10 Ways to Build Confidence at a Meet
I don’t need to sell anyone on the importance of confidence in track and field. Simply put, it’s an absolute must – It separates the good from the great, and the elite from everyone else. Our 1-1 mindset program is all about practical Track & Field-specific exercises players can do to improve their mindset. Here are 10 practical ways to build confidence:
- Make a list of all the times you have succeeded at a meet (i.e. best wins, practices, etc.). Confidence is all about what you focus on, so start focusing on all your successes. Athletes are often critical of themselves, but it’s really important to focus on their success lists. The physical list will help you recognize all the times you’ve succeeded, hit new milestones, or exceeded expectations. It will help you remember that you are a talented athlete, especially during uncertain or unfamiliar situations. Be aware of your best times as a runner, or distances as a field eventer. Replay races in your mind where you came from behind and won, or where you got a lead and held it all the way to the finish line.
- Make a list of elite players who use the same technique as you. If you’re favorite elite athlete runs, jumps, hurdles, or throws like you, then you know you’re doing it the right way. You won’t doubt your techniques if you recognize it’s the right way to execute your skills
- Improve your body language before meets and practices. Find out what confidence looks like to you (everyone is different) and use that body language before/during practices and meets. Keep your head held high with a focused look on your face and, as a result, you will look more confident while feeling more confident.
- Create a Confidence Anchor. This is more a psychological tip to help you feel more confident. When you feel confident or are performing well, do some physical gesture (i.e. hand clap, pump fist, etc.). Then, before your event, do your gesture to act like a prompt and remind you of all the times you’ve succeeded. This good old fashioned classical conditioning will help you feel more confident going into your event.
- Visualize yourself succeeding. Try creating a vivid image in your head by using all 5 senses and lots of details. Don’t just visualize winning – visualize the whole process of your event like getting set, approaching a hurdle, throwing, or crossing the finish line. Make sure you visualize from start to finish exactly how you want the event to go.
- Make a list of your best qualities. This list should include all your best qualities in your event(s), school, and life in general. Seeing all your best qualities and positive contributions will help you realize your worth as an athlete, student, and person. If this is hard for you, perhaps ask a teammate to help you come up with your list, then you can do the same for your teammate! Be sure to write your list down on paper. Both of you will feel more confident at the end of this exercise!
- Pray and read Scripture. This should be number one because it will help you in every area of your life. Confident people know what they believe in. The Bible teaches us how to live in sports, and in life: “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should.” When your faith grows, your confidence will grow as well. If your faith is strong, you will also be able to keep your races in the right perspective and priority order. Your faith is always more important than track and field.
- Make a small goal every day that you can accomplish. Make an attainable goal every day and put all your efforts into achieving that goal. Let’s say your race is the mile run, and your goal is to shave 20 seconds off your time. You can create smaller goals by each week just trying to run 2 seconds better than last week. If you can do that every week, you will achieve your goal in 10 weeks! When you consistently achieve your smaller goals, you will feel more confident setting and accomplishing a larger, long-term goal in the future. As John Schaffer stated, “The hurdles have taught me that if you work really, really hard at perfecting the little things in your life, the big picture will come together.”
- Create a highlight tape of yourself. Use this video and include all your best moments like fastest times, farthest throws, best jumps, etc. When you watch the highlight video back, you’ll realize how talented you are and you’ll feel more confident in your abilities. You’ll be able to see yourself executing the correct techniques and dominating games.
- Do something better than anyone you will compete against. Try to do one thing – like a small skill or technique – better than anyone else you compete with. Put all your effort into mastering this skill and you’ll definitely feel more confident in this skill in particular. Overall, you’ll feel more confident because you’ll have an “edge” on everyone else. If you are a sprinter, for example, you could work to be better at exploding out of the blocks than everyone else. Work on your explosive power and leg drive through drill, weight lifting, analyzing technique from the pros, and practicing the skill.
*** 11. Do something other people aren’t doing. Whether it’s running, starting a nutrition program, going to bed early every night, daily mindset training, etc. Perhaps if you are a distance runner, make sure you run more hills than everyone else each week. Knowing you have prepared more than everyone else will give you more confidence going into your races. When you are doing things that others aren’t willing to do consistently you will undoubtedly build confidence.
*** 12. Book your Free Mindset Session Today! Let us help you feel more confident too!