One of the most common questions I get from hockey players is “How can I be more confident?”
This is an important question because you could have all the skills in the world but if you’re not confident when you walk onto the pitch then half the battle has already been lost.
Watch the video below (or read) on how to be more confident on the hockey field…
Think about when you’ve played your best hockey... I bet you felt confident!
But, too many players rely on feeling confident in order to play well. While this can sometimes work, it’s not reliable which means you won’t play your best consistently.
Imagine if you could be confident on command...
The truth is you can, it just takes a bit of honest reflection because until you understand why you’re NOT feeling confident, you can’t do much about it.
Everyone is different and we all have different beliefs which makes this question a tough one to answer because it’s such a broad topic that depends on a number of different factors. However I’m going to highlight a few common things that could help you.
So let’s go through 5 common causes of low confidence and what you can do about them:
5 Reasons You’re Not Confident in Field Hockey:
Reason #1) Comparing yourself to others
Have you ever wished that you could be as good as another player and then putting yourself down because you’re not where they are?
When you compare yourself to others you are focussing on their strengths and not on what you have to offer. Think about what you’re good at and what you bring to the team. Don’t just focus on your weaknesses but also maximise your strengths as this will help your confidence. Remember that you are selected for your strengths not your weaknesses.
Reason #2) Limiting beliefs
We all have a limit of what we believe we are capable of. Whether you chose to admit it or not, my bet is that you’re probably limiting yourself in some way.
For example it could be playing in a lower level team because you feel more comfortable there or down playing what you can do to others in case you mess up or giving yourself reasons why you won’t reach your goals such as your size, age, where you’re from, who the coach is, etc etc.
Don’t question whether you can or can’t do something, rather ask yourself how you can make it happen. This will put you in a solution focussed mindset.
Reason #3) You expect to be perfect
As much as you’d like to be perfect, I hate to break it to you... You will NEVER be perfect no matter how hard you try. You will make mistakes in every single game you play.
If you’ve ever watched an international game you will see that even professional athletes that train full time make mistakes, so don’t expect the impossible from yourself or you will always be disappointed.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to improve but don’t forget to look back and give yourself credit for the progress that you make too.
Reason #4) What you focus on
Do you ever worry about what others think of you, whether it’s team mates, coaches or spectators? I remember as a teenager when I was at trials I used to be so focussed on not playing badly that I would start to overthink what I was doing which just put doubt in my mind.
It’s important that you learn to trust yourself and stay focussed on the process rather than just the outcome, whether it’s being selected, scoring a goal or trapping a ball.
Remember to always focus on what you DO want, not on what you want to AVOID.
Reason #5) You’re not prepared
If you’re not putting in the hard yards and you put off doing sessions then you don’t deserve to feel confident. Remember that confidence is earned. The more effort you put in and the more prepared you are the more likely you are to feel confident.
One of the easiest ways to build your confidence is to make sure you do everything you can to prepare yourself, such as getting enough sleep, eating the right things, putting in the hard work, preparing mentally, etc.
You’ve got to own your confidence because at the end of the day you are in control of how you feel and if you’re letting other things affect your confidence then that’s the decision you’ve made, whether you realize it or not.
Most of the time we are not aware of how we feel and so we just go about our game without realizing how our thoughts are affecting our performance. That’s the power of the unconscious brain.
Confidence is a skill...
Which means you can develop it just like any other physical skill, so if you’re not confident then you just have to learn how to be more confident.
WANT MORE?
I’ve covered just a few reasons here and there may be more that you need to address so to get more personalised advice on how to be more confident Request your strategy session here
Or to learn how to take your game to the next level get the exclusive FREE Video & Ebook: 8 Steps To Reach The Next Level in Hockey by signing up below...
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Image credit: © Juanpfotografia | Dreamstime.com - <a href="https://www.dreamstime.com/editorial-image-field-hockey-world-league-spain-new-zealand-image55825185#res6166544">Field Hockey World League Photo</a>
