(Assignment)

DOES SELF CONFIDENCE ENHANCE

PERFORMANCE?
Submitted to:
Ma’am Dr. Abida Naseer
Submitted by:
Maheen Hashim Khan Burki

M.Phil Sports Sciences (2nd Semester)

Roll Number 13314- (2019-2021)
Department of Sports Sciences & Physical Education

Riphah International University

Faisalabad Campus
What is self-confidence?
Self-confidence is commonly defined as the sureness
of feeling that you are equal to the task at hand. This
sureness is characterized by absolute belief in ability.
You may well know someone whose self-belief has this
unshakeable quality, whose ego resists even the biggest
setbacks.
Cont…
Confidence is related to personality and those who
exude self-confidence across a range of contexts, say at
work, socially and in their sport, are said to be high in
trait confidence. However, confidence can also be very
specific – to a particular situation or with reference to a
set of circumstances – in which case it is known as
state confidence or self-efficacy.
‘When you perform any skill successfully, you will
generate confidence and be willing to attempt
something slightly more difficult’
Self-confidence in sport is defined
When athletes feel
confident, they are more
readily able to turn sporting
potential into superior
performance. Conversely,
when they feel unsure of
themselves, the slightest
setback or smallest hurdle
can have an inordinate
effect on their performance
Cont…
Costas Karageorghis explores
the nature of self-confidence
and presents a theory
underlying the causes of self-
confidence in sport. He also
reviews recent research and
provides some powerful
techniques that you can
apply to enhance your own
confidence or that of athletes
in your charge
For Example
A professional football player may give off vibes
suggesting they are high in trait confidence;
however, when they are faced with the prospect of
saving their team in a penalty shoot-out at a major
championship, their state confidence can plummet
and this has the potential to wreak havoc on their
performance.
Cont…

