The dangers of over confidence in sport
In last week’s blog we looked at the importance of self-confidence in helping an athlete achieve success. It is clear that in any walk of life, self-belief is a key ingredient for anyone who strives to achieve their goals. However, it is important to understand that there are dangers attached and when self-confidence strays into the realms of over-confidence the effects can be very damaging.
An athlete’s preparation for competition involves the necessity to do things in the right quantity, whether that is physical training, nutrition or recovery. If they get the balance wrong then there is a good chance their efforts will fall short and it is no different when it comes to confidence. It goes without saying that either too little physical training or too much significantly reduces an athlete’s chances of success, and of course it is the same when it comes to self belief. If an athlete doesn’t really believe in their ability then they are likely to lose out, while on the other hand over-confidence can leave an athlete badly prepared for competition. It is the area of over-confidence that I want to look at on this occasion and this issue has been addressed by many experts over recent years. Among them is the highly respected, Robin S Vealey, who defined confidence in sport as being:
the belief or degree of certainty individuals possess about their ability to be successful in sport
Her sports confidence theory refers to trait sports confidence – which comes from an athlete’s natural disposition – and also to state sports confidence – which can be developed through learning.
When too much self-belief is a drawback
While we know about the benefits of confidence in relation to an athlete’s ability to deal with the challenges they face and being able to produce their best when it matters most, there are many examples of how over-confidence can lead to an athlete’s downfall.
Allowing confidence to get in the way of performing is something that Mike Margolies deals with in the article Working with Over-Confidence: Finding Competitive Balance. Margolies, a sports psychology consultant who has worked with athletes of all levels from youth to Olympians, acknowledges that over confidence in itself is not necessarily a disadvantage and that it is a very important part of sport when he states:
having an overly positive self-image tend to win out over others with more accurate assessments in sports and other activities
However, the problem is that over confidence can lead to actions that may undermine an athlete’s ability to perform at the best, and these are as follows:
Preparation
The first area that can be affected is preparation and this can be both physical and mental. Over confidence may lead to an athlete not putting in the required effort to perform at their best.
Performance level
Being over confident and not fully prepared mentally or physically may lead to what Margolies describes as an athlete ‘sleepwalking through a game’. As a result, a below par display may result in defeat even against what might be considered an inferior opponent.
Arrogance
When over confidence leads to arrogance, this can have a disruptive effect on teams. While all athletes must have a sense of self-belief, if it becomes too much in any one individual then it can lead to disharmony among team mates.
A clash with reality
These ideas are backed up by Jim Brown in When Overconfidence Meets Reality who speaks to John Heil on the subject.
Sooner or later, overconfidence meets reality and a correction occurs
Heil uses his experience in tennis to illustrate how the drawbacks of over confidence can manifest themselves in competition.
- Looking Ahead: Firstly, he suggests that the problem can start before the competition begins when an athlete can take an opponent for granted and suffer as a result
- Falling Behind: Secondly, a consequence of this is that when an athlete falls behind to a so-called lesser opponent, they often find it difficult to get themselves back in contention
- Losing Momentum<: Thirdly, it can lead to a momentum shift
- Denying Accountability: Fourthly, he states that over confidence results in athletes failing to take responsibility for their own shortcomings and often are quick to blame somebody else when things go wrong
Overconfidence can quickly lead to a reversal in attitudes, in which the favorite quickly loses momentum and the opponent gains confidence at a fast pace
These ideas are also examined in the article Confidence can be a bad thing – here’s why. It would appear that the key to dealing with the issues of over-confidence is correct preparation, and that brings us back once again to the theme of last week’s blog which highlights how preparation can develop confidence and that Metrifit can play a significant role in ensuring that preparation is at the optimum level.
References
Working with Over-Confidence: Finding Competitive Balance by Mike Margolies
When Overconfidence Meets Reality by Jim Brown
Sports confidence theory by Sidd Sampla
Confidence can be a bad thing – here’s why | theconversation.com
About Metrifit
Metrifit is an athlete monitoring system that gathers subjective and objective information from both coaches and athletes in a simple but effective manner with intelligent visualization helping coaches and athletes to act on that data. Why not have a look at our Ready to Perform product and gain insight on the physical and mental state of your athletes through our daily wellbeing questionnaire? To find out more visit our Metrifit Product Overview page or get in touch for a free demo. If you live in Ireland, we are currently running competition in partnership with Fyffes Ireland with some great prizes including a year’s free use of Metrifit for your team. You can enter online here.
Niall O’Driscoll
Academy Directory, SJ.B (St. Joseph’s Bray ) Academy
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