When I ask parents what they want to get out of training for their kids one of the top answers is always confidence. Building confidence many times is very simple. I see a lot of young athletes build confidence rather quickly.

I have a few thoughts on this.. so here goes:

– I think that for athletes confidence comes with preparation. Being prepared and not leaving stones unturned is crucial. For every athlete this will be different… if you have had an off-season of doing nothing for the last few years then just practicing more might give the athlete confidence. Taking it a step further if they are practicing consistently then what can they add in next?

– Confidence comes when athletes see improvements. The most dejected athletes are the ones who feel like they aren’t improving. They need to figure out why they aren’t and improving and attack weaknesses.

– Confidence comes when they can do things that they couldn’t do in the past. Testing is critical for this. All athletes should have a baseline numbers for speed, jumping, and strength. When they see improvements confidence comes up.

– Being in a culture of hard work and success and being around other successful athletes always plays a role. Seeing others that have had success and following in their footsteps or being able to hang with them during a training session will add to confidence.

-Consistent hard ass work. This kind of ties back to #1 (preparation) but consistent hard work will always reign supreme for getting results and also for building confidence. Kids and young adults are not stupid. They know if they’ve put in the work to be successful or not. Sometimes as adults we can talk ourselves into believing our own BS but athletes know the truth. Of course, they know if they put in the work and if they haven’t they will lack the confidence.

Pretty simple stuff but practical. Remember we can control consistency, commitment and effort.