is the belief that you can achieve a desired outcome. However, to keep things simple, we'll use confidence to encompass both!

Confidence can affect thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, and all of these can influence performance. In fact, sports research consistently finds a correlation between self-confidence and successful performance. Boosting and maintaining self-confidence should, therefore, be a top priority.

Creating Confidence

Confidence can come from many different sources, and what works for one athlete may not work for another.

Some strategies that can help are:

• Setting realistic training goals to create small and frequent 'wins' can help create and consolidate confidence and the feeling that you're progressing.
  
  
• Focus on the positives from every performance, even 'bad' ones.
  
  
• 'Comparison is the thief of joy'... don't compare yourself to others. They are not you.
  
  
• Keeping an actual list of achievements creates factual 'evidence' of what is possible for future reference... "I can do this because I have done it before, and here's the evidence." 
  
  
• Of course, positive encouragement from those around you will also be key. So, surround yourself with 'the right' people. 
  
  
• Confidence can also be contagious, so choose to be around others who exude their own!

Confidence is Changeable

Confidence is not a stable construct. It can fluctuate depending on your current situation or environment.

One minute, you're flying higher after a win; the next, a defeat comes along, and you're at rock bottom. In situations like this, negative thoughts about your ability will likely flood back. Your task is to ensure they don't stay long by putting things into perspective and adopting a growth mindset approach.

Imposter Syndrome

Feeling that you're not good enough, you don't deserve to be on the team, or you don't deserve the medal is precisely that - just a feeling.

If you've proved yourself on the pitch, track, court, pool, or wherever, that feeling is not based on fact.

Remind yourself of the hard facts, hold your head up high, and believe you belong.

Confidence, especially in your performance abilities, is more likely to allow you to handle high-pressure situations with composure and reduced anxiety, allowing you to perform at your best. It also enables you to step out of your comfort zone, try new strategies, and push your limits, which, let's face it, is how you improve.

Striving to improve confidence should be high on your priority list. 

Remember, there are things you can do to become more confident. But there's no quick fix. This will take time, but it will be so worth the effort.

Take Home Points

• Set achievable, realistic goals to provide regular ‘wins’ that will boost your confidence and reinforce motivation.
  
  

• Focus on the positives from every performance (there will always be at least one!).
  
  

• Remember, building self-confidence is a journey that requires time and patience.
  
  

• Embrace challenges and learn from your failures. Making mistakes is a natural part of the learning process and should be seen as valuable opportunities for growth and confidence building.

 
Evidence-Based Research 

Our content is supported by:

• Feltz, D.L., 2007. Self-confidence and sports performance. studies, 33(41), pp.50-66. (View Paper)
  
  
  

• Fu, D., Hase, A., Goolamallee, M., Godwin, G. and Freeman, P., 2021. The effects of support (in) adequacy on self-confidence and performance: Two experimental studies. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 10(1), p.15. (View Paper)