Performance Anxiety

Learn how sports psychology professionals are helping people overcome performance anxiety...

Differences in physical ability among professional and elite athletes, such as Olympians, are narrow. Once these athletes reach an elite level, it's not the physical game that wins a game or match, according to sports psychologists, but the mental game, and performance anxiety is a major hurdle that all top athletes cross at some point in their careers.

performance anxiety

All athletes experience some form of anxiety (see Anxiety) before a match, in fact at optimal levels, anxiety enhances performance. When athletes begin to fear the rush of adrenaline and arousal levels as negative, however, the consequences of anxiety become detrimental.

Sports psychologists use a number of techniques and interventions to teach athletes psychological skills that address anxiety. According to a study reported in "Athletic Insight," a sports psychology journal, 80% of Olympic sports consultants during the years 1960 to 1994 used a number of "mental plans" to treat pre-performance anxiety.

These plans included breathing techniques, focusing, behavior modification, cognitive restructuring, positive self-talk, imagery, goal setting, and arousal regulation.

Since that Olympic study, researchers in the field have conducted numerous studies to determine which interventions are the most effective for the largest number of athletes. While different types of sports and sporting events are often suited to one technique over another - such as breathing techniques in golf or archery - many sports psychology experts believe that positive self-talk reaches across most sporting disciplines.

A study of rugby union players as reported in the 2006 Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, showed that the elite athletes, or those playing on a professional level, used the techniques of self-talk and imagery the most to reduce anxiety levels. Nonelite rugby union players, or those less skilled, tended to use relaxation techniques more.

The elite rugby players, a full contact team sport originating in England, also reported that the rush of anxious feelings and accompanying symptoms actually facilitated or helped their performance.

Writing in Selfhelp Magazine, Joe Kolezynski, who holds an MBA in Finance, an MA in Sports Counseling, and Ph.D in Sports Psychology, stated that psychologists and neuroscientists predict that people carry on an ongoing internal dialogue, or self-talk, of between 150 and 300 words a minute - or between 45,000 and 51,000 thoughts a day.

Most of this internal dialogue is harmless, such as what time practice starts, for example. The danger comes from dialogue that turns negative, replaying thoughts such as "I am not good enough to compete," or "this swimmer is much faster than me," or "I can't make short putts."

Negative self-talk becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, according to Kolezynski, who serves as Sports Psychologist for the UCSD Golf Team, and is on the faculty of the San Diego Golf Academy, and San Diego University for Integrated Studies.

These negative thoughts become beliefs, which then become part of the athlete's neural pathways. In the article, Kolezynski advises athletes to change these negative beliefs to positive ones by using positive affirmations, such as "I am a top performing athlete," or "I am fast, quick and agile."

Sports psychologists now recommend using self-talk during practice as well as before a game, match, or competition. It also has become a tool used by many in the 24-hours leading up to the competition. And psychologists also train athletes to recognize negative thoughts during the event, and turn those thoughts positive, breaking a dangerous cycle of self-defeating attitudes and beliefs.

Also essential, sports psychologists state that athletes must interpret the rush of adrenaline they feel before competition as beneficial, and not something to fear. When athletes feel this arousal, positive affirmations or self-talk automatically kicks in, and instead of fearing what comes next, the athlete begins to reach an optimal level of excitement, feeling "pumped up", or "psyched."

Sports of all types are popular worldwide, drawing in people from all economic classes and cultures, and increasing numbers of elite athletes are now part of this great international pastime. As talent increases among all performers, it has become clear that what separates the truly exceptional from the great is the mental game, and the ability to control competitive or performance anxiety.

The field of sports psychology requires individuals to have at least master's degree in sports psychology to become consultants. However, many positions of greater automony may require a PhD in sports psychology or a related psychology field. Request information from schools offering sports psychology degrees to enter this challenging and rewarding field.