Elite sport psychology/self confidence/overview
Boxer Muhammad Ali was self-confidence personified. He coined the phrase "I am the greatest" and thereafter the aura of greatness followed.
Listen to an audio snippet of him talking with the press ahead of the famous "Rumble in the Jungle" fight with George Foreman in 1974 as he affirms his superiority over his opponent.
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Audio credit: Muhammad Ali - I will show you how great I am by Stefan KP.
Understanding self-confidence
Self-confidence has been described as the guardian angel of performance, but what comes first? Does good performance lead to high self-confidence or does self-confidence lead to good performance? A classic chicken and egg scenario. Perhaps the relationship is circular.
In this section, we will look at the nature of self-confidence, how it can be assessed, its relationship with performance, and how to build confidence. Once you have completed this section you will:
- Understand what is meant by self-confidence in the context of elite sport.
- Be able to describe the sources of self-confidence and the benefits they offer.
- See how confidence can be threatened.
- Have some practical methods to build self-confidence.
Module topics
- The nature of self-confidence
- Threats to self-confidence
- Boosting self-confidence
- Summary and go further
