Let’s talk about confidence in sports. It seems a lot of players are on this roller coaster of confidence, where they are constantly trying to reach that high peak and often suffer through low valleys. Now almost everyone has had those high confidence moments; being in the zone and feeling unstoppable. The problem begins when players start to belief that’s their baseline. That’s the kind of player they should be every game. So when they actually perform as their skills would predict, they become disappointed, their confidence dips and they have more bad games than great ones. They put their confidence in hope and not their skills. This is a growing problem for athletes of this generation. 

Let’s take a player we all know, Steph Curry. He surely has some remarkable games where he goes Super Steph. These are the games and moments that explode on social media and all players dream of having. The reality can often become distorted. Looking at only his scoring in the 2018-19 season, he had 8 games where he was truly unstoppable: scoring 40 or more points. On the other hand, he also had 4 games that were total duds, scoring less than 15 points. But for the vast majority of the 82 game season, he is average, he performs as you would expect; averaging close to 27 pts, 5 ast, 5 reb, 1 stl, 3 to. He’s able to reach those averages because that’s the level of skill he possesses nightly. Those are the skills he works on everyday and can consistently perform in a game setting. His confidence comes from those skills and the work he puts into them; they allow him to be consistent in his game and approach.  

Taking a look at one of his teammates Andre Iguoduala, there’s a different skill set involved. When he gets those wide open corner threes, he takes them because he works on them everyday, but when he misses those shots it doesn’t destroy his confidence. He knows that his strengths are on the defensive end, handling the ball and making decisions. He obviously wants to make every shot but he is realistic enough to know that he won’t. Because on average he’s a 33% 3pt shooter. Missing a shot does not conflict with the exception of his skills. He simple hustles back on defense ready to make the next play; confident in the skills he knows he can rely on. 

Therefore a player’s confidence is often determined by the realistic understanding of their current skill level or role. When a player’s performance is at odds with their internal believes, their confidence becomes insecure. Therefore it is vital for a player to be realistic in their own self view. If they are a 30% three point shooter, they shouldn’t be disturbed when they miss a shot: it was actually more likely. If they shoot 10 shots they’re going to miss 7. If a player gets pick-pocketed but doesn’t consistently work on his ball handling, what did they expect to happen? You’re only as good as the skills you show up with. When you think you are better than you actually are, of course you will be disappointed. 

Baseball is perhaps the best statically understood sport. Batters step up to the plate expecting to get on base and make a play for their team. When they strike out, they are obviously frustrated because they want to perform well, but realistically they understand that’s part of the game. An average player has a BA of .250 or 1 out of every 4 at bats. Confidence can remain steady even during objective failure. 

The trap for players is hoping to reach this super high confidence every game. For the vast majority of time, even for Steph Curry, players will be average: as good as their current skill level allows. Having a clear picture of who they actually are as a player allows them to keep that confidence level steady. If they want to have better games, then they need to work harder outside of the games. Once a player raises their skill level in practice, their average performance in games will rise. Their starting confidence will grow as their skills grow.

Of course I’m not promoting settling for average. Players should always want to give themselves the opportunity to have the best game of their life; giving full effort, constant focus and taking some risks allows them that opportunity. There will be some highs and lows organically, but if their confidence level is steady, then they will have more great games than bad ones. Players who struggle with confidence often have an unrealistic view of their abilities. Being realistic will not lower their confidence, it will steady it. Ultimately a player is only as good as the work they put in, and that should sound refreshing. 

 

More thought:

Coaches and parents can obviously impact a player’s confidence. They can easily destroy their confidence by berating a player with his mistakes or improve their confidence by showing their support and belief (in the simplest of terms). This article focused more on the player’s internal approach towards confidence. Coaches, trainers and parents can still have an impact on this. If someone makes the player belief they are better than they currently are, their self view will distorted which will lead to greater chances of low confidence. If someone makes the player belief they are worse than they currently are, their self view may hold them back from giving full effort and focus; accepting the mediocre results as who they are. Reality is tricky to define and striving for greatness is essential.