Building Confidence in Youth Athletes

Confidence. How important is it? And what do we actually mean when we say an athlete needs more of it?

I sat down with mental performance coach Brianna Antillon, also known as Coach Bri, to talk about confidence, pressure, and identity in youth sports. We discussed how athletes can get caught up in comparison, deal with mistakes, and figure out what they bring to a team.

Why Do Young Athletes Struggle With Confidence?

Coach Bri works primarily with middle school, high school, and club athletes. One issue she encounters regularly is athletes losing confidence by focusing on things outside their control.

Maybe a teammate is competing for the same starting spot. Maybe an opponent has a higher ranking or has committed to a big college program. And then there's social media, where athletes see everyone else's highlights without necessarily seeing the work, setbacks, and ordinary days behind them.

It's easy to see how comparison can shift an athlete's focus away from their own development and toward how they measure up against everyone else.

Confidence can be a catch-all term, though. When a parent or coach says an athlete needs more confidence, it's worth asking a follow-up question: What's getting in the way?

How Athletes Can Handle Pressure and Mistakes

Coach Bri offered a simple way to think about performance: Make the game playable, not perfect.

Athletes are going to have off days. Shots won't fall. Mistakes will happen. Instead of expecting perfection, Coach Bri encourages athletes to consider how quickly they can reset and what they can contribute in the moment.

For example, a basketball player who's struggling to score can still help the team by creating opportunities for teammates. Performance isn't always about doing what you're best known for. Sometimes it's about recognizing what the team needs right now.

That's a useful shift from worrying about results to focusing on what you can actually do.

Athletic Identity: What Do You Bring to the Team?

We also talked about what happens when athletes move to a higher level of competition. An athlete who was a star in high school might suddenly find themselves on the bench in college.

That transition can be tough, especially when so much of an athlete's identity is tied to being successful.

Coach Bri encourages athletes to ask a different question: What do I bring to the table?

Maybe a team needs aggression. Maybe it needs composure or resilience. You don't have to be the same player as your teammate to contribute something valuable.

And if things don't work out at one level, reassessing your goals or taking a different path doesn't mean you've failed. Sometimes taking a step back creates room to move forward.

As Coach Bri puts it, it's about knowing what you have to offer, being willing to work, and asking yourself whether you did everything you could.

Sport Psychology for Athletes in Los Angeles and Beyond

Whether your athlete is struggling with confidence, comparison, or the pressure to perform, mental skills are part of athletic development, just like physical training.

I work with athletes dealing with performance anxiety, OCD, and other mental health concerns through clinical sport psychology. If you're looking for support for your athlete, learn more about my services for athletes in Long Beach, Los Angeles, and the South Bay. I also offer telehealth sessions to athletes throughout California. Contact me to schedule a consultation.

The goal isn't to make athletes perfect. It's to help them handle pressure, stay engaged in the things they love, and become more comfortable being themselves.