You know that moment when you find yourself in space on the field and you know you’re the best option? That voice in your head though, doubts whether you should call for the ball. What if you make a mistake? Use these strategies to eliminate those thoughts, create an abundance of on-field confidence, and take your game to the next level.

We all suffer from self-doubt and lack of confidence at times. It’s no surprise that there’s a correlation between confidence and success. The less confident you are, the less success that ensues. The more confident you are, the more success that ensues.  

When you lack confidence, it impacts how you play. You know that feeling when things just don’t seem to be going your way? No matter what you try, it just doesn’t work out? The fear and anxiety of the ball coming your way can paralyse you with fear. 

When you have an abundance of confidence, things just work. Everything you try works out and sometimes you look back and wonder how on earth it did. You’re in the zone. You’re on fire; and you have an abundance of energy. You wish you could play like this every weekend. You feel a great sense of autonomy and your confidence actually invigorates and inspires you. 

Eliminate Your Fear of Calling for the Ball

• Recognise. Reflect on times when you’ve doubted yourself and take notice of your thoughts and feelings (both emotional and physical) that led to it. It’s important to recognise your indicators so you know when you’re experiencing them in the future. 

• Challenge. Chunk your thinking up to gain more clarity. When you have a belief, which is limiting in the potential outcome, ask yourself, ‘What is this an example of?’ You’ll probably find that there is a theme or that your thought is pervasive across several areas of your life. 

• Isolate. A mistake is a mistake and everyone makes them. Isolate your mistakes into single one-off instances. Beliefs can easily become pervasive if you let them and this can be detrimental to your success.

• Create. Reflect on times when you’ve been successful - when things just worked and everything seemed effortless. Visualise specific instances and actually feel the feelings you felt in those moments. Write each and every instance down and below each, write how you felt at the time. Review these before each game and remind yourself of them throughout the game when you need it. Your mind needs as many meaningful examples as possible to create a belief. 

• Practice. Creating new beliefs requires challenging old, and often strong, beliefs. Changing your beliefs are like training muscles. It takes time and effort to practice. It won’t be easy. Be consistent and persistent. The benefits are well worth it. 

• Celebrate. Each time you do something well, celebrate it. Allow yourself to feel great about it. Use those new successes as new examples. Write them as broad affirmations. For example, if you take one really good contested mark, tell yourself that you are a really good contested mark. Use each contested mark from then on as examples for your mind.

To eliminate your fear of calling for the ball and enhance your on-field confidence, you need to manage your memories better. Remind yourself of more times when you’ve been successful; when you’re back has been against the wall and you’ve overcome adversity; and when things have seemed seamless and easy.

How do you create a positive mindset when things aren’t going well?  

Leave your answer to that question in the comments section below.