How successful would you be with Tiger-like confidence? Tiger Woods is known for having one of the best mental games in the world of sports. Why do sports-minded people think that Woods is so mentally strong?
Maybe Tiger is successful because of his ability to come from behind and close better than anyone. Maybe Tiger is so good because he can achieve a zone focus on command under extreme pressure. Maybe Tiger is so successful because he simply thinks he can win every time he plays.
Likely, it is all of the above! However, what really separates champions, such as Tiger Woods, Maria Sharapova, and Brett Favre, from the rest of the competitors is unwavering self-confidence.
Tiger has tons of confidence that developed from hours and hours of training, superior coaching, and much past success. But he also thinks in ways that support his confidence.
You may not have the luxury of Tiger-like success to bolster your confidence, but you can get the best coaching and train harder than anyone else in your sport.
*However,* training harder and working with the best coaches do not guarantee that you will achieve Tiger-like confidence in sports.
Why do so many athletes, despite past success, massive amounts of training, and superior coaching, not develop the confidence to believe fully in their ability?
From my experience working with athletes for almost 20 years as a mental game coach, these athletes sabotage their own confidence with unrealistic and strict expectations, doubt, and what I call negative self-labels or self-descriptions.
In my new program, "The Confident Athlete: A 14-Day Plan for Ultimate Self-Confidence, ", I teach you how to eliminate confidence-killers that suck the life out of your self-confidence.
At any one time, you either add to or take down your own level of confidence. Having Tiger-like confidence means that all the practice, training, and coaching you get leads to higher, consistent levels of *competitive* self-confidence.
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Tennis Confidence: How to Ride the Momentum Wave
Confidence and momentum in tennis are close cousins. When you have momentum, you have confidence squared. Yes, momentum is a huge psychological advantage in any sport especially tennis. Players feel a sense of exhilaration when they have momentum on their side – it’s a huge boost to your mental game of tennis.
Tennis Mind Game: Tennis Confidence Checklist for Big Matches
What does it truly mean to believe in yourself? When you believe in yourself, you have full confidence in your physical skills and ability to execute shots in tennis. My definition of self-confidence for tennis is how strongly you believe in your ability to execute a successful shot or win a match. Don’t confuse believe in yourself (self-confidence) with self-esteem. Self-esteem is all about how you view yourself and how you appraise your self-concept (how you see yourself), also called self-worth.
Tennis Psychology: Practice Confidence vs. Match Confidence
Do you play tennis with a ton of confidence in practice, but have trouble taking your practice game to matches? If so, you are not alone. Many of my players are more comfortable in their practice routines than in matches. They lose trust in their strokes that worked well in practice.
