This document discusses self-confidence and its importance in sport. It defines self-confidence as the belief in one's ability to successfully perform a desired behavior. Having self-confidence provides benefits like increased effort and goal achievement. Coaches can build athletes' self-confidence through ensuring performance accomplishments, positive instruction and feedback, and creating a supportive environment. Self-efficacy theory also explains how perceptions of ability influence behavior, effort, and persistence.

1. Chapter 14: Self-Confidence
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Self-ConfidenceSelf-Confidence
C H A P T E R

2. Session Outline
• Defining self-confidence
• Benefits of self-confidence
• Levels of confidence
• How expectations influence performance
• Self-efficacy theory
(continued)

3. Session Outline (continued)
• Sources of efficacy
• Modeling and effective demonstrations
• Assessing self-confidence
• Building self-confidence

4. Defining Self-Confidence
• Self-confidence is the belief that you can
successfully perform a desired behavior.
• Self-confidence can be both dispositional
and statelike.
(continued)

5. Defining Self-Confidence (continued)
• Dispositional self-confidence is the degree of
certainty individuals usually have about their
ability to succeed.
• State self-confidence is the belief of certainty
that individuals have at a particular moment
about their ability to succeed.
(continued)

6. Defining Self-Confidence (continued)
• Self-fulfilling prophecy: Expecting
something to happen actually helps cause it
to happen.
• Negative self-fulfilling prophecy: This is a
psychological barrier whereby the
expectation of failure leads to actual failure.

7. Aspects of Self-Confidence in Sport
• Vealey and Knight (2002): Confidence about
one’s ability to
– execute physical skills,
– use psychological skills,
– employ perceptual skills (e.g., make good
decisions),
– be fit and highly trained, and
– improve one’s skill (learn).
(continued)

8. Aspects of Self-Confidence in Sport
(continued)
• Hays, Maynard, Thomas, and Bawden (2007)
– Found additional types of self-confidence in elite
athletes, such as belief in their ability to achieve
(both winning and improved performance) as well as
their belief in their superiority over the opposition.
– This underscores the notion of elite athletes having
strong beliefs in their abilities and is consistent with
the importance of self-belief as seen in the literature
on mental toughness.

9. Benefits of Self-Confidence
• Arouses positive emotions
• Facilitates concentration
• Affects the setting and pursuit of
challenging goals
• Increases effort
(continued)

10. Benefits of Self-Confidence
(continued)
• Affects game strategies (play to win versus
play to lose)
• Affects psychological momentum
• Affects performance

11. Levels of Confidence
• Optimal confidence involves being so
convinced that you will achieve your goals
that you strive hard to do so.
• Lack of confidence or self-doubts create
anxiety, break concentration, and cause
indecisiveness.
• Overconfidence (false confidence) causes
you to prepare less than you need to in
order to perform.

12. Figure 14.1

13. Figure 14.2

14. How Expectations
Influence Performance
• Expectations play a critical role in the
behavior change process. Positive
expectations of success produce positive
effects in many fields, including sport.
• Self-expectations and performance: The
expectation of beating a tough opponent or
successfully performing a difficult skill can
produce exceptional performance as
psychological barriers are overcome.
(continued)

15. How Expectations
Influence Performance (continued)
• Coaches’ and teachers’ expectations are
very important.
• A teacher’s or coach’s expectations can
alter a student’s or athlete’s feelings and
performance.
• The coach or teacher expectation and
athlete performance process occurs in four
stages.

16. Coaches’ Expectations
and Athletes’ Performance: Stage 1
• Coaches form expectations based on
– personal cues (e.g., gender, race, body size), and
– performance information (e.g., skill tests, practice
behaviors).
• Problems occur when inaccurate
expectations (too high or too low) are
formed.

17. Coaches’ Expectations
and Athletes’ Performance: Stage 2
• Coaches’ expectations influence their
behavior regarding the
– frequency and quality of coach–athlete interactions,
– quantity and quality of instruction, and
– type and frequency of feedback.

18. Coaches’ Expectations
and Athletes’ Performance: Stage 3
• Coaches’ behaviors affect athletes’
performance by causing low-expectancy
performers to perform more poorly because
of less reinforcement, less playing time,
less confidence, and attributions to low
ability.

