{"id":5897,"date":"2016-06-29T17:36:08","date_gmt":"2016-06-29T17:36:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/?p=5897"},"modified":"2025-06-10T06:18:43","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T10:18:43","slug":"performance-anxiety-in-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/performance-anxiety-in-sports\/","title":{"rendered":"The Roots of Performance Anxiety in Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5899\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/performance-anxiety.jpg\" alt=\"Performance Anxiety\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/performance-anxiety.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/performance-anxiety-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Managing_Competitive_Anxiety\"><\/span>Managing Competitive Anxiety<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\/performance-anxiety-in-sports\/#Managing_Competitive_Anxiety\" >Managing Competitive Anxiety<\/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\/performance-anxiety-in-sports\/#Check_out_our_Video_of_The_Week\" >Check out our Video of The Week:<\/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\/performance-anxiety-in-sports\/#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\/performance-anxiety-in-sports\/#The_Composed_Athlete\" >The Composed Athlete<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Anxiety and worry are the biggest performance problem for young competitive athletes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Anxious athletes report the following:<br><em>&#8211;\u201cI play so well in practice but mess up in games.\u201d<\/em><br><em> &#8211;\u201cI\u2019m so nervous in games that I get sick to my stomach.\u201d<\/em><br><em> &#8211;\u201cI become so anxious in competitions that I can\u2019t concentrate.\u201d<\/em><br><em> &#8211;\u201cI always fall apart when the game is on the line.\u201d<\/em><br><em> &#8211;\u201cI get so nervous that I don\u2019t even enjoy my sport anymore.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Performance anxiety wears on athletes, which can create a host of negative physical and mental issues that can hurt your performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you or your athletes experience physical changes, such as racing heart beats, difficulty breathing, tight muscles, upset stomach, jumpiness and an inability to produce smooth or fluid mechanics?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the physical symptoms are difficult enough to deal with, it\u2019s the <strong>mental<\/strong> worry that triggers the physical changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Negative thinking, fear of failing, inability to deal with adversity or uncertainty, problems with <strong>focusing<\/strong> and the overwhelming need to be perfect are the mental trigger that can lead to performance anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To make matters worse, athletes often stress our over their inability to manage the choking response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These young athletes feel isolated and believe themselves to be the only ones negatively affected by anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Truth be told, even Olympic and professional athletes can become overwhelmed by anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Graham DeLaet, a 34 year-old golfer and seven-year PGA Tour veteran, felt so nervous chipping and pitching while preparing for the 2016 Memorial Tournament that he withdrew from the event and took a break from competing in tournaments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>DeLAET<\/strong>: <em>\u201cA lot of fear standing over chips shots for whatever reason. I mean it\u2019s something I\u2019ve never really been through in my entire career.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>DeLaet had been playing golf for 22 years and never experienced such paralyzing anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>DeLAET<\/strong>: <em>\u201cI\u2019ve been playing golf since I was 12 years old and this is kind of a strange thing, but I\u2019m working through it right now.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>DeLaet decided to work with a sport psychologist and seems to be getting back on track <strong>mentally<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>DeLAET<\/strong>: <em>\u201cI\u2019m getting better all the time and I know that it might just take one good shot under pressure to know that it\u2019s in there and kind of change that <strong>confidence<\/strong> level. The rest of my game has been really, really good and I\u2019m optimistic that I\u2019m going to turn it around.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>DeLaet is proof that athletes can learn <strong>mental<\/strong> <strong>strategies<\/strong> to cope with anxiety and <strong>perform<\/strong> <strong>confidently<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To help you overcome anxiety and fear, you can&#8217;t just do relaxation training. This is simply a band aid and does not address the real issue, which I find is often related to fear of failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Tips for managing competitive anxiety:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Underneath the tension and worry you feel is something else you might NOT be aware of, such as the fear of embarrassment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>To overcome performance anxiety:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>1. Understand what the ultimate fear is all about. Are you afraid to disappoint others, for example?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2. Challenge the rationality of your fear. What&#8217;s so important about it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>3. Learn how to embrace competition pressure rather than fear you will fail or feel disappointed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>4. Understand the reason you put in hours per week of training is to have fun and trust your skills in competition!<\/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\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Check_out_our_Video_of_The_Week\"><\/span>Check out our Video of The Week:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This week, Dr. Cohn helps parents and coaches understand the problems with trying to perform perfectly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/young-athletes-who-perform-perfectly\/\"><strong>Sports Parents Success Video 7: Athletes Who Try to be Perfect<\/strong><\/a><\/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\/coping-with-teammates-who-make-mistakes\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/overcoming-pressure-and-anxiety-in-matches\/\"><strong>Overcoming Pressure and Anxiety in Matches<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-overcome-adversity-for-athletes\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-manage-anxiety-in-competitions\/\"><strong>How to Manage Anxiety in Competitions<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/3-ways-to-quickly-rebound-from-mistakes\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-overcome-tension-and-anxiety\/\"><strong>How to Overcome Tension and Anxiety<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-5726d13f-f715-4ca4-8813-2f8a9ebd8bc3\">*Subscribe to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/sports-psychology-podcast-by-peaksports-com\/id152566009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0on iTunes<br>*Subscribe to <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0ynyaalKxbnNmsoeL8gF5X?si=8224669de9b3435b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/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_Composed_Athlete\"><\/span>The Composed 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\/2010\/03\/composed-athlete-small-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4434\" style=\"width:200px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Composed Athlete\u201d is presented on<strong> 80-minute Audio Programs<\/strong> with a <strong>70-page step-by-step workbook<\/strong> that guides you through the program each day. It\u2019s a complete system for conditioning your mind to have <strong>maximum composure in competitio<\/strong>n.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<strong>The Composed Athlete<\/strong>\u201d was developed for <strong>any level coach, parent, or junior to professional athlete<\/strong> who wants to improve performance and gain a competitive edge. It does not matter if you are a fledgling junior athlete; or a seasoned professional, plagued with distractions; or you just wanting to learn how to improve your composure\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-8fee86ee\">\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-df6f9eb5 gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-composed-athlete-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GET DETAILS<\/a>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-9e238db0 gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/collections\/the-confident-athlete-series-digital-download\/products\/the-composed-athlete-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BUY NOW<\/a>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Managing Competitive Anxiety Anxiety and worry are the biggest performance problem for young competitive athletes. Anxious athletes report the following:&#8211;\u201cI play so well in practice but mess up in games.\u201d &#8211;\u201cI\u2019m so nervous in games that I get sick to my stomach.\u201d &#8211;\u201cI become so anxious in competitions that I can\u2019t concentrate.\u201d &#8211;\u201cI always fall apart when the &#8230; <a title=\"The Roots of Performance Anxiety in Sports\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/performance-anxiety-in-sports\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about The Roots of Performance Anxiety in Sports\">Sport Psychology Article&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5900,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[142],"tags":[303,318,1050,504],"class_list":["post-5897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports-psychology-tips","tag-anxiety-in-sports","tag-confidence-in-sports","tag-1050","tag-performance-anxiety-for-athletes"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro 4.9.5.2 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Anxiety and worry are the biggest performance problem for young competitive athletes. 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