Developing Self Confidence in Your Athletes Leonie Lightfoot
Today s Session Self confidence myths What is self confidence? Sources of self confidence Methods of increasing self confidence
Self Confidence - discuss You either have it or you don t Positive feedback builds self confidence Success builds confidence Confidence =arrogance Mistakes ruin confidence
Thoughts Behaviours Feelings
Thinking examples I ve prepared well for this My calf feels tight Run your race how you want to Confident Run carefully Frustrated /anxious
Common faults in thinking I should easily win this race; if I don t I might as well give up (Black and white thinking) If I don t run well in training today I m going to struggle in my race at the weekend (Fortune telling or predicting the future) I always throw badly when the weather is like this (overgeneralisation) I know that my coach feels I have let him down by not winning (mind reading)
Task Try to identify some of your own/ your athletes faulty thinking patterns Hint: look for global words like should, must and never
Sources of Self Confidence Bandura (1977) Performance accomplishments Vicarious experience Verbal Persuasion Self efficacy Self confidence Arousal Control
Performance Accomplishments The most powerful influence on self confidence 3 aspects of performance accomplishment affect the development of confidence: - consistency - recency - quality of success
Where does confidence come from? Having done it in the past, of course you have to do it the first time but after that you ve got a model you can always relate back to. It gives you comfort doing something you ve done before. Jordan & Telander (2001)
Vicarious Experience The information derived by seeing others perform the skill in question Seeing others successfully master a skill leads to increased self efficacy Particularly important for beginners, who lack experience at the task in hand Similarity of sex and ability of the model to that of the subject enhanced the effect of the models actions on self efficacy (Gould & Weiss, 1981)
Verbal Persuasion Limited value but readily available Persuasive techniques used by self or others to manipulate behaviour E.g. encouragement or feedback Expertise and credibility of the persuader makes a difference
Caution... Positive Athlete s attitude towards the coach Negative Low Moderate High Level of general encouragement by coach
Arousal Control The least influential factor of the four Performers can interpret physical symptoms of arousal as good or bad which affects their self confidence
Methods of increasing Self Confidence
Preparation is everything. I wanted to feel I know I m ready because I have done everything possible to be ready I gave 100% every single day, so that when the time came and I was in that call room- my favourite time with the seven other athletes who would be lining up against me, I could feel as confident as I could possible be and probably more confident than anyone else in that room.
Positive Self Talk A form of personal verbal persuasion Used to create a positive mind set and boost their confidence Learn to couple any negative thought with a positive one that either: - provides encouragement - appropriately redirects attention
Positive Self Talk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebtgrvp3ilg Identify some of the most common negative thoughts experienced by your athletes e.g. I can t do it and when these typically occur. Design suitable replacements which can be substituted.
Imagery A way of indirectly experiencing and re-living performance accomplishments Going to the movies in your head A form of dress rehearsal for the big day I feel very much like I ve been there before
Goal Setting http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnx47f71kgw Outcome, performance and process Daily, short term, long term, dream SMART
Goal Setting Staircase Long Term Goal ST Goal 4 ST Goal 2 ST Goal 3 ST Goal 1
Thank you! Questions?