How Confident Athletes Set Themselves Apart: Part III

By now, you’ve learned that confident athletes take a different approach to their mental game and preparation. But how do they deal with criticism? How do they bounce back from a mistake on the playing field?

Let’s find out.

Three More Ways Confident Athletes Rise Above

1. Confident athletes rise above the critics. The sports world is full of stories about athletes who weren’t recognized as having exceptional skill at one point in their career. Michael Jordan tried out for his high school varsity basketball team and didn’t make the cut. Tom Brady was a 6th round draft pick in the 2001 NFL Draft.  Misty Copeland got a rejection letter saying she had the wrong body for ballet and, at age 13, was too old. In all three situations, these athletes were judged to “not have what it takes.” Thankfully, they ignored the critics and believed in themselves. Rising above the critics takes confidence.
2. Confident athletes anticipate challenges and mentally prepare to cope with them. They note challenges from past experiences and anything they imagine might throw them off their game. Some distractions include disrespectful spectators, poor officiating, a skate lace breaking, and other equipment malfunctions. The task is to develop a coping strategy to deal with the imagined challenge. Thinking through or visualizing a response gives you a leg up and bolsters your confidence, knowing you have prepared for a variety of “what ifs.” If “it” does occur, you feel like you’ve been there and solved it already, so you can respond with focus, composure and confidence, instead of fear or panic.
3. Confident athletes move on from their mistakes. Mistakes are inevitable. During games or competitions, there is no time to dwell on mistakes. You must let them go and stay focused on the task at hand.  Ruminating on mistakes increases your odds of making more. Remember: your best performances are when you are in the moment. Confident athletes don’t let mistakes rattle their confidence.   

Confident athletes are intentional and proactive in their confidence. They don’t wait for something positive to happen to feel confident. They assume the attitude, posture, and demeanor of confidence.

They take stock of all they have done to reach this point. They value the preparation both physical and mental so they can show up feeling prepared and confident.  It’s the age old question: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Was I confident because I was successful? Or was I successful because I was confident? We can all agree success bolsters our confidence, but what happens when you hit a rough patch or you haven’t had a series of success just yet? That’s when confident athletes know they have to bring the belief in self and their ability to achieve.

What do you need to change or develop to become a confident athlete?