Tip of the Month - April 2021

Coach Monika Says…

Steps to Mental Toughness

Series II

Dealing with Performance Anxiety

Series II addresses performance anxiety, the most common mental challenge faced by athletes. The content of this newsletter reflects writings by Arlin Cuncic (2020), author of "Therapy in Focus: What to Expect from CBT for Social Anxiety Disorder" and "7 Weeks to Reduce Anxiety", and other sport psychology sources.

Have you ever observed that many professional athletes tend to wear their emotions on their sleeve during competition or games? They are experiencing stress because the consequences of their failure is critical. Stress occurs when an imbalance exists between demand and the person’s capacity or ability (McGrath, 1970). It tends to fluctuate based on individual differences and the environment, which is especially relevant to athletes. Stress is usually linked with negative emotions, dissatisfaction, overtraining, poor psychological health, low well-being, burnout, under-performance, and undesirable behaviour, according to Fletcher, Hanton, & Mellalieu (2006) and Tabei, Fletcher, & Goodger (2012). 

Although a certain level of physical arousal is needed to prepare athletes for competition, coordinated movement becomes increasingly difficult when the body is in a state of negative tension. Yet when physical indicators of anxiety become too great, negative thought patterns and worries of failure take over and can seriously interfere with the ability to compete, which actually results in a self-fulfilling prophecy (Refer to Curve Diagram for Ideal State of Arousal).

What is the real reason for sport performance anxiety? Being too motivated can cause arousal levels being too high resulting in poor performance while poor performance can be linked to not enough arousal or low motivation levels. On the other hand, some athletes are so ‘pumped up’ before competition that the rush of adrenaline can turn suddenly to anxiety and the ‘what if?’ doubts creating negative thoughts, leading to the inability to clear the mind and start to interfere with the ability to perform. 

Under-Arousal and Over-Arousal are Detrimental to Performance

Pressure and Stress Affect Performance

Therefore, athletes need to learn to recognize and identify what triggers their anxiety, understand their cause, learn to manage and control symptoms before and during competitions. It is critical to acquire such strategies early in order to learn to deal with the delicate relationship between anxiety and athletic performance. I have argued for a long time that mental preparation and mental strategies need to be introduced in children and youth sports early once they are able to understand the concept and are able to focus on body awareness. And, once more this reflects my previous Newsletter statements about inclusion of health and mental wellness, which has been greatly ignored by coaches in the past (Refer to December 2020 Newsletter).

Assisting Athletes When Emotions Negatively Impact Performance 

And How To Handle Performance Anxiety

• Athletes have to develop bodily awareness and become more cognizant to identify signs of distress once there is a large difference in their reaction to stress during practice when compared to actual competition. They still need some form of demand to function best, and if too high – can be detrimental to their well-being, health, and performance (Welford, 1973; Arnold, Fletcher, & Daniels, 2016).

• Coaches need to design practices and technical drill sessions under simulated stress situations so athletes can experience mental breakdowns and stressors in order to deal with these in training. 

• Team sport coaches should design practices in four parts: a) review the previous skill[s] taught and other essential fundamental skills; b) introduce new skill[s] or refine previous ones; c) play a simulated game under less restrictions and pressure; and lastly, d) play under game conditions to detect errors and/or performance flaws in training to develop coping strategies.

• Therefore, coaches should create scenarios to discuss with athletes or have athletes practice: 

• Positive Thinking and Self-talk

• Deep Breathing Exercises

• Progressive Relaxation

• Imagery

• Visualization

• Goal Setting

• Attentional Control – establishing strategies for control

• Anxiety Control – recognize/identify stressors – develop strategies for control 

Same-day Strategies for Athletes to Manage Performance Anxiety:

• Focus on the task at hand rather than the outcome 

• Stay present in the moment and avoid thinking too far into the upcoming event or thinking about the finish 

• Imagine a practice day 

• Create a pleasant scenario or occasion and smile 

• Race/Compete like you don't care about the outcome

Other Suggestions (Roberts and Valle, 2018, Johns Hopkins Medicine):

• Identify when feeling anxious 

• Acknowledge and normalize feelings of anxiety

• Make a game plan 

• Remember to breathe 

• Stay positive

References:

Arnold, R., Fletcher, D., & Daniels, K. (2016). Demographic differences in sport performers’ experiences of organizational stressors. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 26(3), 348-358.

Cuncic, A. (2020, June 1). How to handle performance anxiety as an athlete. Posted on: verywell mind.com Retrieved April 12, 2021, from https://www.verywellmind.com/how-do-i-handle-performance-anxiety-as-an-athlete-3024337. 

Fletcher, D., Hanton, S., & Mellalieu, S. D. (2006). An organizational stress review: Conceptual and theoretical issues in competitive sport. Literature Reviews in Sport Psychology, 321373.

Garrett, S. (2018, January 4). Three stress management techniques to enhance sport performance. [Infographic], Retrieved April 12, 2021, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/3-stress-management-techniques-enhance-sport-stephanie-garrett

McGrath, J. E. (1970). A conceptual formulation for research on stress. Social and psychological factors in stress, 10, 21.

Muir, I.E., & Munroe-Chandler, K. (2020). Using Infographics to promote athletes’ mental health: Recommendations for sport psychology consultants. Journal of Sport Psychology in Action, 11(3), 143-164. Published online March 16, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2021, from https://www.tandfon line.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21520704.2020.1738607

Quinn, E. (2020, July 27). Sports Psychology for performance anxiety. Posted on: verywellfit. Retrieved April 13, 2020, from https://www.verywellfit.com/sports-psychology-for-performance-anxiety-3119436

Roberts, S., & Valle, V. (2018, April 5). Five tips for overcoming sports performance anxiety. Posted Johns Hopkins Medicine Newsroom. Retrieved April 13, 20021, from https://www.hopkinsall childrens.org/ACH-News/General-News/5-Tips-for-Overcoming-Sports-Performance-Anxiety

Sport Psychology for Coaches. Coaches teach mental skills to your athletes. Retrieved April12, 2021, from https://sportpsychologyforcoaches.ca/ … Free Sign up.

Tabei, Y., Fletcher, D., & Goodger, K. (2012). The relationship between organizational stressors and athlete burnout in soccer players. Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, 6(2), 146-165.

Welford, A. T. (1973). Stress and performance. Ergonomics, 16(5), 567-580.