4 things you can control to build performance trust

Confidence is always a hot topic in sport, ironically it is also one of the most misunderstood.

Ability to “be” confident tends to confuse many. Parents and coaches especially become baffled when they see an athlete who trains with sureness, show up at a competition, game or race day looking like a wet noodle. -- Coin the phrase: “If they could just be more confident under pressure, they would win!” This type of off the cuff comment not only oversimplifies they type of confidence that is required to win, it leaves athletes confused, parents frustrated and coaches over-explaining or questioning their training tactics. Nevertheless, all the contemplations in the world will not fix a lack of confidence on the day of -- because it is not possible to show up confident on game day until you’ve “shown up” every day before that. So, if your confidence is like the weather, ever changing, then here are a few things you can do, to make your performance trust a steadier thing.

PRESENCE

First it is important to understand what being present means. For some athletes it’s about attendance, just getting there is half the battle. When they are there however, they might be paying attention but since their attendance is spotty, they are not getting in the highest number of repetitions. On the other hand, some athletes have no problem attending practice consistently, allowing them to get in the reps, so their physical stamina and strength is up to par. Where they fall short is in the category of quality work and mindfulness. Here are a few tips for both:

For the athlete who has trouble getting out the door:

Athletes that struggle with attendance tend to be hyper concerned with what “might” happen at practice – causing anticipatory anxiety. They stew over millions of “what-ifs” so, by the time they are supposed to leave, they are exhausted. Therefore, to help them, we talk about paying attention to the simple details of getting there (picking out workout gear, filling water bottles, simple affirmations and rituals etc.). We take time to monitor their forecasting and assumptions and bring them back into the now, refocusing on preparing for practice rather than trying to mentally playout the trivial situations within practice.

For the athlete that is at practice every day …but not “present”:

Presence not beneficial if it is only physical. Unity of mind, body and attitude goes a long way when it comes to success at the higher levels. Athletes who attend practice consistently need to be “in every move.” This will increase trust during performance under pressure. Athletes can use a mental prompt for example, “mind into body.” The goal is to cease overthinking and increase the chance of quality repetitions helping build muscle memory or automaticity. Being present at the highest level includes performing moves by feel more than thought. 

EFFORT

Giving 100% can become habit.

Our brains adapt to consistent levels of output. If we never step out of our comfort zone, or try and become comfortable with the uncomfortable, our progress will flatline. We don’t have to immediately push ourselves to crazy limits every second of the day, rather it is best to begin with putting forth 100% effort to the things in which we have had several mastery experiences, for example: warming-up or simple strength and conditioning moves. Then we can appropriately apply an increased effort level to the more challenging elements.

CONSISTENCY

The basis of consistency is planning. One important component to plan, is self-talk under pressure; this includes both cues (forethought) and responses (afterthoughts/reactions). Think of this as writing a personal script to various important scenarios that will improve the flow of your daily practices. For athletes the most common scripts come in the form of skill oriented cues --things that are specifically written to direct the body on how to complete a sport related task. Using these cues during visualization sessions, away from actual practice, say at home or when relaxed/in a positive state, increases the chances of an athlete “being present” in training – as explained above. With scripts and cues set on place and rehearsed, we will question ourselves less, and trust the intended outcome more.

MENTAL PLIABILITY

When we spiral into deep thought, we forget that readjusting our practice approach is an option – another words, keep your mind pliable and open to optimistic, creative problem solving. So next time you hit a rut in practice, remember --it is time to switch it up! This can be something as quick as taking a water break to a more aggressive approach such as cross-training, new skills, drills, endurance runs, swimming, cycling, hiking, a different group, class, coach, environment and so forth. Overall this type of mindset allows us to feel less susceptible to ruts because we have various ways to get out of them.