19. Coaches’ Expectations
and Athletes’ Performance: Stage 4
• Athlete’s performance confirms the
coaches’ original expectations.
• Performance results then feed back into
stage 1 of the coaches’ expectations and
athlete performance process.

20. Coaches’ Expectations and Behavior
• Recommendations
– Coaches should determine what sources of
information they use to form preseason or early-
season expectations for each athlete.
– Coaches should realize that their initial assessments
of an athlete’s competence may be inaccurate and
thus need to be revised continually as the season
progresses.
(continued)

21. Coaches’ Expectations and Behavior
(continued)
• Recommendations
– During practices, coaches need to keep a running
count of the amount of time each athlete spends in
non-skill-related activities (e.g., waiting in line) to
ensure they treat all athletes fairly.
– Coaches should design instructional activities or
drills that provide all athletes with an opportunity to
improve their skills.
(continued)

22. Coaches’ Expectations and Behavior
(continued)
• Recommendations
– Coaches should generally respond to skill errors
with instructions about how to perform the skill
correctly.
– Coaches should emphasize skill improvement as a
means of evaluating and reinforcing individual
athletes rather than using absolute performance or
levels of skill achievement.
(continued)

23. Coaches’ Expectations and Behavior
(continued)
• Recommendations
– Coaches should interact frequently with all athletes
on their team to solicit information about athletes’
perceptions, opinions, and attitudes regarding team
rules and organization.
– Coaches should try to create a mastery-oriented
environment in team practices, focusing on
improvement and team play.

24. Self-Efficacy Theory
• The perception of one’s ability to perform a
task successfully
• A situation-specific form of self-confidence

25. Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory
• Self-efficacy provides a model for studying
the effects of self-confidence on sport
performance, persistence, and behavior.
• Self-efficacy is important when one has the
requisite skills and sufficient motivation.
• Self-efficacy affects an athlete’s choice of
activities, level of effort, and persistence.
(continued)

26. Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory
(continued)
• Although self-efficacy is task specific, it
generalizes to other similar skills and
situations.
• People with high self-efficacy set more
challenging goals.

27. Figure 14.3

28. Sources of Efficacy
• Performance accomplishments
– Accomplishments are the most dependable source.
– Successful experiences raise the level of self-
efficacy, while failure results in lowered efficacy.
• Vicarious experiences (modeling): Seeing
others or modeling influences efficacy.
(continued)

29. Sources of Efficacy (continued)
• Verbal persuasion from oneself and others
(coaches, teachers, peers) can enhance
feelings of self-efficacy.
• In imaginal experiences, individuals can
generate beliefs about personal efficacy or
lack of efficacy by imagining themselves or
others behaving effectively or ineffectively
in future situations.
(continued)

30. Sources of Efficacy (continued)
• Physiological states influence self-efficacy
when they are associated with aversive
physiological arousal, poor performance,
and perceived failure.
• Emotional states, or moods, are a source of
efficacy information.

31. Reciprocal Relationship Between
Efficacy and Behavior Change
• Self-efficacy is a determinant
of performance and exercise behavior.
• Performance and exercise behavior
determine one’s self-efficacy.

32. Four-Stage Modeling Process
• Attention: Careful attention must be given to
the model or person observed.
• Retention: For modeling to occur, the
observers must commit the observed acts
to memory.
(continued)

33. Four-Stage Modeling Process
(continued)
• Motor reproduction: For modeling of
physical skills to occur, the performers
must be able to coordinate their muscle
activity with their thoughts.
• Motivation: For modeling to occur, the
observers must be motivated to attend to,
retain, and practice modeled acts. This
stage affects all other stages.

