What makes a confident athlete?
Confidence is one of those priceless traits that athletes consistently attribute to their success; but who is the confident athlete? According to research, the confident athlete is the person who thinks about themselves and the action in hand in a different way to those who lack confidence. Confident athletes think they can, and they do – they never give up. Typical characteristics include using positive self-talk, visualising positive images and having positive dreams of success. Confident athletes can imagine themselves winning, performing well, focusing successfully on mastering a task, rather than worrying about performing poorly or the negative consequences of failure. This confidence is no accident, it is usually as a result of particular thinking habits; habits that when consistently practised, enable athletes to use their self-confidence to enhance their performances.