Developing and Maintaining Sport-Confidence: Learning from World-Class Athletes

Owen Thomas, Sam Thrower

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Have you noticed how you can feel very confident in some sporting situations but in others, usually at the worst possible moment, that confidence can suddenly disappear? When athletes feel confident, they are focused on the task, feel relaxed, and commit fully to decisions—all of which help them perform well. However, when they don’t feel confident, they sometimes focus on the wrong things, doubt themselves, feel nervous, and often make poor decisions, which often results in poorer performances. In this article, we talk about a study that investigated what young elite athletes feel confident about, where they get their confidence from, and what reduces their confidence. The results help to explain why the confidence of young athletes often fluctuates and, importantly, gives us clues about how to develop and maintain sport-confidence.
Original languageEnglish
JournalFrontiers for young minds
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 18 Jul 2022

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