Self-confidence is a really important mental factor that affects how well athletes perform in sports (Feltz & Moss, 2019). It is what sets successful athletes apart from those who aren’t as successful. Self-confidence is all about believing in your own abilities to achieve a certain goal (Bandura, 1997). There are different things that help build self-confidence. One is having experiences where you succeed at certain tasks. Another is watching and learning from people we admire. Influential people who believe in us can also boost our self-confidence. Lastly, our emotional and physical states can also play a role in how confident we feel.
In sports psychology, self-confidence and self-efficacy are often used interchangeably (Feltz & Moss, 2019). Self-efficacy is a term used to describe how confident someone is in their ability to be successful in sports. It has two parts: a trait component that describes our overall confidence in a sport, and a state component that describes our confidence in specific situations. Researchers use questionnaires like the Trait Sport Confidence Inventory and State Sport Confidence Inventory to measure self-confidence in sports (Vealey, 1986).
Having high self-confidence can be very beneficial (Feltz & Moss, 2019). It makes us set goals and work hard to achieve them. It helps us focus and stay determined even when we face obstacles or failures. It also makes us feel positive and motivated. On the other hand, low self-confidence can lead to self-doubts, anxiety, and a lack of effort. It’s important to note that while self-confidence is usually good for performance, being overly confident can be risky. For example, someone might keep training even when they have a sore Achilles tendon, or they might underestimate the difficulty of an upcoming race and not prepare enough.
There are different psychological strategies we can use to enhance our self-confidence. These include ensuring that we experience success, using positive thoughts and images, learning from role models, receiving encouragement from others, and using techniques to reduce anxiety. When it comes to predicting how well we’ll perform, research has shown that self-confidence is more important than anxiety (Craft et al., 2003). In other words, believing in ourselves has a stronger link to performance than feeling anxious.
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. Macmillan.
Craft, L. L., Magyar, T. M., Becker, B. J., & Feltz, D. L. (2003). The relationship between the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 and sport performance: A meta- analysis. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 25, 4465.
Feltz, D. L., & Moss, T. (2019). In D. Hackfort, R. J. Schinke, & B. Strauss (Eds.), Dictionary of sport psychology: Sport, exercise, and performing arts. Academic Press.
Vealey, R. S. (1986). Conceptualization of sport-confidence and competitive orientation: Preliminary investigation and instrument development. Journal of Sport Psychology, 8, 221246.