Boosting Confidence in Soccer
Do you believe in your ability to perform successfully during soccer games? Can you keep a high level of confidence even after mistakes?
Lots of things can hurt your confidence in soccer, such as mistakes, losses, not being selected for a team, lack of playing time, what coaches and teammates say, playing against high level opponents, etc.
Yes, confidence can be fragile for soccer players. Without stable confidence, it’s hard for players to bounce back from mistakes, defeats and poor performance.
When your confidence is easily shaken, it may appear difficult to find a way to become more confident but confidence is much more within your control than you think…
Cameroon native Tony Tchani, 25, is a midfielder for the Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer.
Tchani was drafted in the first round (2nd overall) of the 2010 MLS Draft after a productive college career at the University of Virginia.
Despite entering the league with much promise, Tchani’s lack of confidence has contributed to his inconsistent play and reduction in playing time over the past two seasons.
Gregg Berhalter, head coach of the Columbus Crew, made it a priority to instill confidence in Tchani for the upcoming season:
“I would say he’s [Tchani] one of the better defending central midfielders in the league. You can’t get by him. It’s amazing. I think he’s really good; it’s just getting him to believe that, as well. He can be a dominant player in this league.”
Mere ability won’t get the job done. Peak performance requires a combination of ability and confidence that leads to mentally tough play on the field.
Tchani relayed what his coach has taught him about confidence:
“Gregg puts so much confidence in me and tells me just to play my game, never worrying about if I make a mistake. I just have to keep my head up. This system that we’re playing, I’m more comfortable and I can move around and not be just static, just being in one spot. That’s not my game.”
Tips on boosting your confidence:
- Take responsibility for your level of confidence. Mistakes or other people do not hurt your confidence. Only you can hurt your confidence.
- Mistakes will happen, move forward – You should understand that all athletes will make mistakes. Great players quickly rebound and re-focus on their game.
- Use you past experience as the base support for confidence. How many years have you played the game of soccer? You deserve to have stable confidence.
It’s up to you to improve and maintain a high level of confidence in your skills. Nothing can make you doubt your ability but yourself.
Improve your confidence in soccer today with our Soccer Confidence Workbook Program!
Related Sports Psychology Articles
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- Why Making Comparisons Hurts Soccer Confidence
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Boost Confidence in Soccer
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