As we mentioned in the previous issue, what demonstrates a player's high level of confidence, which also makes those around him believe he is a "winner," is constantly expressing positive thoughts such as: "I'll have no problem coming back with the cup," "I'm going to retain my title," "The others don't stand a chance against me," "I have no rivals"...

Surely many of you have experienced on some occasion how ineffective these types of thoughts are when they are not based on an objective analysis of the situation you are in, nor of the real resources you have to achieve what is said, which is often expressed guided only by a hunch, a feeling or even because we know that it is what some of the people around us want to hear, who may be as interested as we are in us achieving a good result.

POWERFUL SENSE OF CONTROL

Leaving aside this misconception about what self-confidence is, I'd like to clarify that what this variable primarily provides a player is the greatest possible sense of control over the situation they are about to experience or are currently experiencing. We could say it's a realistic expectation regarding what one can do to achieve a specific goal.

Self-confidence implies, first of all, that you have a real understanding of the difficulties you will have to overcome, what resources you have to do so, what the most useful strategies are among all those you know to get the most out of the effort you make, and from there, what the real possibilities are that you have of achieving success.

It would be very difficult for a player to demonstrate a real level of confidence when making the following comment: “I’m going to be the Spanish champion in my category” when surrounded by the following circumstances: he doesn’t yet know the course where the competition will be played; he’s undergoing a major technical change in his swing that’s recently causing him to not hit his long game very straight; he hasn’t bothered to find out who his other rivals might be or what their recent performance has been; and for at least two months he hasn’t had the opportunity to compete because he’s been busy with exams and decided not to attend the competitions that were planned during that time.

It is easily predictable that this player, unless a miracle occurs, will not be able to become the Spanish champion in his category.

Encarna María Lozano Casero

Psychologist specializing in Physical Activity and Sport