The Secret Weapon to Sustained Softball Success!
Does Your Athlete Possess It?
In all my years of coaching youth softball and working with athletes from 6-18 years old there is one fundamental component that is consistently similar in all successful athletes...CONFIDENCE.
You may say that is an obvious statement, and maybe it is. After all, most humans perform better at any activity when filled with confidence. However, understanding where confidence comes from and why it can vanish so very quickly is not so obvious; particularly when it applies to youth athletes.
Compounding the problems that youth athletes face today trying to grow and maintain self-confidence is the accelerated pressure and expectations to perform. These expectations can be both external (from parents, coaches, peers) as well as internal (from self). Pressure causes anxiety, fear and doubt...all enemies of any athlete.
The good news is there is a clear cause and effect relationship for both building and losing confidence on the field. Once you and your athlete can fully understand the causes of both and how to "fix it" your athlete will be able to move from doubt to certainty, allowing for sports confidence to grow. For a confident athlete is a calm, relaxed, focused and highly energized athlete who plays without fear and has no limits to her accomplishments!
Please visit this link for some powerful audios covering the stages of sports confidence.
The truth is that success in any sport is 90% mental. If your athlete spends little or no time on developing her mental skills sustaining a high level of confidence on the field will be difficult. Although mastering the physical side of the game is essential it is the mental side that destroys more game day performances than not.
Here's a great article I wrote explaining The Confidence Cycle in Youth Sports, and one more, Winning the Confidence Battle.
Finally, check out my Sports Confidence Blueprint program, where I clearly identify for you a clearly defined plan with:
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9 specific causes for low sports confidence
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9 specific strategies to build "rock solid" sports confidence
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8 specific strategies to maintain sports confidence.
Thanks for reading, and have a great fall season!
John Michael Kelly
Winner's Edge Kids
Softball Smarts
John Michael Kelly Sports
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