SELF-CONFIDENCE:
THE KEY TO
SPORT SUCCESS
Damon Burton and Bernie Holliday
Vandal Sport Psychology Services
University of Idaho
What is self-confidence?
SELF- CONFIDENCE
DEFINED
Self-Confidence – is a realistic belief
or expectation of achieving success.
 Self-Confidence is:
 True
 not
what you hope to do but what you
realistically expect to do
 not what you tell others but your innermost
thoughts about your realistic capabilities,
 not pride in past deeds but a realistic
judgment about what you are able to do
Does self-confidence
enhance performance?
SELF-CONFIDENCE
ENHANCES PERFORMANCE
 Mahoney
& Avener (1976) 1976 Olympic
qualifiers were more confident than
nonqualifiers.
 Feltz’ (1988) review found moderate to
strong relationships between confidence
and performance (i.e., mean r = .54).
 Research finds a reciprocal relationship
between self-confidence and
performance.
HOW SELF-CONFIDENCE
IMPACTS PERFORMANCE
 lowers
anxiety by creating positive
expectations of success,
 increases motivation by raising perceived
competence,
 enhances concentration by eliminating
distraction from negative thoughts and
personal putdowns.
What are the three types
of self-confidence?
CONFIDENCE-PERFORMANCE
RELATIONSHIP
Diffidence
Optimal SC
Overconfidence
PERF
SELF-CONFIDENCE
OPTIMAL
SELF-CONFIDENCE
 Competence
-- possess the knowledge,
strategies, skills and abilities necessary
for success,
 Preparation – sufficiently prepared so
you can successfully perform those skills
and strategies in a particular competitive
situation.
 Villanova’s
1984 upset of Georgetown in the
NCAA Championship Game.
DIFFIDENT ATHLETES . . .
confuse “what is” with what they “wish would
be” or with what “ought to be,”
 see themselves as losers and act accordingly,
 mistakes devastate their competence,
 self doubts fuel self-fulfilling prophecies that
create a vicious negative spiral,
 focus on their shortcomings and overlook their
accomplishments, and
 are underachievers whose confidence limits
their development

TYPES OF
OVERCONFIDENCE
inflated
confidence, and
 false confidence.
INFLATED CONFIDENCE
People who believe they are better than they
really are and have an inflated opinion of
themselves and their skills.
They overestimate their abilities while
underestimating their opponents’ skills.
Pampering from parents/coaches, playing weak
competition, and excessive media hype are its
primary causes.
Often they are competent but don’t prepare
adequately.
FALSE CONFIDENCE
act confident on the outside but inside
fear failure and are really diffident,
pretend to be brash, cocky and arrogant,
difficulty admitting errors and filled with
excuses,
difficult to coach because they won’t
accept responsibility for mistakes, and
normally prepare hard but lack the
competence to be successful.
What is the difference
between performance
and outcome confidence?
PERFORMANCE- VERSUS
OUTCOME CONFIDENCE
Performance Confidence – performers’
belief that they can execute the skills and
strategies necessary to perform well and
attain their goals.
Outcome Confidence – performers’ belief
that they will socially compare well and
win the competition.
What are some specific
strategies you use to boost
your self-confidence?
CONFIDENCE DEVELOPMENT
STRATEGIES
general confidence development
strategies,
six confidence development tips for
practitioners, and
strategies for developing and
maintaining confidence during
competition.
ENHANCING
SELF-CONFIDENCE
Performance
Accomplishments
Vicarious
Experiences
Verbal
Persuasion
Physiological
Arousal Control
Behaviors
SelfConfidence
Performance
Thoughts
ENHANCING SELFCONFIDENCE
Hierarchical Model
Performance
Accomplishments
Interventions
1.
Vicarious Experiences
1.
2.
Verbal Persuasion
1.
2.
Physiological Arousal
1.
2.
GENERAL CONFIDENCE
DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES
performance accomplishment
 goal-setting,
vicarious experiences,
– Namath’s Jets,
 imagery – Russell “déjà vu,”
 modeling/demonstrations
verbal persuasion,
– enhances feelings of competence,
 self talk – confidence script,
 reinforcement
arousal control.
CONFIDENCE-DEVELOPMENT
TIPS FOR PRACTITIONERS
develop a systematic goal setting
program and log and graph progress,
create a personal Hall-of-Fame,
design a systematic conditioning program
and maximize preparation,
use effective modeling strategies,
replay past successes and imagine future
triumphs, and
emphasize confidence-building thoughts.
How do you maintain
your self-confidence
during competition?
DEVELOPING & MAINTAINING
COMPETITIVE CONFIDENCE
 appraise
situations as challenges rather than
threats,
 develop readiness, performance and
recovery plans to deal with problems,
 emphasize problem-focused coping
strategies to reduce threat,
 use emotion-focused coping techniques to
feel less threatened, and
 focus on more controllable process and
performance goals.
What is the self-fulfilling
prophecy?
SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY
Self-Fulfilling Prophecies – occur when
coaches’/teachers’ expectations prompt
athletes/students to behave or perform in a way
that conforms with those expectancies.
 Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968) found that a
group teachers believed were “academic late
bloomers” made greater educational gains than
did a control group for whom they had neutral
expectancies.
 Expectancies of teachers, coaches and parents
can significantly raise or lower performers’
self-confidence.

What are the four (4)
steps of the Self-Fulfilling
Prophecy Process?
SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY MODEL
SELF-FULFILLING
PROPHECY PROCESS
STEP 1 – Coaches Develop Expectations
 STEP 2 – Coaches’ Expectations Influence their
Treatment of Athletes (i.e., frequency,
duration, and quality of interactions)
 STEP 3 – Athletes’ Learning and Performance
Is Impacted by Differential Treatment
 STEP 4 -- Athletes’ Behavior Conforms to
Coaches’ Expectations

STEP 1: COACHES FORM
EXPECTATIONS

Person Cues







race,
gender
socioeconomic status,
size,
body type, and
style of dress.
Performance Information




conditioning and skills tests,
previous performance history,
evaluation of others, and
tryout information.
STEP 2: DIFFERENTIAL
EXPECTANCIES IMPACT
COACHING BEHAVIORS
 type,
frequency and warmth of
interactions,
 nature of instructional behaviors (e.g.,
skills taught, difficulty of skills, and
persistence)
 nature of feedback behaviors (e.g.,
valence, specificity, and corrective
content)
 attributions for success and failure.
STEP 3: COACHES’ BEHAVIOR
IMPACTS ATHLETES’
PERFORMANCE
quantity
and quality of learning,
quality of competitive cognitions
and performance, and
long-term development.
STEP 4: ATHLETES’
PERFORMANCE CONFORMS
WITH COACHES’ EXPECTATIONS
 Athletes
most susceptible to SelfFulfilling Prophecy effects are . . .
 younger,
 less
experienced,
 lower in self-esteem,
 more coachable, and
 value success more.
How do we maximize
positive Self-Fulfilling
Prophecy effects?
HOW TO MAXIMIZE POSITIVE
SFP EFFECTS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Determine what sources of information are used
to form expectations.
Realize initial expectancies may be inaccurate,
requiring adjustment as performers skill changes.
Equalize skill-development time across athletes.
Provide all performers sufficient time to fully
master skills.
Respond to errors with corrective instruction.
Focus on product as a means to attain product.
Develop good coach-athlete relationships.
Create a performance-oriented team climate.