34. Tips for Giving Effective
Demonstrations
• Inform learners of the importance of the
skill to the game or activity.
• Point out a high-status model (e.g.,
professional athlete) who effectively uses
the skill to be modeled.
• Make sure participants do not face any
distractions and that they can all see and
hear.
(continued)

35. Tips for Giving Effective
Demonstrations (continued)
• Make eye contact with the learner as you
convey instructions about the modeled act.
• Demonstrate complex skills from several
angles (e.g., tennis serve for both left- and
right-handed individuals).
• Focus learners’ attention on only three or
four key points of the skill.
• Repeat demonstrations of complex skills.
(continued)

36. Tips for Giving Effective
Demonstrations (continued)
• Make sure instructions always slightly
precede the skill or segment of the skill
being demonstrated.
• Have the learners mentally rehearse what
was shown immediately after observing the
demonstration.
• Practice the skill immediately after it has
been demonstrated and mentally rehearsed.
(continued)

37. Tips for Giving Effective
Demonstrations (continued)
• Have observers name the subunits (parts)
of the skill.
• Always follow slow-motion demonstrations
by giving at least one demonstration
performed at full speed.
• Reinforce correct performance of the
modeled act.

38. Sources of Sport Self-Confidence
• Mastery: Developing and improving skills
• Demonstration of ability: Showing ability by
winning and outperforming opponents
• Physical and mental preparation: Staying
focused on goals and being prepared to
give maximum effort
• Physical self-presentation: Feeling good
about one’s body and weight (continued)

39. Sources of Sport Self-Confidence
(continued)
• Social support: Getting encouragement
from teammates, coaches, and family
• Coaches’ leadership: Trusting coaches’
decisions and believing in their abilities
• Vicarious experience: Seeing other athletes
perform successfully
(continued)

40. Sources of Sport Self-Confidence
(continued)
• Environmental comfort: Feeling comfortable
in the environment where one will perform
• Situational favorableness: Seeing breaks
going one’s way and feeling that everything
is going right
(continued)

41. Sources of Sport Self-Confidence
(continued)
• In elite performers, additional sources of
self-confidence included
– experience (having been there before),
– innate factors (natural ability, innate
competitiveness), and
– competitive advantage (having seen competitors
perform poorly or crack under pressure before).

42. Coaching Efficacy
and Its Components
• The extent to which coaches believe they
have the capacity to affect the learning and
performance of athletes
• Components of coaching efficacy
– Game strategy
– Motivation
– Technique
– Character building

43. Building Coaching Efficacy
• An intervention program to enhance
coaching efficacy targeted
– Commitment
– Communication
– Concentration
– Control
– Confidence

44. Building Self-Confidence
• Ensure performance accomplishments
• Successful behavior increases confidence and
leads to further successful behavior.
• Include good physical, technical, and tactical
instructions.
• Use game-pressure simulations.
(continued)

45. Building Self-Confidence (continued)
• Act confidently
• Instructors and coaches should display confidence.
• Teach athletes to display confidence.
• Think confidently
• Focus on instruction and motivating thoughts
• Avoid judgmental thoughts.
(continued)

46. Building Self-Confidence (continued)
• Use imagery: Imagine yourself as confident
and successful.
• Goal mapping: Have personalized goal
achievement plans
• Training for physical conditioning: Training
and physical states are keys to confidence.
(continued)

47. Building Self-Confidence (continued)
• Prepare: Develop performance plans and
precompetitive routines; plans give you
confidence because you know what to do.
• Social climate: Leadership style, types of
goals, social support network, and social
feedback influence confidence.
(continued)

48. Building Team (Collective) Efficacy
• Before competition: Focus on developing joint
perceptions of capabilities and fitness to
manage the upcoming competition in a
successful manner.
• During competition: Focus on getting team
members believing in one another right before
and during the game.
• After competition: Develop intrateam
interpretations of experiences of the game.

49. Dos and Don’ts
for Building Self-Confidence
• Do maintain a high positive precompetitive
environment.
• Do have high expectations of all your
participants.
• Do set realistic but challenging short- and
long-term goals.
• Do provide lots of contingent, positive
feedback and praise. (continued)

50. Dos and Don’ts
for Building Self-Confidence
(continued)
• Do structure the environment to provide for
early success.
• Do try to find participants doing something
right (don’t just look for their mistakes).
• Don’t use sarcasm and put-downs to
motivate people.
(continued)

51. Dos and Don’ts
for Building Self-Confidence
(continued)
• Don’t allow teammates or group members to
belittle other team or group members.
• Don’t criticize participants for
inconsequential errors.
• Don’t embarrass or criticize participants at
the first sign of a mistake.
• Don’t criticize the person; criticize the
behavior.