The following post is an excerpt from Emotional Aptitude In Sports NOW available through most online retailers! Click Here to Order
Common Performance Anxieties and their Solutions
Performance anxiety falls deeply into the emotional aptitude component of high-performance athletics. These anxieties affect millions of athletes, causing low self-esteem, wavering confidence and waning enjoyment of the game. Psychologists categorize performance anxiety into two basic categories:
State Anxiety: Is a temporary emotional state in response to a perceived threat.
Trait Anxiety: Is a personality trait as opposed to a temporary response.
This is an important distinction because a player with a trait anxiety condition may need professional help in dealing with their anxiety in everyday life. Whereas a player with state anxiety can more easily be taught to control their response to competition.
Stress is inherent in competition. So why do some athletes rise to the occasion and thrive under pressure while others wilt under the slightest bit of heat? The answer lies in the individual’s genetics as well as their upbringing. This is commonly referred to as nature and nurture.
SOLUTION: Identify the Athlete’s Stress Management Profile
Athletes begin competition with their own unique level of composure. To the untrained eye, two athletes warming up may appear to have a similar athletic ability, but once the competition begins it’s an entirely different story. The degree to which an athlete responds to stress depends on their frustration tolerance level.
Frustration tolerance is the ability to endure stress and maintain composure when met with obstacles.
An athlete’s frustration tolerance level is an essential topic. It plays a crucial role in why seemingly gifted athletes lose.
Here are a few observations regarding frustration tolerance and opposing personalities under stress:
- Some folks are both pre-wired and nurtured to agonize and over think. Others are pre-wired and nurtured combatants and ready to fight at the drop of a hat.
- Some athletes become so overwhelmed by the opponent’s intensity that they emotionally withdraw. Other players get motivated by conflict and their energy rises to the occasion.
- Some personalities are designed to thrive in fast pace settings – increasing their productivity under stress. While under the same stress, other personalities shut down due to the trauma.
I’ve found that the customization and repetition of practicing in the manner you’re expected to perform greatly assist those overthinking agonizers. By applying quality practice sessions (infusing simulated pressure into drills) over quantity practice sessions (stagnant familiar drills) overthinking agonizers can be nurtured to become strong competitors.
