6 ways to become a more confident athlete
- Let go of fear. Play for yourself, never others. Play for fun. If it’s not fun, you won’t play well. So learn how to play freely for yourself, don’t hold back for fear of judgement from others, and have fun.
- Play efficiently, not perfectly. Accept that you will make mistakes but commit to reducing them instead of getting frustrated when you mess up. Accept mistakes as opportunities to learn and get better instead of something to fear or get overly upset about.
- Harbor confident, self-talk thoughts. Think, “I’m a good player and will only get better the more I play. I can do this. That mistake will not define my play today. Chin up, low and slow is the tempo, follow through, etc”
- Focus on the process, not the result. If you’ve trained hard, remind yourself that the hard work has already been done and now you can play freely.List the things you’re good at and things you need to work on.
- Practice like it matters instead of just going through the motions. Simulate in-game maneuvers over lazy warm-ups that teach you nothing.
- Visualize your next successful play. Tell yourself what you’ll do to make it happen.