My stack of books in the “unread” pile was getting precariously low…
I did what I often do… fired up the Amazon App on my phone and started searching for new materials. My search using the key work “confidence” lead me to the book title above. I was intrigued as it was written by a mental game coach with NC roots. Tami Matheny, the author, was a standout high school athlete at East Rutherford NC, played basketball and tennis while completing her undergrad psychology degree at Lenoir-Rhyme College, and earned her Master’s degree in sports administration from UNC. Prior to becoming a certified Mental Game Coach, she was highly successful coaching tennis for both the women’s and men’s programs at USC Upstate becoming one of the few female coaches in the US to be named Conference Coach of the Year for a men’s sport. The reviews were solid! I hit the “buy it now button”!
I don’t know how this book had escaped me in the past! I love it! First – it is a really easy read – and at 112 pages, does not take long to consume cover-to-cover. Full disclosure, amazon delivered it right before my wife asked me to take her to Target to do some shopping… I read about half of it while waiting in the truck for her by the light of the overhead parking lot lights in the target parking lot! Second – I have read many 200-300 page books that did not have 100 pages worth of content. In “The Confident Athlete”, there is useful information on each and every page! – direct suggestions that the athlete (or parent or coach) can put into action with the exercises that Tami Matheny provides. The last reason this book appealed to me is that is truly preaches to the choir. Readers of this blog will recognize the topics covered in the book, but hearing them in a different “voice” really provides a fresh perspective.
The author starts out with a story of a young man who couldn’t get his new sports car to go over 100 MPH. Turns out he had the emergency brake on! The rest of the book details how we can release our own “confidence emergency brakes” by working on 4 steps:
- Talking the Talk
- Walking the Walk
- Seeing it to be it (Visualization)
- Preparation
In the first chapter, she covers self-talk in a very practical way showing how the language we use both internally and externally can influence how much confidence we have in the tank. One specific example I liked was how to turn a negative into a positive (or at least a hope for better results) by using the simple word “yet”. Applying it to the world of sporting clays, say you are struggling with hitting trap teel presentations (ok, this one is personal for me). You might be thinking to yourself “I can’t hit trap teals to save my life”… This is not going to prime your sub-conscious in the direction you want! But by simply adding the word “yet” – you can change the tone of the thought. I can’t hit trap teals YET has a whole different meaning! She gives several other examples of how some simple vocabulary changes can lead to increased confidence.
In chapter two, she delves into the importance of how you present yourself physically can impact your thoughts, which drive your feeling, which influence your behavior ultimately dictating your results (paraphrased from your words). Her words “Body Language doesn’t talk. It SCREAMS!” really sums up the chapter nicely. Once again, she discusses several exercises you can try to improve your confidence including the “wonder woman pose” discussed in a post HERE on the blog.
In chapter four, She explains how visualization can be effectively used to develop and maintain confidence through several personal examples as well as those of successful professional athletes in three categories
- Seeing Yourself as a Winner
- Get in Extra Reps
- Embrace Adversity
In chapter five, she shows how preparation in five dimensions helps to ease the confidence emergency brake:
- Emotional
- Technical / Tactical
- Equipment
- Physical
- Mental
She pulls all of these dimensions together into a preparation game plan. By addressing all five of these areas, she explains you are leaving little to chance and improving your probability of success.
She wraps up the book by pulling all 4 of the key steps to confidence together by using tools called the “me circle” and “success script”. The “me circle” helps the athlete to identify those things that she has total control over vs those things that she has no control over. It is a simple but powerful tool. The “success Script” is a great motivational tool to identify your strengths and goals.
I am excited to be able to share this book review with you. I have now read the book two times. I am sure it will be one I will pull from my bookcase frequently. I reached out to the author as I frequently do when I intend to review a book. Tami Matheny got back to me via email and shared another tool with me. She publishes a monthly “confidence calendar” which she sent along:
You can also subscribe to her monthly calendar from her website at www.r2LC.com
If you would like to get your own copy of “The Confident Athlete”, here is the amazon link: