The First Lesson a Coach Must Teach an Athlete About Confidence
When an athlete lacks confidence, a coach must intervene. Lacking confidence is not a problem that solves itself. While there are many different interventions that may be necessary depending on the athlete’s situation, there is one lesson that must proceed everything else.
First and foremost, coaches must teach athletes that confidence is a matter of perception. Moreover, perception is one of the 5 elements that define one’s mindset. Therefore, if an athlete can change their perception of a situation, they can change the emotions impeding their confidence.
Perceptions are how we process our thoughts to create our reality. Just like the age-old adage of seeing a glass half empty or half full, reality is a matter of opinion. Subsequently, two athletes can have the same experience, and one may gain confidence and the other may lose confidence.
Once an athlete understands this fact, more specific confidence coaching can then shape how they perceive their experiences.