This document discusses self-confidence and its importance in sports performance. It defines self-confidence as an athlete's belief in their ability to successfully perform. The sources of self-confidence include mastery of skills, achievements, physical attributes, and role models. Self-confidence can be state-based or a personality trait. Athletes vary in optimal, diffident, or overconfident self-confidence. Coaches and practice help develop self-confidence through expectations, feedback, and modeling superior performance.

1. Topic 9:
Self-Confidence and
Sports Performance
SPS431

2. LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Students will be able to:
 Define what self-confidence is.
 Explain the importance of self-confidence.
 Describe the sources of self-confidence.
 Differentiate between State and Trait self-
confidence
 Explain the characteristics and important key
terms of self-confidence.
 Describe the development of self-confidence.
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3. Definition
From the latin word con (for) fidere
(trust) – a person has extreme trust in
their own ability to carry out a
performance successfully.
Self-confidence – athlete’s belief that
he or she can successfully execute or
carry out an appropriate
performance.
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4. Importance of Self-Confidence
 for athletic success or superior
performance.
 Situation that athletes have similar skill,
self-confident have advantage.
 Confident athletes are more motivated,
and decide how far they can go.
 Helps athletes to achieve superior
performance (concentration and attention
(readiness) ).
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5. Continued….
 Influence select challenging goals.
 Encourage athletes put maximum effort
(training and competition).
 Not entertain thought of failing.
 Helps to overcome adversity (a difficult situation/
mischance) and reverse bad competition
situations.
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6. Sources of Self-confident
1. Mastery of skills (acquire skills)
e.g. Nicol (squash), LCW (badminton), CR, Ronaldinho
(football),TigerWoods (golf)
2. Demonstration (achievement)
e.g. Active, no. 1 status in the world - Novak Djokovic
(tennis)
3. Ideal physique and body weight
- Advantage over opponents
4. Physical and mental preparedness
- Allows athletes success without experiencing fatigue and
loss of concentration.
5. Competency of coaches (expertise)
- Help to express self-confidence in athletes.
6. Vicarious experience (role model)
- by observing other athletes performing particular skills.
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7. State and Trait Self-confidence
State – belief or degree of certainty that
individuals possess (show) at a particular
moment about their ability to be successful
in sport.
Trait – belief or degree of certainty
individuals usually possess about their ability
to be successful in sport, making trait self-
confidence a component of the athlete’s
personality that they brings into sport
competition.
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8. Key terms Associated
with Self-Confidence
 Athletes vary in their degree of self-
confidence.
Some athletes can be classified as:
1. Optimal confidence
2. Diffidence
3. Over-confidence
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9. 1. Optimal Confidence
 These players or athletes have a realistic
view of their athletic abilities.
 Athletes with optimal self-confidence are
usually able to handle mistakes in a
positive manner.
- Rather than viewing a mistake as
another example of their inability
(i.e. diffidence athlete; or being shocked
and disturbed by the mistake -
overconfidence athlete)
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10.  Optimal self-confidence athletes try to
learn from their mistakes, using
mistakes as an indication of the limits
of their ability.
 Optimal self-confidence athlete have better
concentration and positive emotional
reactions (Weinberg and Gould, 1995 found in Wann,
1997).
 Quick decision-making.
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11. 2. Diffidence
 Diffidence is athletes that is lack of self-
confidence.
 These athletes believe that they do not
possess (show) the ability to complete a
task successfully.
 As a result, they are easily shaken, one
small mistake can be catastrophic to
these athletes.
 Mistakes reinforce (increase) athletes self-
doubts and subsequently leads to
poorer performance.
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12.  Athlete’s low self-confidence leads to an
expectation of poor performance, and
the poor performance leads to an even
lower level of self-confidence.
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13. 3. Overconfidence
 Overconfidence athletes also known as false
confidence athletes.
 Athletes with overconfidence possess an
inaccurate and over inflated (large) belief
about their athletic abilities.
 Overconfidence can be general in nature
(i.e.,believing one is a more gifted all-
around athlete than the other) or task
specific (i.e., believing one is better at a
specific activity).
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14.  Overconfidence athletes can also be a
detriment (a cause of damage) to
performance
- because of inaccurate beliefs in their
abilities, these athletes may be less likely
to practice and may exert a lower level
of effort during competition (interfere
performance).
 Overconfidence athletes believe that
failure is highly unlikely, they highly
disturbed by a mistake
- because mistake is unexpected, it may
shock the athlete and disrupt his/her
concentration and performance).
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15. Characteristics of
Self-confident athletes
1. Self-focused.
2. Think about themselves and the task at hand.
3. Think positively about their ability.
4. Think they can achieve superior performance and
go on to achieve it.
5. Think about winning.
6. Think about being successful.
7. Say positive things to motivate themselves.
8. Never express doubt about their skill, and
commitment to do whatever it takes to be
successful.
9. Have degree of arrogance, cockiness (annoying) and
swagger (walk with confident) on the field.
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16. Development of Self-Confidence
(Athletes)
1. Modeling (identify high skills& superior athlete)
2. Using previous success as springboard
for more success(use at any time when low and
low performance)
3. Positive interpretation of anxiety (let the
positive one indicating preparedness for forthcoming
competition)
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17. Cont. Development of Self-Confidence
(Athletes)
4. Application of cognitive strategies (such
imagery, positive self-talk)
5. Adequate preparations (through optimal training
program)
6. Enjoyment (have an idea that the competition is avenues to
relax, display skills, have fun)
7. Assessment of opponents (awareness of
opponent strength/weaknesses)
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18. Development of Self-Confidence (Coaches)
1. Nurture high performance expectations (let
athlete know – only high performance will be accepted).
2. Coaches should let all athletes experience
success (structure the training & competition in such a away –
athlete enjoy)
3. Provide positive feedback (motivational or informational)
4. Develop congenial (pleasant) pre-competition
situation (create/maintain positive moods)
5. Offer proper explanations for performance
(encouraging - low effort, difficult task/situation)
6. Serve as positive role model (portray the same high
level of SC).
7. Train athletes in skills and strategies (create a
program- ongoing, and their subsequent improvement).RP@UiTM SHAH ALAM 18

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