Last season was great. Now you feel like you've forgotten everything. Every missed shot confirms your doubts, every good shot was "luck." Doubts are unfair: they remember the bad and forget the good.
Where self-confidence comes from
Self-confidence grows from experiences you consciously acknowledge: things you've already achieved. Sentences you say to yourself. And actions you've prepared in your mind. You can work on these – even if you don't feel like it right now.
Three things you can do this week
- Write down three pieces of evidence: situations where you played well. Specific, with opponent and minute.
- Listen to yourself: What do you say to yourself after a mistake? Would you say that to a teammate?
- Before bed, spend two minutes mentally replaying a move you're good at.
Three pieces of evidence
When: When you don't trust yourself at all – before the game or after a weak week.
- 1Think of three moments you've succeeded recently – even small ones.
- 2One of them as precisely as possible: Where, who, what did you do?
- 3What was skill, not luck?
- 4A sentence: "I can…", with the evidence behind it.
Out of the game
Centre back, in a slump. His three pieces of evidence: the 7-metre throw in the last minute against the second-placed team, the Kempa pass in the cup, the defensive performance in the derby. Before the next game, he reads them through once.
Remember this
Doubts aren't facts, they're just an opinion your brain has. Gather evidence against them – write it down.