World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov on How to Build Confidence

Sometimes the hardest thing to do in a pressure situation is to allow the tension to persist. The temptation is to make a decision, any decision, even if it is an inferior choice.

I always knew something was wrong if I wasn’t on edge before a game. Nervous energy is the ammunition we take into any mental battle. If you don’t have enough of it, your concentration will fade. If you have a surplus, the results can be explosive.

The Struggling coach thinks confidence is a requirement before taking action. The Pro coach knows that confidence is a result of taking action.

At chess tournaments, I would meditate for an hour while listening to a tape that soothed me, and then I would go to war.