Before competition, many athletes ask themselves the same question:
"Do I feel confident today?"
If the answer is yes, they expect to perform well. If the answer is no, they worry that they're already at a disadvantage before the competition has even begun.
The problem with relying on confidence is that confidence is constantly changing. It rises after a great practice, a big win, or positive feedback from a coach. It can disappear just as quickly after one mistake, one difficult performance, or one disappointing outcome.
When your performance depends entirely on feeling confident, your confidence becomes fragile. The athletes who perform most consistently under pressure often have something different. They don't rely solely on confidence—they rely on self-trust.
Although people often use the words interchangeably, confidence and self-trust are built differently.
Confidence is your belief that you can perform well. It often develops because you've practiced consistently, experienced success, or feel well prepared. Confidence is important, but it's also influenced by circumstances. A difficult week of practice, an injury, or one poor performance can cause even the most confident athlete to begin questioning themselves.
Self-trust goes much deeper.
Self-trust is the belief that regardless of what happens during competition, you'll be able to respond. It isn't dependent on perfection or certainty. Instead, it's built on the knowledge that you've prepared, you've overcome challenges before, and you have the ability to adapt when things don't go according to plan.
An athlete with self-trust doesn't expect everything to go perfectly. They expect themselves to keep competing, adjusting, and responding.
Imagine two athletes entering the same championship game.
Both feel confident during warm-ups. Both have prepared well. Early in the competition, each makes an unexpected mistake.
The first athlete immediately begins questioning themselves.
"There goes my confidence."
"I can't make another mistake."
"Everyone is watching."
Their attention shifts away from the game and toward protecting themselves from failing again.
The second athlete experiences the same mistake but responds differently.
"That wasn't the play I wanted."
"Reset."
"Next opportunity."
Neither athlete avoided making a mistake. The difference is that one relied on confidence while the other relied on self-trust.
Self-trust doesn't eliminate disappointment. It simply keeps one mistake from becoming the entire competition.
Confidence naturally grows after successful performances. That's one of the reasons athletes often feel most confident after winning or having a great practice.
The challenge is that sports are unpredictable.
Every athlete eventually experiences setbacks. Injuries happen. Slumps happen. Tough opponents happen. Bad performances happen.
If confidence only exists when everything is going well, it becomes difficult to maintain during the inevitable challenges of sport.
Self-trust develops differently.
It grows every time you complete a difficult workout, return after an injury, recover from a mistake, continue practicing despite frustration, or learn from a disappointing competition.
Over time, these experiences create evidence that you can handle difficult situations. That evidence becomes far more durable than confidence alone.
Many athletes assume confidence is purely mental.
In reality, confidence is closely connected to your nervous system.
When your body perceives competition as threatening, it naturally shifts into a more protective state. Your heart rate increases. Your breathing changes. Your muscles become tense. Your thoughts begin searching for mistakes or possible danger.
Many athletes interpret these sensations as evidence that they aren't confident.
More often, they're simply signs that the nervous system is highly activated.
Learning to regulate your nervous system doesn't guarantee perfect confidence. What it does is make it easier to access the confidence and self-trust you've already developed through your preparation.
Unlike confidence, which often depends on outcomes, self-trust can be strengthened through consistent actions.
Every time you follow through on your training, complete your rehabilitation, practice your routines, or continue competing after disappointment, you're building evidence that you can rely on yourself.
It also helps to redefine what success means.
Instead of evaluating every competition based only on the final score or outcome, consider asking different questions.
Did I stay engaged after mistakes?
Did I compete according to my values?
Did I stay committed to my process?
Did I continue trusting my preparation?
These are the experiences that strengthen self-trust because they're within your control.
One of the biggest differences between athletes who perform consistently and those who struggle under pressure isn't how often they make mistakes.
It's how quickly they recover from them.
Many athletes spend countless hours practicing their skills but very little time practicing recovery.
Learning how to reset after a mistake, regulate your nervous system, and return your attention to the present moment may have a greater impact on long-term performance than trying to eliminate mistakes altogether.
Self-trust grows every time you prove to yourself that one difficult moment doesn't have to define the rest of your competition.
Sometimes athletes lose self-trust because previous experiences continue influencing how they respond under pressure.
A significant injury.
A disappointing championship.
Repeated criticism.
Fear of failure.
A performance that felt humiliating.
Even when those experiences are in the past, the nervous system may continue responding as though they are still happening.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) helps the brain process emotionally significant experiences that continue affecting present-day performance.
As those experiences become less emotionally charged, many athletes find it easier to reconnect with their preparation, regulate their nervous system during competition, and trust themselves again.
Confidence will always fluctuate.
Some days you'll feel unstoppable. Other days you'll question yourself.
That's part of being human.
Self-trust provides something more stable.
It allows you to continue competing even when confidence isn't perfect. It reminds you that one mistake doesn't erase years of preparation and that your ability isn't determined by a single moment.
The goal isn't to feel confident all the time.
The goal is to trust yourself enough to keep competing, adapting, and performing—even when pressure is high.
Sports Performance Intensives combine EMDR with nervous system-informed strategies to help athletes move beyond fear, rebuild self-trust, and perform with greater consistency under pressure.
If you're ready to stop chasing confidence and start building a foundation that lasts, I'd be happy to help you explore whether a Sports Performance Intensive is right for you.
Additional Pages You May Be Interested In:
Why Confidence Disappears Before Competition
Why You Perform Differently in Practice Than You Do in Competition
Why Athletes Choke Under Pressure: It's Not About Mental Toughness
How EMDR Can Help Athletes Overcome Performance Blocks