Developing a Strong Level of Confidence
Do you ever wonder if it is possible to have higher confidence or have a steady level of confidence?
Yes, confidence does go up and down for many soccer players during their athletic career and many things can affect confidence from day to day…
But honestly you don’t want to ride the confidence roller-coaster. When you do, the small things can make your confidence elusive.
A strong and stable level of confidence can boost your performance in soccer and help with other mental game challenges as well.
Not only does confidence open the door to peak performance, it helps you battle nerves, cope with mistakes, and trust in your skills.
I interviewed mental coach Dr. Robert Winters about his take on confidence and preparation…
Winters specializes in performance enhancement and has worked with many professional, elite and NCAA athletes.
Winters’ philosophy is based on self-belief and the willingness to work, train and prepare for what you want.
COHN: “What have you gleaned over the years that great performers, great athletes have from a mental game perspective?”
WINTERS: “The great athletes have an inner drive for the pursuit of excellence. They don’t really compare themselves to anyone else; they compare themselves to their own standards of excellence… The other thing I find that they do is they have a deep-rooted belief in themselves.”
Winters understands that confidence is not the sole factor responsible for peak performance. Winters emphasizes that athletes must put in the work to succeed. You can have confidence without the preparation and hard work.
WINTERS: “Before you find yourself in the winner’s circle, you have to have the will to prepare, the will to train, the will to persevere, even when you don’t really want to train, and you have to have the will to have compliance that you’re going to do the things that you said to yourself that you’re going to do. Those are the cornerstones for greatness.”
“In saying that, that’s really great news for all of our athletes because the thing that separates the people who are really, really good and the people that are just mediocre, is that the people who become really, really good do the things that the people who are mediocre don’t want to do.”
“Most people don’t want to put in the time, the work, the sweat ethic to earn the right to feel confident.”
I summarized Winters’ notions regarding confidence and preparation.
COHN: “So belief without the will to win, the will to prepare and the compliance that you talk about, that’s not going to cut it. Likewise, you can have the will to prepare and the perseverance, but if you don’t have the belief then that’s not going to cut it… So, they go hand in hand.”
Try these tips to boost your athletic confidence:
- Tip #1: Excellence in soccer comes from the will to prepare and train coupled with high, stable confidence. And having stable confidence comes from belief in your abilities, not just from training.
- Tip #2: Commit to the plan, work the plan and go the extra mile when training for games. Focused preparation will dramatically improve your athletic confidence.
Boost your confidence in soccer today with our Soccer Confidence Workbook Program!
Related Sports Psychology Articles
- How Team Culture Leads to Success
- How Carli Lloyd’s Pregame Preparation Leads to Success
- Six Mental Game Lessons and England’s Success
- Subscribe to The Sports Psychology Podcast on iTunes
- Subscribe to The Sports Psychology Podcast on Spotify
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it is great to read about this confidence article, but, too many coaches do not know how to instill it in a player…..even tho, the player may be of the highest level…..how do they learn to do it?