Competition starts in your mind.
Before entering the competitive arena, you must keep your mind focused. If you let your mind wander to the results, you will feel nervous. Your thoughts will jump from one thing to another, and your body will freeze.
You ask yourself, “What if I mess up?”
Memories of past failures creep into your mind, and you can’t push them away. Your mind becomes a thought bonfire and that fire has gone out of control.
When you notice you are feeling nervous, it is easy to think there is nothing you can do. But the truth is, you can do something about it. Beating sports performance anxiety starts with recognizing that your nerves are all in your head.
You are making yourself nervous.
You can beat nerves in competition with three simple steps. But before we dive into how to beat sports performance anxiety, you must recognize and accept that you can beat your nerves. You have that power.
If you pay attention to your nerves and perceive them as unfavorable, your thoughts start to go wild. Your thoughts begin to go out of control, each idea fueling a raging fire in your mind.
Or, you can recognize that your nerves are a sign your mind is unfocused and bring your focus back to the present action.
Step 1: Recognize When Your Mind is Unfocused
When you feel nervous before, during, and after a competition, that should signal that your mind has stopped focusing on the present action. Your brain has started to wander.
The first step in beating nerves is recognizing when you stopped focusing on the present action. Here are three things to look out for when your mind goes out of focus.
Notice When You are Thinking About the Uncontrollables
The uncontrollables are the things in competition you cannot control. These thoughts might include:
- The results
- The other competitors
- The weather
- The crowd
You need to be aware of these types of thoughts because they show that your mind has gone out of focus. When you start to think about the uncontrollables, it means you are no longer focused on what you can control.
What can you control?
You can control your breathing, your focus, and your effort. You can focus on your steps, your jumps, or the skill you need to execute right now.
Bring your mind back to your present action when your mind has wandered off.
For example, if you are shooting free throws and your mind starts to think about the last time you missed, bring your focus back to the present action. Feel the ball in your hand. Focus your attention on the feeling in your arms, and shoot.
Leave Your Goals at Home
Your goals are essential. However, they can be a source of nerves if you focus on them too much. Especially before a competition. It leads to your body tensing up, causing your performance to drop.
For example, if you are thinking about winning the game while you are playing, then you are not focused on what you need to do in the present moment.
Leave your goals at home to keep your focus on the present action. Write them down if you need to so that you can put them out of your mind until after the competition.
Consciously Focus on Yourself
If your mind starts to think about the other competitors, you are not focused on yourself. You are not focused on what you need to do.
To keep your focus on yourself, consciously focus on your muscle actions, your breathing, or your effort. And when your mind starts to think about the other competitors, bring your focus back to yourself. When you focus on yourself, you will hone in on the present action.
For example, if you are running and your mind starts to think about the other runners, focus on the rhythm of your breathing, the feeling of your arms moving, or the stride of your next step.
The goal is to be aware of when your mind is wandering. Once you are aware, you can return your focus to the current action.
Step 2: Bring Your Focus Back to the Present Action
Now that you know how to identify what thoughts can trigger your nerves, it is time to learn how to bring your focus back to the present moment.
Here are two techniques you can use to refocus your mind on the present action.
Before and After Competition, Keep Your Mind Distracted
Nerves can find a way to creep in before and after the competition. One way that you can handle nerves is to keep your mind distracted. You want to keep your brain busy, so it does not have time to wander.
Some things you can do to keep yourself distracted are:
- Listen to music
- Read
- Watch videos
- Talk with friends
The key is to find something that you enjoy and that will occupy your mind. If you can find something you are passionate about, it will be even easier to keep yourself distracted.
When Competition Starts, Focus on Your Current Action
Idle thoughts during the competition will lead to lower performance. That is why the moment competition starts, you want to focus on your current action.
For example, a runner might wake up with heavy legs. Their thoughts immediately go to the last time they felt this way before a meet where they had poor results. They must recognize when their thoughts are dwelling on the past. Then, they can take action (light stretching or a light jog) rather than dwelling on those thoughts.
It is also essential to focus on the present action when you compete. If you dwell on your past performance or what you need to do to meet your goals, you will not be focused on the present action.
Step 3: Have Fun
The final step to conquering your nerves is to have fun.
If the fun disappears, your skills disappear along with it. You need to find a way to enjoy the competition. If you are not enjoying yourself, then it will be challenging to keep your mind focused on the present action.
One way to enjoy the competition is to focus on the process, not the results. Having fun keeps you from being nervous. You worked hard to get this far. Your passion for the sport brought you here.
The reason you want to have fun is that the body is more relaxed. Relaxing helps keep you from being nervous. Relaxing also helps you perform better.
You will feel immersed in the activity. There is a direct effect. Your thoughts affect your body, which affects your performance. If you can enjoy the competition, you will find that your performance will improve.
Conquer Your Sports Performance Anxiety
Conquering your nerves is not an easy task. It takes time and practice to master. But if you can keep your mind focused on the present moment, you will be able to conquer your nerves and improve your sports performance.
If you or your child feels performance anxiety in sports, click the button below to schedule a complimentary strategy call with Coach Pomai.