Nobody is born with confidence. It is something that can be taught and developed. Always remember this. Your confidence is something that you can work on. The following are a a few tips that might help to develop confidence. Rotella said about confidence in golf: "confidence is simply thinking about what you want to happen consistently"
Embrace mistakes!
This might sound unusual but mistakes are inevitable in all sports, particularly in Gaelic games where the pace is so fast. The key is how you respond to them. Michael Jordan has been quoted as saying :"I've failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed". Great performers like Jordan see mistakes as opportunities for learning and don't dwell on them. For example, John McEnroe, the great American tennis player, believes that the main difference between a champion and an ordinary player is that champions cope with mistakes better.
In terms of Gaelic games, a practical idea might be to have a pre-arranged routine to indicate to yourself that a mistake is in the past. This might involve you pulling up and down one of your socks at the next break in play or wiping your jersey across your face, clicking your fingers, slapping your leg. The act itself is not important. It is the message it is giving you that is the key. This act should tell you that the last play is in the past and it is now time to look to the next play and the future.
Make sure you practice this in a training situation as the stronger the link between the act itself and the message it is giving you the better. Make this reaction to mistakes automatic by doing it over and over at training. John Kremer co-author of the brilliant sports psychology handbook ‘Pure Sport' once said to a Gaelic football team that they should view mistakes as a sign that the players are busy. Very often players go through a game and never make a mistake, and the reason for this is that they were not in the game. They were not proactive in striving to get involved.
Celebrate your strengths
There can be a tendency at the elite level of sport to concentrate on weaknesses. This is probably common sense as there is a desire to focus on the things that need improving but don't forget to give yourself credit for the things you do well. An idea here might be to sit down after every game and write down three things you did well in the game. At the same time, think of one thing you didn't do well but don't write it down. Instead, write down one thing you can learn from this experience and bring this forward into future training and matches.
This way you are not dwelling on mistakes but instead seeing how they can work to your advantage. Don't be lazy in this process and simply write down the same things all the time. Be constantly aware of the things you have done well in a game, no matter how small, and take confidence from these strengths. So even when your team gets beaten badly, review the game and identify positives.
Develop a consistent pre-game routine
This involves doing the things in the lead up to a game that you feel comfortable with and that help to put you in the right state of mind. For instance, the golfer Sam Torrence used to sit on a toilet not long before he was due to tee off in major tournaments. While there, he would use a relaxation technique he had developed to put himself into an almost trance-like state before snapping out of it after a few minutes. He says that this made him feel ready to compete. This might not be everyone's idea of ideal preparation but the point is to find something that works for you. If you can identify what you need to do before a game to put yourself "in the zone" then chances are you will be more confident going out on the field.
Set goals for your season
Ensure that you have long term, medium and short term goals. If you really are focused you can set "super short-term goals", that is goals for today's training session or gym session.
The more goals you achieve the more your confidence will improve. Always strive to achieve your goals on a daily, weekly, monthly basis. The more goals you achieve the more confidence you will gain.
Think positive
William James the 19th century psychologist stated that one of the most significant finding in relation to psychology in the early 19th century was that "people by in large become what they think about themselves."
This sounds complex, but put in simple terms it means that what you think about in terms of your performance in Gaelic Games is extremely important "I never looked at the consequences of missing a big shot . . . when you think about the consequences you always think of a negative result, and it usually happens," said Michael Jordan.
Imagine that you could have a printout of all your thoughts for a week. If the thoughts on the printout were all black or negative thoughts, it is highly unlikely that you would be extremely confident. However, the alternative is that at the end of the week your printout is red or all positive thoughts, it is much more likely that you will be confident. Start to get in the habit of "policing" your thoughts to be positive or winning thoughts consistently.
Can you imagine DJ Carey, Kieran McGeeney, Colm Cooper or Henry Shefflin having predominantly negative thoughts about hurling or football? Can you imagine Tiger Woods or Yelena Isenbeyeva thinking negatively all the time? The best sports performers are just as consistent in their thinking as they are in their pre-shot or kick routine, or in their pre-game routine. Start to think positive about your game, about your scoring or catching.
Confidence - it's a choice
Remember, confidence is a choice. You can choose to be confident, just as you can choose to lack confidence. You can choose to view your last game as a disaster or you can take a lot of confidence from the game. Motiv8 coach athletes and sports players in confidence just as a coach would coach striking or shooting. Why not start to coach yourself?
Kevin Clancy, MSc Sports Psychology, Edinburgh University.
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