Importance of Self Confidence in Sports: Exploring the Influence of Self-Confidence on Motivation and Performance in Sports

Abstract

Self-confidence from winning results from the motivation necessary to train hard to win. The loser may become even more motivated because of defeat and thus highly focused to meet the challenges to win. After a defeat, the athlete and coaches or students and teachers, need to review the respective abilities, talent, training habits, attitudes, goals, etc. in order to evaluate the level of desire to compete again. The feeling of power and dominance over other athletes is a motivating factor in some athletes. With other athletes it is emotion of beating other athletes that empowers them with a sense of being better than their opponents, which provides their feeling of satisfaction. The intensity level of the motivational force often influences the quality of performance. As the importance of the competition increases, the coach often uses more extreme forms of motivation to the urge the individual to aspire to high performances. On the flip side, when the level of competition is weak and top performance is not necessary to win, the sources of motivation would be scaled back, but it is still necessary to not allow complacency. In programs such as gymnastics, diving, free skating, etc. the athlete is competing against their own personal best, not the other athletes.