Who is a cocky athlete

As Lucy recognised in her pod cast and solid evidence from sport psychology research with athletes tells us, thinking and behaving confidently and having belief can and will help sporting performance. Working to improve self-belief and confidence by recognising the value it plays in performance and reflecting on how to do this, does not make you arrogant.

It still has conviction built through evidence-based experiences and solid self-worth as you can evaluate your skills honestly. You realise that you have to put in the work and make sure your skills are the best they can be. Your opinions are well founded but you recognise that your skills could still be improved.

And for those of us that know Lucy, she ticks all these boxes in abundance. But to dominate the NBA and perform in the clutch like Arenas used to, a little arrogance can be helpful, and maybe even necessary. As a result, no one was the least bit surprised in January , when Agent Zero not only sank the Jazz but —before officially doing so — proved skilled enough to know he would and cocky enough to make everyone aware.

When it comes to failing due to arrogance, Nate Campbell set the standard and a lofty one at that. In his bout with Robbie Peden, Campbell experiences firsthand just how costly cockiness can be. With Peden staggered and seemingly on the metaphorical ropes—thanks in large part to a right hook that appeared to break his rib —Campbell decides, in perhaps the most bizarre and senseless move in boxing history, to completely drop his hands and graciously offer up his face.

And, just as one would expect, Peden happily accepts Campbell's more-than-generous proposal. With nothing but air between his glove and Campbell's arrogant face, Peden pounces, obliterating his cocky opponent and ending the fight with a single unadulterated wallop.

Truthfully, in this instance, we aren't entirely sure what crippled Campbell more: outright arrogance or plain stupidity. Gilbert Arenas may have done it first, but Stephen Curry has, more recently, made an art form out of calling his shot. Though his March 4 assault on Milwaukee —which culminated with a cocky Curry turning away to celebrate a three before he actually made it—has received the most publicity, it hardly represents the first time Golden Eye has wowed with such skill and arrogance.

In equally impressive fashion, Curry embarrassed the Timberwolves and showed off his insane shooting prowess in a game last February and, before that, pulled off the very same "I don't need to watch, I know it's going in" trick in a postseason battle with the Nuggets. To display that kind of justified confidence —or cockiness, depending on interpretation — on even one occasion is both bold and impressive. But to do so multiple times in less than a year is simply insane, as unprecedented as it is extraordinary.

If you're smart, you'll cherish Curry while he's still around, for he very well may be the most prolific and unabashedly bold shooter you'll ever get the chance to see. Wide Receiver Sammy Watkins had one heck of a rookie season for the Buffalo Bills, to the tune 65 catches, yards and six touchdowns.

In fact, on October 26, Watkins let his ego get the best of him in a costly and highly visible way. For the most part, he did just about everything it takes to score on a yard reception: Watkins got behind his defender, reeled in an accurate pass and then outran the deep safety.

But that can cause sports burnout. Instead, advocatebalance. Let them grow in other areas of life—other interests, hobbies, adventures. Praise them and their teammates. This is just another way of instilling the no-I-in-team mentality. According to your kid, there will always be someone else to blame. A blind ref. Selfish teammates. Even the stupid coach. Because unfortunately, that victim mentality will spill over into other areas of his life.

Very unattractive. Teach respect for coaches, teammates, refs. This is the hard part. There are coaches who are clueless, teammates who are selfish and obnoxious, and refs who are incompetent. It all starts at home, folks. Our kids are like sponges; they will drip out what they soak up. Opinion Policies Editorials are longer opinion pieces that are written by a group of community members recruited across campus who address relevant issues on a local, national and international level.

Feedback policy If you have a grievance concerning the content or argument of the Editorial Board, please contact either Opinion Editor Peyton Hamel peyton. Column Policy Columns are hyper-specific to opinion and are written by only columnists employed by the Iowa State Daily.

Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. Manage followed notifications. Close Followed notifications. Please log in to use this feature Log In. Don't have an account? Sign Up Today. Related Media. Editorial: presidential endorsement.