Confidence is the Key to Success in Sports

[Motiv Girl]

Did you know that playing with confidence is the most important
aspect of developing a consistent, championship mindset? One
of the keys to playing with confidence is the ability to defend
yourself from self-doubt.

Doubt is what deteriorates confidence; it is what is left in
the absence of confidence.

Pessimistic, perfectionistic and over-motivated athletes tend
to hold too tightly to doubts, which if unchecked, can ruin an
athlete's mindset and derail performance.

Some athletes start doubting before they even start the
competition or make an error; however, most athletes struggle
with doubts after making a mistake or performing poorly in
competition.

After only one bad shot early they begin to doubt their ability.


This feeling of doubt remains with them for the rest of the day
and makes it virtually impossible to regain control of the game
and perform well.

The first step in overcoming doubt is to become aware of the
thoughts or feelings that deteriorate confidence.

Be aware that doubt is often very subtle and disguises itself in
the form of questions, such as "Can I perform as well as I
have been performing in practice?"

Your first task is to help your child athlete identify doubts,
both direct and subtle, so she can defend herself against the
negative effects of self-doubt.

Once you recognize the triggers that are causing doubt, the
next step is to counter the doubts by encouraging thoughts
that will lead to better outcomes.

To help you child become aware of his/her own doubts in times
of adversity, pick one or two doubts that he or she experiences
when performance is not going well or after making a mistake.

Ask your child to phrase the doubt as if thinking out loud:
"I've missed two shots early. I will struggle with my shots
the rest of the game."

The next step is to refute or counter the doubt statement with
something such as: "Missing early does not mean I will continue
to miss. My chances are only going to get better.

Your child must learn how to cut off doubts and think in a
way that leads to confidence. Your child can think like a
champion!

We would love to help your child gain greater levels of confidence,
so we suggest you check out a new confidence program we have to
help athletes of any level boost their confidence for sports and
life!



Stay Confident,

Lisa Cohn, Youth Sports Author &
Patrick Cohn, Ph.D., Mental Training Expert

[Big Dog]

I have coached for years. I have told my students about visualisation and how to use it to win. I also used to tell them that competence brings confidence. Learn the game. The better the student,the better the game.