First off, the video for today has nothing to do with today’s post. It’s just a hilarious clip and I can watch it for hours, and it cracks me up every time. So I’m sharing it with the world. Now, on to today’s topic.
ABOUT CONFIDENCE:
I’ve always been a “shit talker”. Nothing mean or malicious, just some good natured ribbing. Whether it’s my sports teams, a game of Trivial Pursuit, or while being down in the trenches during football, I was always popping a little junk out of my mouth. It wasn’t that I thought I was better than anyone else, but hell, life, especially sports and entertainment, should be fun.
But don’t confuse this with confidence. Confidence is something different. To me, confidence is a belief in yourself, and the ability to do something. It is an important aspect in one’s life, especially when it comes to health and fitness. To me as a coach, instilling confidence in someone is one of our main jobs. It is as essential as teaching a proper squat, snatch, or pull-up. I’m not saying that we have to be one of these touchy-feely, new-age gurus, but if we aren’t helping people mentally as well as physically, then we are only doing part of out jobs. And the fact is, if a person doesn’t have some level of self-confidence, they are never going to get that squat down, no matter how excellent our coaching is.
There are a number of ways to build confidence in someone. It can be pushing them when they don’t think they can do it, but you know they can. It can be drilling the same movement over and over again until they know it in their sleep. Or it can be simply just encouraging them and finding the one thing right they are doing while doing 99 other things incorrectly. Sure we correct the mistakes, but we over exaggerate the positive. Myself, I was taught using old school methods of tearing someone down, to build them back up. This can be very effective, as long as we remember the “build them back up” part. All too often this step is ignored, and we wonder why so many people don’t seem to grow past a certain point in their training.
True self confidence comes from the idea that no matter what shit life shovels your way, you are going to do whatever it takes to continue to do the best that you can. You may not always be first or win the prize, but know that you gave it your best. As coaches, and really just as people in general, we should strive to do instill this each time we are teaching. Because if and when the Zombie Horde is on your ass, what type of person do you want covering it?
