Self confidence can be learned and improved upon. Gain a professional insight with this providing seven ways to increase self esteem. As any athlete or coach will tell you, confidence is critical to success. It is that important mental skill which allows players to fully use their physical talent. Many players have the physical skills to hit, field, and throw the ball, but not everyone has the confidence to consistently get the job done, especially in "pressure" situations.

Just as physical skills can be learned and developed, so too can the mental skill of confidence. Simply put, confidence is the belief that your ability is greater than or at least equal to what is demanded by the situation. Confident athletes believe they have what it takes to succeed in the given situation. Stress, on the other hand, results when athletes doubt their ability to handle situations.

Every athlete has the ability to decide whether she will approach the situation with confidence or stress simply by the thoughts she chooses to focus on. Confident athletes actively seek to tip the scales in their favor by focusing on their strengths. They choose positive, self-promoting images and words that give them the best chance of being successful. Next time you feel a little tense or anxious, make the choice to tip the scales in your favor by trying some of the following suggestions.

1. Ask yourself, "What do I have going for me?"

Get in the mental habit of thinking about your strengths as you head into every situation. If you have enough time, list as many strengths that you can think of going in to the situation. Focusing on your strengths and what you have going for you builds confidence by helping you to focus on your abilities rather than any doubts.

2. Visualize success.

Remember past successes that you have had in similar situations. Vividly recreate the sights, sounds, movements, and feelings of the times when you have been successful. By visualizing success, you program your mind and muscles to recreate the same thoughts and movements that allowed you to be successful. Make the choice to create and enjoy a highlight film of your past successes in your mind. Then, visualize yourself being successful in present and future situations.

3. Be your own biggest fan with your self-talk.

Choose to use words and phrases that will help you succeed. Talk up your abilities by the words you say to yourself: "I can do this!" Like a lawyer presenting a case to the jury, confidence results when you can convince yourself that you have the ability to succeed. Also, focus on the process of being successful instead of the outcome. Concentrate on the things you need to do to be successful rather than what you don't want to do. Tell yourself, "Just see it and drive it," rather than, "Don't strikeout!"

4. View situations as "challenges" rather than "threats."

By seeing situations as challenges rather than treats, you decrease the stress of the situation. Challenges serve to mobilize your strengths and encourage you to focus on positive possibilities. Threats remind you of your weaknesses and force you to fear failure. Think of situations as opportunities to be taken advantage of rather than difficulties to avoid or fear. Tell yourself, "I have the chance to pitch us out of this jam," instead of, "I can't walk this batter or I'll lose the game." Oftentimes, you get what you expect so why not expect the best?

5. Empathize quality preparation and practice.

Proper preparation and practice gives you the right to be confident. Preparation allows you to know what to expect. You've been in the situation before and thus you eliminate any unknowns that could create self-doubt. Quality practice gives you a lot of evidence to use when convincing yourself that you have the ability to succeed. Remembering that you have fielded a ground ball successfully over one thousand times in practice should help to convince yourself that you have the ability to do it in a game.

6. Accentuate the positive.

Sincerely compliment yourself and your teammates when you succeed. Catch yourself and others doing good and let them know about it. The positive environment enjoyable, but it helps to build confidence by building beliefs in your own and others' ability. As Mother Theresa once said, "Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless."

7. Take credit for your success.

It is important to realize that you can do a lot to cause your success. With talent and effort (both physical and mental) you can influence the amount of success you experience. Thus, when you are successful, take the credit for it. Believe that success is due to your ability and your hard work. Say "Thank you" when someone tells you made a great play rather than, "I just got lucky.

When you believe that you are the cause of your success, you can confidently face future situations knowing that your ability and effort will give you a great chance of being successful.

We hope that the following suggestions are helpful in building your confidence. As mentioned, confidence is a mental skill that can be learned and improved.

Jeff Jansen is a mental training consultant at the University of Arizona. Mike Candrea is the Head Softball Coach at the University of Arizona.