Ways to Build Confidence

1. Make a list of all the times you have succeeded in a game (i.e. best goals, 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. This 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. Write down your best goals/saves, best passes and tackles, and biggest wins. Read them once in a while to reinforce your confidence.

2. Improve your body language before games and practices. Find out what confidence looks like to you (everyone is different) and use that body language before/during practices and games. 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. Sometimes we have to change our actions and our thoughts first, before the feelings come.

3. 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.

4. 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 game like making tackles, getting open for passes, making accurate passes to teammates, and scoring.

5. Make a list of your best qualities. This list should include all your best qualities in soccer, 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.

6. 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. When you consistently achieve your smaller goals, you will feel more confident setting and accomplishing a larger, long-term goal in the future. It is even better if this small goal makes you just slightly uncomfortable. Game and pressure situations will become second nature to you.

7. Create a highlight video of yourself. Use this video and include all your best moments like the best goals, best saves, tackles 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.

8. 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. For example, work to become the best passer on the team. Put extra time in by learning to pass to longer and more specific targets.

9. 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. When you are doing things that others aren’t willing to do consistently you will undoubtedly build confidence.