•This is precisely what happened to David

Beckham when England faced Portugal in
the quarter finals of the European Football
Championships in June 2004. In the throws
of a nail-biting penalty shoot-out, he lost
focus and hoofed the ball over the crossbar.
Sources of self-confidence
Performance accomplishments
Performance accomplishments are the strongest
contributor to sport confidence. When you perform
any skill successfully, you will generate confidence and
be willing to attempt something slightly more difficult.
Skill learning should be organized into a series of tasks
that progress gradually and allow you to master each
step before progressing on to the next. Personal
success breeds confidence, while repeated personal
failure diminishes it.
Verbal persuasion
Verbal persuasion is a means of attempting to change
the attitudes and behavior of those around us, and this
includes changing their self-confidence. In sport,
coaches often try to boost confidence by convincing
athletes that the challenge ahead is within their
capabilities: ‘I know you’re a great player so keep
your head up and play hard!’ Reinforce this by
repeating the message over and over to him or herself
as a form of self-persuasion.
Imagery experiences
Imagery experiences have to do with
athletes recreating multi-sensory images of
successful performance in their mind.
Through creating such mental
representations, mastery of a particular task
or set of circumstances is far more likely.
A Tip Here
To avoid stating what you
want in the negative; so,
rather than ‘I really don’t
want to come off second
best’ try ‘I really want to win
this one’. Accordingly, your
mind will not need to
consider what is not required
in order to arrive at what is.
Cont…
Physiological states can reduce feelings of confidence
through phenomena such as muscular tension,
palpitations and butterflies in the stomach. The bodily
sensations associated with competition need to be
perceived as being facilitative to performance and this
can be achieved through the application of
appropriate stress management interventions such as
the ‘five breath technique’ and ‘thought-stopping
Emotional states
These are the final source of self-confidence and
relates to how you control the emotions associated
with competition, such as excitement and anxiety.
Very often, the importance of the occasion creates
self-doubt, which is why it is essential to control
your thoughts and emotions.
Cont…
“This is a fantastic day for me and my family, this
is historic. I have been ready for the win for quite
some time, it was just a matter of where and
when.” Lewis Hamilton (after his maiden Formula
One Grand Prix victory in Montreal)
Exercises Enhancing self-
confidence
Exercise 1: Confident situations
and situations of doubt
To achieve a greater sense of stability in your
confidence, it is necessary to know exactly what causes
it to fluctuate. Divide a clean page into two columns.
Label the first column ‘High-confidence situations’
and the second ‘Low-confidence situations’.
Cont…
In the first column, list all of the situations or
circumstances in your sport in which you feel
completely confident. In the second column, list the
situations or circumstances that sometimes cause your
confidence to diminish. Clearly identifying the
situations that make you feel uneasy is the first step
towards building greater self-confidence. We will come
back to these lists in some of the remaining exercises,
but for now, it should have just served to increase your
awareness of areas that can be improved.
Exercise 2: The spotlight of excellence
This visualization exercise
recreates the mental state
associated with past performance
success and will help you in
bridging the gap between your
ability and confidence:
Imagine a huge spotlight beaming
down on the floor one meter in
front of you. The light beam is
about a meter in diameter.
Cont…
Now think back to a time in your sporting career when
you were performing at the very peak of your ability
.Look at yourself from outside and examine each of your
five senses. See yourself inside the circle and excelling.
Now step into the spotlight and become fully associated
so that you are experiencing events through your own
eyes and in real time.
 Notice what you are seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling
and tasting.Then notice exactly what this feels like so
that you can reproduce it at will whenever your
confidence is waning.
Exercise 3: Positive self-talk
Positive self-talk will affirm to you that you possess the
skills, abilities, positive attitudes and beliefs that are
the building blocks of success. The statements you
choose need to be vivid, should roll off the tongue,
and be practiced well in advance of competition. Most
of all, they must be totally believable
Here are some Examples…
Boxer ‘I have fists of steel’
Basketball player (for free throws) ‘It’s just me
and the basket’
Defensive linesman in American football ‘No
one’s goanna get through’
Hammer thrower ‘I’m the king of the slingers’
Judo player ‘I’m as strong as an ox’
Ski-jumper ‘my timing is always spot on’
Striker in soccer ‘I’ll slot in every chance’
Tip
Make your own list of four or
five positive self-statements and
read them to yourself every
night before you go to bed and
every morning as you wake up.
Through repeated use, they will
become embedded in your
subconscious and have a
profound influence on your
sporting performance.
 
Exercise 4: Exploiting weaknesses in your opponent
Your opponent will harbor doubts and fears that they
will try hard to hide from you. Like any human being,
they are susceptible to anxiety, fatigue and indecision.
If you spend time thinking about your opponents,
focus upon which weaknesses and frailties you might
most easily exploit.
•Study video footage of your opponents and analyse what
most often causes things to go wrong for them. It may be
that they cannot perform under certain conditions – For
example, British tennis player Greg Rudeski was known to
have a weak backhand that opponents would often seek to
exploit;

•Some opponents will get highly perturbed by what they

perceive to be unfair refereeing decisions. Make a point of
being friendly and respectful towards match officials and, in
doing so, at a subconscious level at least, they are more
likely to adjudicate in your favour in any 50-50 call.
Exercise 5: Using the power of sound
Music has unique properties, among which is its
ability to inspire, motivate and boost one’s confidence.
There are many tunes with inspirational lyrics or
strong extra-musical associations that you can use to
increase your confidence before competition

We Will ,
We Will ,
ROCK YOU !!!
References
 Handbook of Sport Psychology (2nd ed) 2001; 550-565
 Psych Review 1977; 84:191-215
 Cognitive Sport Psychology 1984; 191-198
 Sport Psychology: Theory, Applications, and Issues (2nd ed) 2004; 344-387
 J Psych 1972; 81:69-72
 Cog Therapy Res 1979; 3:205-211
 J Sport Psych 1979; 1:320-331
 J Sports Sci 2007; 25:1057-1065
 J App Sport Psych 2004; 16:118-137
 Hellenic J Psych 2006; 3:164-175
 The Sport Psych 2006; 20:94-111
 Res Q Exerc Sport 2006; 77:263-270
 Anxiety Stress Coping; in press