Do you ever feel like a completely different athlete in games than you do in practice?
In training, you’re confident. Fluid. You make plays with ease and without hesitation. But once competition rolls around, something changes.
You freeze up. You second-guess yourself. You play not to mess up instead of playing to win.
If this sounds like you, trust me—you’re not alone.
What you’re experiencing is a lack of trust in yourself and your skills. And it’s one of the most common reasons athletes underperform when it matters most.
In this article, we’ll explore:
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What self-trust actually means for athletes
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Where this lack of trust comes from
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And most importantly, how you can build more trust in yourself so your game-time performance reflects your true ability
What It Means to Trust Yourself as an Athlete
Self-trust isn’t about arrogance or thinking you’ll always play perfectly. It’s about this:
“Knowing you’ve done the work, and letting yourself play freely without overthinking or holding back.”
When you trust yourself, you don’t need to force confidence or hype yourself up. You play naturally. You rely on your instincts. You’re able to bounce back from mistakes quickly. You stay calm under pressure.
But when that trust is missing?
You hesitate.
You overanalyze.
You tighten up.
This is what I talked about in my recent video—how a lack of self-trust can silently sabotage your performance, even when you’re technically well-prepared.
Why Athletes Struggle to Trust Themselves
There are a few key reasons you may struggle to trust yourself in competition, even if you feel fine in practice.
1. You’re Focused on Outcome Over Process
In practice, there’s little on the line. You’re focused on getting better.
But in games, the stakes feel higher. You worry about:
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Winning or losing
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What your coach thinks
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How others might judge you
This pressure shifts your focus from the process (what you need to do) to the outcome (what might happen if you fail). And when your brain goes into outcome mode, self-trust disappears.
2. You’re Trying to Control the Uncontrollable
Athletes who lack trust often try to force performance.
They grip the bat tighter. They think through every move before acting. They try to be perfect with every pass, pitch, or swing.
This need for control is rooted in fear—not confidence.
And it’s exhausting.
The irony is: the harder you try to control everything, the more mistakes you tend to make. Because sport isn’t about control. It’s about preparation and trust.
3. You’re Letting Past Mistakes Define You
One bad performance. One error. One missed shot.
That’s all it takes sometimes to lose faith in yourself.
Athletes often carry these moments with them, and without realizing it, begin to doubt whether they can perform when it matters. You might think:
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“What if I mess up again?”
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“I always choke in games.”
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“I’m not clutch.”
Over time, these thoughts become beliefs. And beliefs determine how much you trust yourself on the field.
How to Build Trust in Sports
Now that you understand where self-trust can break down, let’s talk about how to build it back up.
Below are four practical mental training strategies you can begin using right away.
1. Train Your Mind Like You Train Your Body
You wouldn’t expect to get stronger in the weight room without consistent reps.
Same goes for mental skills.
Each day, you need to put in reps that build belief. Here’s how:
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Daily journaling: Write one thing you did well in practice or a previous game.
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Process-focused reflection: Note moments when you trusted your training instead of overthinking.
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Positive identity statements: Repeat phrases like “I trust my swing,” “I believe in my preparation,” or “I play best when I let go.”
These mental reps build a foundation of trust you can rely on when pressure strikes.
2. Use Mental Rehearsal to Reinforce Trust
Visualization is a powerful way to build trust.
Spend 5 minutes a day imagining yourself performing confidently and instinctively in a high-pressure moment. Make it vivid:
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Hear the crowd
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Feel your breath
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See the play unfold
But here’s the key: visualize responding with trust, not perfection.
See yourself staying composed, adjusting to mistakes, and bouncing back with focus.
This trains your brain to expect success and trust your instincts.
3. Let Go of Perfection & Embrace Mistakes
One of the biggest trust killers is perfectionism.
You’ll never perform perfectly. But you can respond perfectly.
The best athletes in the world make mistakes. The difference is—they don’t let those mistakes define them.
Next time you mess up:
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Take a deep breath
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Repeat a cue word like “reset” or “next play”
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Remind yourself: “Mistakes don’t mean I can’t trust myself—they mean I’m human.”
Mistakes are not proof you’re not good enough. They’re opportunities to show yourself you can recover.
4. Create a Pre-Performance Routine
Trust thrives on consistency.
Having a pre-performance routine helps you stay grounded and focused on what you can control. Here’s what a trust-building routine might look like:
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Breathe – 3 deep breaths to calm your body
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Cue word – “Trust,” “Flow,” “Let go”
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Body check-in – Loosen your shoulders, relax your hands
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Mental reminder – “I’ve done the work. Just play.”
This routine helps you shift from fear to trust—every single time you compete.
Final Thoughts
You already have the talent.
But if you want that talent to show up in games, you have to start trusting yourself.
Trust in sports is not something that magically appears on game day. It’s built through consistent mental training, daily mindset reps, and learning to let go of the fear that keeps you from performing freely.
If this is something you’ve struggled with—if you feel like there’s more in you than what’s showing up on the field—I want to help.
Through 1-on-1 mental performance coaching or my Confident Competitor Program, I work with athletes every day who are ready to stop overthinking and start playing with trust.
Because when you trust yourself, the game slows down. You stop hesitating. And you finally perform the way you know you can.
