The Confidence Continuum

How do you build your confidence in sports? Athletes often come seek out sport psychologists because their confidence is too low. Many athletes, especially female identifying athletes, express concern that they will be perceived as ‘arrogant’ or ‘not a team player’ if their confidence is too high? The gender confidence gap is real, and it impacts many female athletes and women’s sports teams today.

One of the biggest misconceptions about confidence in sports is that most athletes and coaches think confidence is simply the belief in one’s ability to win or succeed. The problem with this definition of confidence is that it’s too narrow and often leads to a simplified “yes or no”, “you either have it or you don’t” type of thinking, when in fact confidence is much more complex.

Confidence is an accumulation of one’s unique achievements across many different tasks and situations, coupled with preparation for the upcoming event, which enables one to develop specific expectations of achieving.

Burton & Raedeke, 2008

Most athletes experience a spectrum of confidence levels that fluctuate throughout the season based on any number of both internal and external factors. Therefore, when teaching about confidence to athletes and coaches, I encourage them to consider this broader concept of confidence. It is much more helpful and accurate to think of confidence as a continuum centered by optimal confidence, with underconfidence on one end and overconfidence on the other.

Underconfidence

Underconfidence, also known as low confidence, is marked by an under estimation of one’s ability to perform (APA). Underconfident athletes tend to under estimate their skill level and potential. They are often overcome with self-doubt and have difficulty recovering from mistakes during practice or competition. Underconfident athletes tend to be under prepared both physically and mentally. These athletes are highly sensitive to feedback and experience a self-fulfilling prophecy of failing in pressure situations.

Overconfidence

Overconfident athletes believe they are better than their game statistics and have an inflated sense of their performance history. They also tend to lack physical and mental preparation. Overconfident athletes often respond to pressure situations by trying to over perform or hoard the ball. In many cases overconfident athletes have a history of being pampered by their parents or guardians and past coaches.

Optimal Confidence

Athletes with optimal confidence levels are adequately prepared for pressure situations in competition both physically and mentally. They have realistic and attainable individual and team goals. Optimally confident athletes also approach competition with a clear game strategy.

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So now that we’ve reframed confidence to exist as a spectrum, how do we center athletes into the zone of optimal confidence?

According to Bandura (1990), high levels of self-efficacy contribute to higher level of performances or “mastery experiences”. Athletes who receive feedback and assurance that their goals are attainable, often increase their motivation and effort until they achieve the success they desire (Bandura & Cervone, 1983). Here’s four imagery strategies and free confidence building worksheets to manage athlete confidence in preparation for competition. I recommend that athletes dedicate quiet reflection time to each of the four categories: Performance Accomplishments, Vicarious Experience, Verbal Persuasion & Arousal Control or Emotion Regulation.

1. Past Performance Accomplishments & Experience

According to Bandura’s Theory (1997), the strongest predictor of self-efficacy is the athletes’ previous successful experiences (Williams & Krane, 2015). Take a moment to reflect back on all your past accomplishments in your sport from the beginning of your career all the way through to the present moment is one of the most effective ways to build your confidence in sports. Now bring to mind a mental highlight light reel of yourself playing your absolute best, maybe you have memories of playing in a flow state. Maybe it’s thinking about big plays you made in critical moments under pressure, or just shutting an appointment down that you were matched up against. You can also create and watch an actual highlight reel of video footage from matches to watch before or during competition during breaks. Imagery is a very effective sport psychology strategy to build your confidence in sports.

2. Vicarious Experience

Increase your confidence level through the process of vicarious experience. Vicarious experience is the process of identifying a role-model or expert in your field or sport and learning through the process of observation and modeling (Williams & Krane, 2015). This might mean watching college level or professional competitions. The Olympics and Paralympics are a fantastic opportunity to find and learn from new role models in your sport.

3. Verbal Persuasion

Verbal persuasion is another effective sport psychology technique for building confidence athlete confidence in sports. Verbal persuasion is positive feedback you’ve received from people in your life, most importantly your teammates and coaches. Spend some time reflecting on positive feedback, affirmations, and compliments you’ve received from your teammates and coaches. Trust that your teammates and coaches were being honest and real with you. Trust that your teammates and coaches believe in you. You also may find it helpful to reflect back on what it felt like when your coaches recruited. Remind yourself that you were recruited and chosen to play for your team because the coaches believed in your abilities, talent, and potential.

4. Arousal Control (aka Emotion Regulation)

Arousal control, or the process of recognizing and managing ones optimal arousal state during competition can also function to increase self-efficacy in athletes (Williams & Krane, 2015). Think about what it feels like in competition when you first start feel the pressure of a big game, meet or competition? What does it feel like in your body? Do your muscles feel tight or heavy? Do you start to feel tension in your jaw, neck, chest or stomach? Picture the tension in your body. Which color is it? What is the texture? Next envision the tension leaving your body. Some athletes find it helpful to picture tension existing their body through an exhale of breath. Notice that you are not your anxiety, your worry, or your stress. Your tension is separate from you. Externalize it. Let it go. Picture it leaving your body and notice a quiet sense of calm. Learning to regulate your emotion to experience optimal performance state is one of the most effective sport psychology techniques for increasing confidence in sport.

It’s all right to have butterflies in your stomach. Just get them to fly into formation.”

Rob Gilbert

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Resource

Free Confidence Building Worksheets

References

Bandura, Albert. (1990) Perceived self-efficacy in the exercise of personal agency, Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 2:2, 128-163, DOI: 10.1080/10413209008406426 

Bandura, A., & Cervone, D. (1983) Self-evaluative and self-efficacy mechanisms governing the motivation effects of goal systems. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45, 1017-1028.

Burton, Damon & Raedeke, Thomas, D. (2008). Sport Psychology for Coaches. Human Kinetics.

Hays, K., Thomas, O., Maynard, I., & Bawden, M. (2009). The role of confidence in world-class sport performance. Journal of Sports Sciences, 27(11), 1185–1199.

Williams, J. M. & Krane, Vikki (2015). Applied sport psychology: personal growth to peak performance. Seventh edition. New York: McGraw-Hill Education. https://www.mheducation.com/highered/product/applied-sport-psychology-personal-growth-peak-performance-williams-krane/M9780078022708.html

Vealey, R. S., Hayashi, S. W., Garner-Holman, M., & Giacobbi, P. (1998). Sources of sport confidence: Conceptualization and instrument development. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 20(1), 54.