Confidence

[muttley]

According to Damon Albarn of Blur fame - "Confidence is a preference for the habitual voyeur of what is known as (parklife)"

Since changing my career, I have once again found myself not training in martial arts. With this lack of training I have noticed that my confidence levels have dropped severely in some situations.

I find it strange, I play rugby for a local veterans team and in that situation, my confidence is spot on, I take on guys far larger than myself (and generally get the better of them on the field), in my work, when I am faced with confrontation (which happens a lot in my line of work), I am confident that I am able to deal with it. My issue is in another area of my work, I find myself questioning my decisions which I can only put down to a lack of confidence in my own ability.

This is something I never suffered from when I trained regularly, and is something my friends find odd as they would never describe me as being a person who lacks in confidence.

Has anyone else suffered from this before and has it improved when they have started training again or is it a case of me feeling down heartened due to not having the time to train as I once did?

[wildbourgman]

I've previously posted this elsewhere but it applies here too.

I have a definition that I use that separates confidence and arrogance because I think many people confuse the two. Arrogance is when you are confident but lack any evidence our logical reasoning that you should have any confidence at all.

 

In my opinion the quote "It ain't bragging if you can do it." is very true. In the similar but opposite vein if you know that your going to be beat prior to any conflict you should choose other means, including tactical retreat. I'm sure Sun Tzu probably speaks on that subject.

[Spodo Komodo]

It isn't easy to diagnose over the internet especially when I only have a lapsed first aid certificate...

but...

I know that training affects my mood. When I am training regularly I feel "lighter" in spirit and can cope with much more than if I am not training or training irregularly as and when I can. Whether it is due to endorphins, the general aches that seem to be kept at bay by not being chained to a PC for 16 hours a day or just being able to completely focus on one task instead of fire-fighting a dozen or more I do not know. I do know that when I start training again and get that fire back in my soul it doesn't seem half as bad.

One thing I would say to anyone in such a situation - if you are feeling down on a regular basis and feel that your personality or habits have changed even slightly then please go and see a doctor. There are lots of things that can be done to help but you can't easily self-diagnose, you need a trained eye to help with that. A pinch of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

[sensei8]

The MA helps to build and increase ones confidence; it's rooted in its core. However, like anything in the MA, it'll take time to acquire. One of the key elements in acquiring confidence in the MA is having an instructor that's honest, and supports their student body. Sure, mistakes occur, but every successful thing that a student achieves on the floor, big or small, celebrate it with the student(s). And when those mistakes do occur on the floor, support them with encouraging words and counseling. Imho, an instructor that has great listening skills is above the curve.

[cathal]

We all build confidence in different ways, it's all about what you're interested in, what you're involved with, and how you approach it. I increased my confidence by hiking a farther distance each time until I reached 10 k. My bother increased his by getting back to painting, and my nephew just because his mother keeps verbally supporting him.

So many ways.

[bushido_man96]

I would be willing to bet that it is due to the lack of training. I get that way when I have long layoffs, too. Sometimes, you just have to make yourself do some work on your own when you can't get to class, and that can help you out some. But there really is no substitute to being in great class environment with fellow students and a great instructor.