Important

• Self-Confidence and Success – The most consistent finding in peak performance literature is the direct positive correlation between self-confidence and success, distinguishing highly successful athletes from less successful ones,.
• Confidence as a Skill – Confidence should be viewed as a psychological skill or muscle that needs to be exercised and trained, rather than just a trait one is born with,.
• Thinking Habits – Confidence is the result of specific thinking habits practiced until they become automatic, allowing athletes to retain successful experiences and release unsuccessful ones.
• Mental Discipline – The conscious mind is not automatically an ally and must be disciplined to think and respond effectively through the practice of self-confidence.
• Preparation – High performers regard preparation not just as a strategy but as a lifestyle; failing to prepare makes it difficult to be confident or experience its benefits,.
• Self-Talk Influence – Internal dialogue can have a profound effect on feelings and actions; while positive thinking enables performance, negative/maladaptive thoughts are disabling,.
• Body Language during Warm-ups – Research indicates that displaying positive body language is critical even during pre-game warm-ups, as opponents feel less confident about beating someone who appears confident before the game starts.
• Internal Attributions – It is generally advantageous for athletes to have an internal locus of control (accepting responsibility for outcomes) because it empowers them to turn current failure into future success, provided they view the failure as unstable (changeable),.

Core Concepts

• Self-Confidence Definition: It is defined as the belief that one can successfully perform a desired behaviour, essentially the belief that one will “get the job done”.
• State vs. Trait Confidence: Confidence can be a stable personality characteristic (trait) but also transient and dependent on the specific situation and timing (state),.
• Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: A cycle where expecting an outcome causes it to happen; positive expectations lead to lower anxiety and better performance, while negative expectations lead to anxiety, poor concentration, and failure,.
• Self-Efficacy: A situation-specific form of self-confidence involving the perception of one’s ability to perform a specific task successfully.
• Sources of Self-Efficacy: Bandura identified six sources: performance accomplishment (most dependable), vicarious experiences (modeling), verbal persuasion, imaginal experiences, physiological states (interpretation of arousal), and emotional states,.
• Performance Accomplishment: The most powerful source of efficacy where success breeds expectations of success; coaches can facilitate this by simulating game conditions in practice or modifying equipment for beginners (e.g., lower hoops, lighter balls),,.
• Vicarious Experiences (Modeling): Learning new skills and building confidence by observing others, which requires attention, retention, motor reproduction, and motivation to be effective,.
• Verbal Persuasion: Messages from external sources (coaches, teammates) or internal sources (self-talk) that can enhance efficacy, though negative comments should be avoided in favor of constructive feedback,.
• Physiological State Interpretation: Confidence is enhanced when athletes interpret physiological arousal (e.g., racing heart) as excitement and readiness rather than anxiety or fear,.
• Body Language: A behavioral expression of confidence that influences how an athlete feels and how opponents perceive them; positive body language involves head up and good posture, while negative body language can motivate the opponent,.
• Self-Talk Applications: Athletes use self-talk for skill acquisition (instructional cues), breaking bad habits, attentional control (clearing the mind), creating mood (e.g., “explode”), and controlling effort,,.
• Thought Stoppage and Ironic Processes: A technique to end negative thoughts using a trigger word or action, though it often fails due to the “ironic process” where trying to suppress a thought makes it hyper-accessible,.
• Reframing: Transforming a difficulty or weakness into a strength or opportunity by changing the perspective (e.g., viewing a slump as a chance to show resilience),.
• Cognitive Restructuring (ABCD): A process of identifying the Activating event, the irrational Beliefs causing the Consequences, and then Disputing those beliefs to replace them with rational ones,.
• Irrational Beliefs: Distorted thinking patterns that undermine confidence, such as perfectionism, catastrophizing, personalization, polarized (all-or-nothing) thinking, and one-trial generalizations,,.
• Attributional Search: The motivated search for reasons behind outcomes (especially unexpected failures) to provide stability and predictability.
• Psychological Momentum: A positive or negative change in cognition, affect, and physiology caused by an event that results in a shift in performance and outcome, often triggered by a “precipitating event”,.

Theories and Frameworks

• Bandura’s Conceptual Model of Self-Efficacy: A foundational theory positing that self-efficacy is derived from six specific sources (performance accomplishments, vicarious experiences, etc.) which influence expectations and ultimately performance,.
• Vealey’s Multi-dimensional Model of Sport Confidence: A sport-specific model illustrating how demographic characteristics and organizational culture shape sources of confidence (achievement, self-regulation, social climate), which influence confidence constructs and consequences (affect, behavior, cognition),.
• Wiener’s Attribution Model: A framework classifying causal attributions along two main dimensions: Locus of Control (Internal vs. External) and Stability (Stable vs. Unstable), creating four types: Ability, Effort, Task Difficulty, and Luck,.
• Taylor and Demick’s Multidimensional Model of Psychological Momentum: Describes a “momentum chain” starting with a precipitating event that leads to changes in cognition/affect/arousal and behavior, moderated by experience and opponent reactions,.
• Rational Emotive Therapy (ABCD Model): An intervention framework by Albert Ellis used to identify and dispute irrational beliefs that cause negative emotional and behavioral consequences.

Notable Individuals

• Lizzie Yarnold: Olympic gold medalist in skeleton who emphasized the critical role of self-confidence in reaching potential.
• Robin Vealey: Sport psychologist who defined sport confidence and developed the Multi-dimensional Model of Sport Confidence,.
• Albert Bandura: Influential psychologist who developed the Self-Efficacy Theory and identified its key sources.
• Mia Hamm: Soccer legend who emphasized the importance of preparation (“I am building a fire”).
• Jack Nicklaus: Hall of Fame golfer who stated that as long as he is prepared, he always expects to win.
• Michael Phelps: Olympic swimmer whose coach used adversity training (cracked goggles) to build preparation and confidence.
• Bob Bowman: Michael Phelps’ coach who deliberately created difficult conditions in practice to prepare Phelps for competition.
• Leslie Thompson-Willey: Canadian rowing coxswain who highlighted the importance of practicing in all weather conditions to ensure confidence.
• Albert Ellis: Psychotherapist who developed Rational Emotive Therapy and the concept of disputing irrational beliefs.
• Trevor Hoffman: Major League Baseball closer known for using physical gestures to “crumple up” and throw away negative thoughts (thought stoppage).
• Dan Wegner: Social psychologist who identified the “ironic process” of mental control (the “white bear” problem).
• Wayne Gretzky: Hockey legend mentioned in the context of one-trial generalizations and superstitious behavior (eating hot dogs).
• Billie Jean King: Tennis legend who reframed losing not as failure, but as “research”.
• Michael Jordan: NBA legend who attributed his success to his repeated failures and resilience.