Sources and Types of Confidence Identified by World Class Sport Performers

Abstract

This study identified the sources and types of confidence salient to 14 (7 male, 7 female) successful World Class athletes. Nine sources of confidence were identified: Preparation, performance accomplishments, coaching, innate factors, social support, experience, competitive advantage, self-awareness, and trust. A testament to the multi-dimensional nature of sport confidence, six types of sport confidence were also identified: skill execution, achievement, physical factors, psychological factors, superiority to opposition, and tactical awareness. Gender was related to both the sources of confidence and the subsequent types of confidence experienced by the athletes. For example, females placed more importance on good personal performances than males who derived confidence from winning. Results were discussed in the context of previous sport confidence literature and implications for sport psychology and coaching practices were drawn.

Advanced Psychological Strategies and Anxiety Responses in Sport

“…Although the preceding discourse has provided tentative alliances between the use of advanced psychological strategies and certain dimensions of the anxiety response, it is difficult to reach any definitive conclusions from the existing evidence for three reasons: (a) examining advanced psychological strategies was not the central aim of the studies reported (e.g., Connaughton et al, 2008), (b) no inference was made to competitive anxiety (e.g., Hays et al, 2007), and/or (c) the intervening mechanisms that underlie the purported effects were not disclosed (e.g., Lonsdale & Tam, 2008). Consistent with recommendations for future research (e.g., Fletcher & Hanton, 2001;, these observations highlight the value in providing a more detailed insight into these relationships to inform coaches and consultants working with athletes debilitated by competitive anxiety.…”

“…The last advanced psychological strategy, Overlearning of Skills, is where athletes repeatedly execute the physical and mental skills that they are going to reproduce in competition (Hardy et al, 1996). Associated literature has identified this strategy to have important psychological benefits for competitive athletes (e.g., Connaughton, Wadey, Hanton, & Jones, 2008;Hays et al, 2007). For instance, Hays et al (2007) reported that overlearning of skills was a salient source of self-confidence in world-class sporting performers.…”

“…Associated literature has identified this strategy to have important psychological benefits for competitive athletes (e.g., Connaughton, Wadey, Hanton, & Jones, 2008;Hays et al, 2007). For instance, Hays et al (2007) reported that overlearning of skills was a salient source of self-confidence in world-class sporting performers. Considering, therefore, that self-confidence has been suggested to be one of the most significant factors in discriminating how athletes interpret their anxiety response in relation to performance (Hanton, Mellalieu, & Hall, 2004;Hardy et al, 1996), this strategy may have an important influence upon athletes' experiences of precompetitive anxiety symptoms.…”

“…Third, Preperformance Routines, which typically comprise of individualized and systematic cognitive and behavioral strategies that are carried out before performance (Boutcher, 1990). Specifically, in the current study this strategy refers to the routines used approximately one hour before performance, which previous research has not only shown to enhance self-confidence and help maintain facilitative directional interpretations (e.g., Hanton & Jones, 1999;Hays, Maynard, Thomas, & Bawden, 2007), but also to positively impact on sporting performance (e.g., Lonsdale & Tam, 2008). The last advanced psychological strategy, Overlearning of Skills, is where athletes repeatedly execute the physical and mental skills that they are going to reproduce in competition (Hardy et al, 1996).…”

The role of confidence in world-class sport performance

“…Hays and colleagues (Hays, Maynard, Thomas, & Bawden, 2007) were the first to investigate sport confidence in successful world-class sports performers. They identified sources and types of confidence used by athletes competing on the world stage and demonstrated that demographic and organizational factors influence the development of confidence in such athletes.…”