Crisis in Confidence

[Goodvibes 3,596]

OK, so in making this post I'm fully aware that I'll be inviting ridicule from fellow posters who are looking to vent at everything and everyone after a poor performance like yesterday but I'm going to do it anyway despite the 'rose-coloured glasses' I'll be accused of wearing. I'm a firm believer in the often espoused view that when things seem bad they're never quite as glum as they first appear. The accompanying view, of course, is that when things are going well, they're never quite as rosy as you'd like to think. We know that the difference between success and failure can sometimes be very small. In sport, it's often even smaller.

I'm confident in the talent that our club has managed to assemble and I'm also confident that much of the negative, unsure, panicky play that we saw yesterday can be explained in one of three ways. Either the players aren't good enough (Dunn, Miller, Warnock etc . . ), they're too inexperienced and lacking in leadership(Scully, Trengove, Strauss, Bennell, Spencer, McKenzie etc . . ) or the team in general, lack self-confidence. Most on this board have come to the realization that our older players (our supposed leaders) aren't good enough. Most on this board are understanding of the inexperienced state of our list. But few site the issue of confidence when trying to explain (not justify) a poor performance.

Confidence in sport, can come and go in a matter of minutes and right now we don't have it. I was interested to read an article written by Costas Karageorghis. His article Here! looks into the very causes of self-confidence in the sporting arena. He presents 6 major causes. From a Melbourne perspective, I was particularly interested in the first two causes (Performance accomplishments and Being involved with the success of others).

He explains 'Performance accomplishments' in the following way:

"Performance accomplishments are the strongest contributor to sport confidence. When you perform any skill successfully, you will generate confidence and be willing to attempt something slightly more difficult. Skill learning should be organised into a series of tasks that progress gradually and allow you to master each step before progressing on to the next. Personal success breeds confidence, while repeated personal failure diminishes it."

As it stands, it is clear that our young collection of talent have yet to foster the necessary belief. They've yet to generate confidence because as a team they've yet to taste success and reinforce the skills and the gameplan their coach is asking them to implement. And by the way, I can see a gameplan but it's yet to succeed due to the lack of faith of the players and the simple inability of many of them to do it.

Karageorghis explains 'Being involved in the success of others':

"can also significantly bolster your confidence, especially if you believe that the performer you are involved with (eg a team-mate) closely matches your own qualities or abilities. In effect, it evokes the reaction: 'if they can do it, I can do it'."

When Nathan Jones said that Scully makes him a better player, what he really means is that he feels our number 1 pick has the ability to play at an elite level and if an 18 year old can do it, so can I. Once Watts, Morton, Scully, Blease, McKenzie, Strauss, Trengove, Garland, Gysberts, Tapscott, Frawley and Jurrah all do as Bailey suggests and play 50 or 60 games together, not only will they develop an innate understanding and improved teamwork, they'll develop faith in each others abilities and in turn a Geelong-like self confidence with filter through the team.

There's no doubt that we will improve as the season progresses and when we do, I'm certain a few posters around here will talk about the confidence the team are playing with. When a team is confident, levels of run are at their peak, team-mates are willing to sacrifice their own game for each other, individual statistics give way to team objectives. It's going to happen. Anyone who knows their footy and saw Scully, Trengove and Grimes combine yesterday will be confident that good times are around the corner. These young guns believe in themselves and are very close to believing in each other.

Edited March 28, 2010 by Goodvibes

[Guest hangon007]

Really good read I applaud you for your efforts, nice to read a thoughtful post after yesterday.

[Chook 15,012]

"Performance accomplishments are the strongest contributor to sport confidence. When you perform any skill successfully, you will generate confidence and be willing to attempt something slightly more difficult. Skill learning should be organised into a series of tasks that progress gradually and allow you to master each step before progressing on to the next. Personal success breeds confidence, while repeated personal failure diminishes it."

Then conceivably, we would be better-served by implementing a simpler form of our current game-plan for the time-being. Then, as we begin to master that, we would move to a more complex, multi-faceted version. Perhaps that would help us. Great post, Goodvibes.

[Goodvibes 3,596]

Then conceivably, we would be better-served by implementing a simpler form of our current game-plan for the time-being. Then, as we begin to master that, we would move to a more complex, multi-faceted version. Perhaps that would help us. Great post, Goodvibes.

I was hoping someone would pick up on that thread. I'm not sure I agree but I certainly think it's worth discussing. Malthouse came out a couple of years ago and talked about his priorities suggesting that he picked a gameplan to match his cattle rather than teaching his team to play to a certain style.

[Roost It 1,434]

Great post. I'd love to see Bailey just let the senior players help out casey and put all the young recruits together and let them play for 2 or 3 years.

