Mentally Tough Athletes Control Their Self-talk!

The word confidence comes from a latin word ‘fidere’ which means “to trust”; therefore, having self-confidence is having trust in oneself. It's about saying, I believe in me! I can do this! I have what it takes! I got this!

When it comes to moments where my confidence is on the line, like during a tryout or big moments in a game when all eyes are on me, my go-to move is to hype myself up. I literally walk in telling myself, "Here we go! It's time to show 'em girl!". I usually start off really strong with my voice loud in my head telling me all the things I can do. But then somewhere along the way, my voice gets quiet and is eventually replaced by other thoughts. I start to think, "Can they tell I'm nervous?" or I start saying things to myself like, "I hope I don't forget.....". Eventually, I make a mistake or I simply don't feel like I am in my rhythm and my mind takes over with all kinds of negative self-talk. And it happens at exactly the wrong time. I start thinking about what people have said about me in the past and I replay those thoughts in my mind and forget all about being my own hype crew. As I look at the faces looking back at me, I feel like they can see through me. Like they know I am a counterfeit.

Your confidence needs to be built from the inside. If it's built from compliments, it will break with criticism.

The thing about confidence is that you don't want it to leave you when you need it most. You want unshakeable confidence that never slips or fades away. And the only way you can build a confidence that strong, is to create it within yourself. It's not about reminding yourself of all the good things people say about you because guess what? People say bad things too. And if your confidence is built on what people say then it can also be destroyed by what people say.

Your thoughts create your reality. Your mind is more powerful than you know.

Instead, you want to build your confidence based on what you say about you! Decide why you should walk in confident and remind yourself of your why using positive self-talk. Tell yourself, "You've prepared for this and are ready." Tell yourself, "You have the knowledge you need to be successful." Tell yourself, "there is no one that can do it quite like you." Then put your self-talk on repeat. Repeat these things to yourself over and over again.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Plan your positive self-talk. What are those thoughts you will have ready to reinforce your confidence when you need it?

2. Practice like it's game time! Don't wait until you're in a game to test out your self-talk. Get in a mirror and tell yourself those things out loud. Hear yourself say those words (even if it feels awkward at first).

3. Make it visual. Write these thoughts down and put them somewhere you can see everyday.

4. Put your self-talk on repeat. Play your self-talk over and over again in your mind as you perform. You cannot hear these words enough. Also, training technique reminders work great as self-talk to ground you in what you have already trained to come and do (just look at how Serena does it below!).

5. Interrupt any negative self-talk. Pay attention to what you are telling yourself in the game and be a watchdog for any negative intruding thoughts that might tear at your confidence. Replace them with your positive self-talk.

Once you make this kind of positive self-talk a habit, trust me your confidence will soar no matter what!