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9 Tips to Skyrocket your Confidence

updated on September 29th 2023

6 mins read

Confidence is key, everyone knows it but so many players struggle with it!

It does not only make you enjoy the game more. If confidence is decreasing it also makes even the best players perform worse because they stop taking the necessary risks needed to actually shape and control a game.

But don’t worry - players like Ibrahimovic, Haaland or CR7 simply have developed a way to build up their confidence over time! And you can do so too, with the following 9 tips on how to build unshakable confidence!

1) Build REAL confidence

There are many tips in this list that can help you boost your confidence and for many of you this can already make all the difference!

But they are not a substitution for building REAL confidence.

What do we mean by that?

Confidence, or to be more exact self-confidence, is defined as a “feeling of trust in one's abilities, qualities, and judgement”.

And the best way to know that you can perform the necessary abilities and skills for your position and role in the match is to actually have trained & executed those things hundreds and thousands of times before.

And once you’re in the match you know you can do it - simply because you've already done it so often in training!

2) Train as match-realistic as possible

But it doesn’t help you if what you do in training is nothing like the real scenarios in a match. So when training, always make sure to perform the exercise/movement in the same tempo and intensity as in a match.

So let’s say you want to train your ball control. Don’t just pass the ball against a wall and control the incoming pass.

To make this drill as effective as possible, make sure that

the speed of the incoming pass is as fast as it should be in a match
you do some countermovement and scanning before receiving the ball
you simulate having an opponent in your back (ideally a friend/teammate)

3) Know your strengths & weaknesses

Analyzing yourself and being aware of your strengths and weaknesses is essential in many aspects of football, and it can also help you increase your confidence:

Advantage A: You can play to your strengths in a match, which allows you to have small moments of success that boost your confidence during the game.

Advantage B: You can also work on those weaknesses so they won't affect your game and confidence as much as they used to.

If you follow those 3 tips you’ll for sure see your confidence consistently increase over the next couple of weeks & months.

Additionally there are many things you can do, to boost your confidence already in your next couple of matches:

4) Don't worry about opinions from outsiders!

Always remember:

The only opinion about you that really matters is your own and your coaches.

Or to quote Santiago Munez: “The only person who can tell me I’m not good enough is you [coach]. And even then, I might now agree with you [coach].”

5) Develop a prematch routine

Another trick to develop tunnel vision that allows you to become less affected by things happening around you is to establish a strict routine of habits that you perform before a match.

6) Never finish on a bad one

In combination with creating a pre-match routine, here's a quick tip for your last training session and the warm-up before a game:

Always make sure that your last pass, shot, save, etc., is a good one so you end on a positive feeling and experience a spike in your confidence that makes you think in your head, 'YES! I’m the BEST! No one can beat me!'

7) Don't be afraid to make mistakes

A sentence you hopefully have already heard dozens of times but worth repeating one more time! If you’re always worried about making a mistake you will be focused more on those thoughts than your game. This will not only make you more nervous (and less confident) but it will also make it more likely that you’ll make a mistake.

So get rid of those fears! Mistakes are a part of football and will happen regardless. What is important however is that you learn from those mistakes and do it better the next time. So as long as you do that, making mistakes is actually what make you become a better player in the long run if you think about it!

8) Always start with simple stuff first

When the match has just started or you have just made a mistake, you don’t HAVE to try the most difficult deep pass or dribble through 3 defenders to prove yourself / make up for the mistake.

Start with some simple passes and get those easy touches in. This way you gradually build up your confidence (again) which in return allows you to gradually try out more risky things and start shaping the game.

9) Train yourself to think positively

In a match, things will not always go well or in your favour. Maybe your team concedes an early goal, the referee seems to favour the other team or you indeed make a major mistake.

In those situations it’s from the utmost important that you don’t let this affect your game. Instead try to think positively, focus on what you have control over and just play your game. A match is 90 minutes long, you’re a great player and there is always enough time to score a winning goal!

Of course it’s not always easy to think like this. That’s why it’s even more important that you practice this way of positive thinking; in training, in day to day life - where and whenever you can!

Wether it’s a goalkeeper having the courage to come out at a corner, a CM to ask for the ball even if with an opponent in his back, a winger taking on a defender, or a striker hitting the cross on a volley … to perform to the best of our abilities we all need confidence!

And as you hopefully now understood: confidence is not something you're either born with or not.

It's something that you can practice, something you can work on every single day.

So if you're looking for a tool that can help you build real confidence and further develop your mentality as a player then look no further than the Train Effective app!

Boost your confidence & build the mentality of a professional player with the Rio Ferdinand Mentality Masterclass
Get access to 200+ drills & exercises to master your technique
Create a personalised training plan to focus on your individual strengths and weaknesses
Stay motivated by emerging yourself in a community of like-minded player

… and many other features!

So download the Train Effective app now, increase your confidence and show the world the player you've always been destined be.

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