Almost every athlete experiences some nerves before a big competition, but some athletes, especially youth, are prone to competition anxiety, when the nerves start to negatively impact their performance. A young athlete might feel like their thoughts are racing, or their stomach feels upset, or they just can’t seem to focus. Competition anxiety is even more prevalent in athletes who participate in individual sports, such as track, dance, or archery, than those who play in team sports.

There are many reasons that athletes might experience competition anxiety, such as:

• Pressure to win
• Unrealistic expectations set by athletes themselves, coaches, parents or peers
• Trying to impress onlookers, such as parents, peers, or even college recruiters

Competition anxiety can manifest in different ways in different people, such as:

• Intense feelings of worry, fear or panic
• Physical symptoms like sweating, clammy hands, “butterflies” in the stomach, increased heart rate, shortness of breath, trembling, muscle tension or headaches
• Engaging in negative self-talk
• Difficulty concentrating or focusing on a task
• Overthinking or racing thoughts

Ways to Cope with Competition Anxiety

If your teen suffers from competition anxiety, they do not have to quit their sport! There are lots of proven ways to effectively manage it. However, it’s important to know that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. What works for one athlete may not work for another, so it’s important to encourage your teen to try different methods until they find what works best for them. Following is a list of techniques to share with your young athlete to help them calm their mind and regain focus in moments of anxiousness:

Prepare. A significant contributing factor to performance anxiety is the fear of being unprepared. Ensure you have practiced enough to feel confident during the competition. Spend extra time on practice and preparation in the days or weeks before a game or performance. Consider worst case scenarios and develop a plan B for those possibilities. Then on competition day, remind yourself that you are prepared, you’re giving your best effort, and that you’re doing the same skills you did in training, so you can feel confident in your abilities.

Listen to music. Listening to music before a competition (or even during if you have breaks between activities) can greatly relieve nerves. Many famous athletes, such as Simone Biles and LeBron James, use this technique. Hearing a beat, and repeating words or phrases you know and like, can take away the pressure and allow your mind to focus on something that feels good.

Establish a pre-competition routine. Creating a pre-competition routine that feels familiar and predictable can effectively manage nerves and help you feel prepared, both mentally and physically. It could be a specific warm-up routine that you always do, a particular song you always listen to, or a mantra you always say. Once you’ve found a routine that works, make it a habit and stick to it!

Differentiate between “playing well” and winning. Don’t focus on the outcome. Focusing on winning increases the pressure you place on yourself and puts you in a “future” mindset. Instead, “be present” by focusing on the small things you need to do that will allow you to perform your best.

Set realistic goals to improve specific skills. Having a goal other than winning at a competition can help you focus on something specific. Goals should be measurable, challenging and attainable. Vague goals such as “play well” do not offer much structure or direction.

Use “cue” statements to refocus. Develop a phrase that you can say as a means of helping you to regain your focus. A cue statement should be short, personal, and positive. One way to develop a personal cue statement is to ask the question, “If I were the best athlete I could be, how would I look and act?” For example, a short personal statement might be “strong, focused, in the game.” Athletes should repeat their cue statement to themselves frequently throughout the competition.

Rehearse in your mind. Many athletes find that visualizing themselves successfully performing or completing a certain skill contributes to an increase in confidence, and therefore a decrease in anxiety.

Stop negative self-talk. Recognize critical self-talk and the mistakes or actions that trigger negative conversations with yourself, and work to challenge those automatic negative thoughts and make them positive. When you experience a negative or unwanted thought, picture a large red stop sign in your mind’s eye. Hold this image for a few seconds then allow it to fade away along with the negative thought. Follow this with a positive self-statement such as ‘I am going to perform my best!’

Positive self-talk.  Research has found that positive self-talk can contribute to greater confidence and self-efficacy, better performance, and less anxiety. Turn all “negative” statements into positive statements. For example, if you typically think, “I don’t want to be distracted,” turn it around to a positive statement such as, “I am focused,” or if you tend to think, “I don’t want to feel anxious,” instead think, “I am calm.” Using your inner supportive voice, ask yourself ‘What feeling or thought would enhance my performance?’ and say it to yourself.

Concentrate on breathing.  Taking a deep breath, or using deep breathing exercises, before and during a competition can lower your heart rate, clear your mind, and be used as an opportunity to refocus and become present. In the middle of stressful situations or when anxiety runs high, our body tends to breathe shallowly, which results in even more anxiety. Taking a deep breath may allow you a moment to use additional strategies (positive self-talk, cue statements, goal reminders) that can also decrease anxiety. You can try box breathing, which is breathing in for a count of 5, holding the breath for a count of 5, and exhaling for a count of 5.

Reframe anxiety. Elite athletes are more likely to interpret their body’s arousal for a competition as excitement rather than anxiety. Identify the signs your body gives you during the competition and try to interpret them as positive or acceptable, reappraising those feelings as excitement or feeling energized. Ask yourself what your body would do if it was excited? What would your mind say if it was excited? Then do or say things to express excitement, as opposed to nervousness.

Practice muscle relaxation exercise. Anxiety makes our muscles tense, so try this exercise. Starting with your toes and working progressively all the way up to the top of your head, focus on each part of the body, tense the associated muscles for a count of five and then release it. 

Final Thoughts…

It can be so frustrating for a teen who works hard in a given activity to “choke” during the big competition. Help your teen manage their anxiety and improve their performance by trying the above techniques and finding the one or two that works best for them.