{"id":14886,"date":"2022-10-05T19:57:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-05T23:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/?p=14886"},"modified":"2025-06-04T06:53:51","modified_gmt":"2025-06-04T10:53:51","slug":"do-you-have-fun-when-competing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/do-you-have-fun-when-competing\/","title":{"rendered":"Do You Have Fun When Competing?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/losing-a-competition.jpg\" alt=\"Game Loss Mindset\" class=\"wp-image-14137\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/losing-a-competition.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/losing-a-competition-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Does_Performance_Pressure_Outweigh_Competing\"><\/span>Does Performance Pressure Outweigh Competing?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Article Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #0769bf;color:#0769bf\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #0769bf;color:#0769bf\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/do-you-have-fun-when-competing\/#Does_Performance_Pressure_Outweigh_Competing\" >Does Performance Pressure Outweigh Competing?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/do-you-have-fun-when-competing\/#When_you_manage_expectations_you_will_not_over-emphasize_the_importance_of_a_competition_You_will_play_freely_and_have_fun_while_competing\" >When you manage expectations, you will not over-emphasize the importance of a competition. You will play freely and have fun while competing.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/do-you-have-fun-when-competing\/#Related_Sports_Psychology_Articles\" >Related Sports Psychology Articles<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/do-you-have-fun-when-competing\/#The_Confident_Athlete\" >The Confident Athlete<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Do you have <strong>fun <\/strong>competing in games or tournaments? Do you enjoy exploring your potential or does competition make your feel stressed?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sports are enjoyable for many reasons. You may have fun in practice. You might have a lot of friends on your team. You might like to master skills&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nevertheless, the tricky question is: are you excited about games and the challenges of competing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But did you know you can feel pressure, still have <strong>fun<\/strong>, and perform at your peak? The key is managing your expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When expectations are unrealistically high, you experience greater pressure. Every move you make, you feel, is being scrutinized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You second-guess every decision. You feel the need to be perfect. When you are unable to manage expectations, your game will be off. No matter your sport, high expectations and pressure make it difficult to enjoy the experience of competing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, a high school soccer player may believe he must score at least one goal per game to earn a scholarship to his dream college. Playing for this college team has been his goal for years.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He thinks if he doesn\u2019t receive a scholarship, he will not be able to afford tuition or play at the Division I level. During games, he second-guesses every shot, even when he is wide-open.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His high expectations cause so much pressure that he overthinks and under performs on the pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Managing expectations is a balancing act between challenging yourself and enjoying what you are doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2022, Morgan Turner signed her first professional soccer contract with Sport Clube Uni\u00e3o (S.C.U.) Torreense of the first division of Portuguese women\u2019s soccer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before playing in Portugal, Turner had a prolific career at DePaul University, scoring 31 goals in 80 appearances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Turner is excited by the challenge of playing at the next level and enjoying the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>TURNER<\/strong>: \u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to play professionally. Playing professionally has been my ultimate goal, so since I\u2019ve been here, I\u2019ve just been enjoying where I\u2019m at and just enjoying the moment\u2026 It\u2019s been a blast being here. I really love living in Portugal, and it\u2019s been so much <strong>fun <\/strong>to play on a new team and start my professional career.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"When_you_manage_expectations_you_will_not_over-emphasize_the_importance_of_a_competition_You_will_play_freely_and_have_fun_while_competing\"><\/span>When you manage expectations, you will not over-emphasize the importance of a competition. You will play freely and have fun while competing.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Peak performance is a balancing act. To compete at your peak, you need to be excited about the challenge and stretch your abilities while managing expectations to minimize pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can have <strong>fun <\/strong>at any competitive level. Enjoying the challenge is the key. Remember, how you view pressure or challenge can change your experience and help ignite your passion for competing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ask yourself, \u201cWhy did I love playing my sport when I was younger?\u201d \u201cWhy did I choose to play my sport?\u201d \u201cWhat made competing fun?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You want to take a new perspective into your sport and know why you participate. Worry and pressure lead to being serious. Enjoying the challenge leads to <strong>fun<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"block-979ef383-5bc7-43ee-b8f9-249663ca1a6c\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_Sports_Psychology_Articles\"><\/span>Related Sports Psychology Articles<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul id=\"block-05642731-8752-4dbf-9c18-5cc4d276e821\" class=\"wp-block-list has-normal-font-size\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/having-fun-while-performing-at-your-best\/\">Having Fun While Performing at Your Best<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/flow-and-fun-in-sports\/\">Flow and Fun in Sports<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/the-confidence-rollercoaster-is-no-fun-for-athletes\/\">The Confidence Rollercoaster is No Fun for Athletes<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-5726d13f-f715-4ca4-8813-2f8a9ebd8bc3\">*Subscribe to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/sports-psychology-podcast-by-peaksports-com\/id152566009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/a>&nbsp;on iTunes<br>*Subscribe to <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0ynyaalKxbnNmsoeL8gF5X?si=8224669de9b3435b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/a> on Spotify<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-281f5afb-980b-4c71-9aa0-11d606b5f7c9\"><strong>Download a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/mental-toughness-report-athletes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">free sports psychology report<\/a>&nbsp;to improve your mental game!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-94138e75-d591-4645-bb1d-212cf57a8841\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sport-psychology-training-athletes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Learn more about our one-on-one mental game coaching.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Confident_Athlete\"><\/span>The Confident Athlete <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/confident-athlete-audio250.jpg\" alt=\"The Confident Athlete Audio and Workbook Program\" class=\"wp-image-19341\" style=\"width:182px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Confident Athlete\u201d consists of 2 audio programs that include 14 days of confidence fueling exercises and a simple to follow workbook that guides you through the 14 days, helps you apply the strategies, and customizes the exercises to your personal needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let me help you put a <strong>stop to the confidence leak<\/strong>. You can learn to have greater levels of confidence in competition than you do in practice by identifying the specific ways you undermine your own confidence and <strong>how to convert your practice confidence into COMPETITIVE CONFIDENCE<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Confident Athlete\u201d is a ground-breaking system to teach you how to think like a champion and have ultimate self-confidence every time you step on the playing field, court, track, or course. The confident athletes was <strong>developed for any athlete \u2013 junior to professional \u2013<\/strong>that wants to gain confidence. However, coaches and sports parents can learn how to teach others to perform with ultimate confidence. Use my program if you want to bust a slump or just wanting higher or more consistent levels of self-confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-0b39f7aa\">\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-a74417ae gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-confident-athlete-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GET DETAILS<\/a>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-461ab57c gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/collections\/the-confident-athlete-series-digital-download\/products\/the-confident-athlete-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BUY NOW<\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Does Performance Pressure Outweigh Competing? Do you have fun competing in games or tournaments? Do you enjoy exploring your potential or does competition make your feel stressed? Sports are enjoyable for many reasons. You may have fun in practice. You might have a lot of friends on your team. You might like to master skills&#8230; Nevertheless, the tricky &#8230; <a title=\"Do You Have Fun When Competing?\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/do-you-have-fun-when-competing\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Do You Have Fun When Competing?\">Sport Psychology Article&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14138,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[142],"tags":[250],"class_list":["post-14886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports-psychology-tips","tag-sports-psychology"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro 4.9.5.2 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When you manage expectations, you will not over-emphasize the importance of a competition. 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