[Range Rover 1,935]

What does Costas Karageorghis say about:

1) Missing targets by foot from 20 metres

2) Dinky little hospital handpasses to blokes already under the hammer.

3) Not flying the flag for a team mate felled behind play

Seriously, it's not rocket science. It just require blokes who can actually play footy.

We have about 7 or 8 legitimate AFL level footballers and that's being generous.

Edited March 28, 2010 by Spirit of Barassi

[Chook 15,012]

What does Costas Karageorghis say about:

1) Missing targets by foot from 20 metres

2) Dinky little hospital handpasses to blokes already under the hammer.

3) Not flying the flag for a team mate felled behind play

Seriously, it's not rocket science. It just require blokes who can actually play footy.

We have about 7 or 8 legitimate AFL level footballers and that's being generous.

But the point is that when you're low on confidence, you can't do what would normally be easy. It's not that we don't have the talent, but rather that the talent we have is being wrecked by what's going on between the ears.

[Range Rover 1,935]

But the point is that when you're low on confidence, you can't do what would normally be easy. It's not that we don't have the talent, but rather that the talent we have is being wrecked by what's going on between the ears.

I would argue in turn that a key part of being talented is having confidence and not being mentally weak.

Edited March 28, 2010 by Spirit of Barassi

[Goodvibes 3,596]

What does Costas Karageorghis say about:

1) Missing targets by foot from 20 metres

2) Dinky little hospital handpasses to blokes already under the hammer.

3) Not flying the flag for a team mate felled behind play

Seriously, it's not rocket science. It just require blokes who can actually play footy.

We have about 7 or 8 legitimate AFL level footballers and that's being generous.

I had a quick chat with Costas and he reckons his principles of sport and self-confidence also apply to supporters.

How many of you cheered when Jordie kicked the goal that delivered us the priority pick last year? It was clear, even to the players, that we were interested in winning games. Players like Bruce, Davey, Green, Miller, McDonald and Rivers have experienced a lot of losses in the last 4 years. These losses sap confidence.

I think it would be healthy to revisit a few of Hawthorn's beltings at the beginning of their re-build. They were abismal but month by month they got better and better and their senior players sensed the improvement and lifted their game accordingly. When our young class matures they'll make Davey, Bruce and Jones look alot better than they really are.

[Goodvibes 3,596]

I would argue in turn that a key part of being talented is having confidence and not being mentally weak.

Last time I checked, Aussie Rules is still a team game. Look how yesterdays loss has created a shared mindset here at Demonland. Take the negativity that exists here and go out and play a game of footy with that mindset and tell me that your individual performance wouldn't been negatively impacted.

[Curry & Beer 5,444]

Last time I checked, Aussie Rules is still a team game. Look how yesterdays loss has created a shared mindset here at Demonland. Take the negativity that exists here and go out and play a game of footy with that mindset and tell me that your individual performance wouldn't been negatively impacted.

I think you are on to something goodvibes... the writing was on the wall yesterday when, in the first couple of minutes Jones dropped a chest mark inside 50 and Davey and Green both missed gettable goals. As senior players they should have capitalised on the opportunity to get an early score on the board, with such a young side just looking for something to get them going it would have been very handy. Alas, the Hawks rebounded and did not waste their chance, then never looked back. Before the match I expressed how critical it was to get off to a decent start, I think when we come and do this without being blown away at quarter time we will find a more confident 4 quarter effort. Another way to get them going is acts of individual brilliance that spark the crowd and the side, unfortunately yesterday we were missing the best two practicioners of this art in Sylvia and Jurrah. Davey didn't bother.

[Ho Chi Dee 0]

I was hoping someone would pick up on that thread. I'm not sure I agree but I certainly think it's worth discussing. Malthouse came out a couple of years ago and talked about his priorities suggesting that he picked a gameplan to match his cattle rather than teaching his team to play to a certain style.

Good post Vibes.

Last year the team did show patches of being able to execute the plan properly, so the question is why is the confidence down so much of the time.

Bailey keeps talking about how they need to move it quickly and take risks, but it was painfully obvious yesterday that most had no confidence to take the game on.

There's about are a few decent footballers to come back into the side - Sylvia, Jurrah, Garland, Morton, Watts - who have the requiste skills to take risks.

I'm prepared to take yesterday for what it was and wait a few months yet unitl we have most of our future out on the park together to see if the confidence for the plan is there before we talk about re-structuring gameplans.

If we're still lacking the confidence to make the plan work in the 2nd half of the season, then simpler plans might need to be thought of.

[Disco Demons 92]

fact...it's round one...there is still another 21 rounds...

in my opinion we had three players make sucessful debuts...

if bails can't get more players to debut and reduce the losing margins then he's going to be out of a job this year. i think he's going to be getting some terry wallace pressure if this continues...

[e25 5]

Thread of the year.

Nothing to add so far.