Five Ways to Help a Student-Athlete Develop Self-Efficacy

As a coach, I try to be intentional about teaching skills that go beyond the field or court. 

As a student-athlete, learning self-efficacy and making decisions independently is essential. Here are five things I teach throughout the season to help my student-athletes to practice becoming autonomous people. 

Make your bed every morning. This may seem like a weird place to start, but there is a reason behind it. Starting your day by doing something productive sets in motion other positive habits. Try it for a week. You will see that this small habit will be a catalyst to other positive habits and when you add up the little things you do every day, they lead to a huge return. Besides, who doesn't love to get into a freshly made bed after a long day?

Take responsibility for your habits. Next time you realize something you are doing is hurting your performance, stop doing that thing. Though it is common to pick up habits from friends and mentors, you are not a robot or tethered to a specific type of program. You can stop doing the thing and replace it with something that will increase your performance. Next time you say to yourself, "I should stop doing that," figure out a way to stop doing it. If you get a stomach ache when you drink soda, stop doing that. If you are always late to practice, stop doing that. Take responsibility for your actions and become the high-performing individual you were created to be.

Pursue the shadow. Determine who works the hardest at practice and commit to working harder than them. They don't need to know what you are doing. In my one-on-one sessions with athletes, I call this "chasing the shadow." You don't have to tell that person what you are doing; it is probably better if they don't know first. That way, you have time to improve without someone knowing you are using them for inspiration. Once your effort has yielded the fruit you sought, you can thank them for raising your standard. There is nothing like competition at practice to prepare you for an excellent performance during the game.

Fight your own battles. Maybe your parent hounds the coach to get you some more playing time. I challenge you to find out what you need to improve to make the starting lineup, then work on those skills, knowing it won't be an overnight process. Maybe something happened with a teammate at practice that needs to be dealt with. Find the right moment (not during practice or a game), take a deep breath, and have a difficult conversation with that teammate. Leave your emotions at the door and ask for clarity about why your teammate did or said the thing that bothers you—taking ownership of your battles before you strengthen your problem-solving ability and increases your courage for things to come.

Carry your own stuff. Are you used to mom carrying your bag after practice? What if one day she didn't? Would you fall apart, maybe start whining because it's so heavy? It's your bag- your stuff. Honor your mom by carrying it yourself, and open the car door for her while you are at it.