ENZYK Blog 19
Overcoming Performance Anxiety: Strategies for Athletes
Pressure can make or break an athlete—but mental strength can help you overcome it.
No matter how well you train, performance anxiety can affect even the most experienced athletes. The pressure to perform, the fear of failure, and the spotlight of competition can lead to nervousness, self-doubt, and decreased performance. But with the right strategies, you can train your mind to stay calm, confident, and focused when it matters most.
In this post, we’ll explore how athletes from various sports overcome performance anxiety, share practical tips for staying calm under pressure, and provide a DIY guide to managing anxiety during competition.
What Is Performance Anxiety?
Performance anxiety occurs when athletes feel excessive worry or fear about their performance in competition. This anxiety can cause physical symptoms (like increased heart rate, muscle tension, and shortness of breath) as well as mental symptoms (such as self-doubt, negative thoughts, or lack of focus).
Here’s why overcoming performance anxiety is important:
Focus: Anxiety can distract you from the game plan, making it harder to stay focused on your performance.
Confidence: Overcoming anxiety helps you trust your abilities and perform with confidence.
Consistency: By managing anxiety, you can perform at your best in any competition, regardless of the pressure.
How Athletes Overcome Performance Anxiety
Let’s take a look at how elite athletes from different sports deal with performance anxiety and use it to fuel their success.
1. Team Sports: Football and Soccer
Athlete Example: Lionel Messi (Soccer)
Despite being one of the greatest soccer players of all time, Lionel Messi has spoken about the pressure and anxiety he’s felt throughout his career. Messi learned to channel his anxiety into focus and preparation, knowing that trusting his training and preparation would help him perform when it mattered most.
Strategy: Focus on preparation. One of the best ways to overcome anxiety is to focus on what you can control—your preparation. Before a game or competition, remind yourself that you’ve put in the work and are ready for the challenge.
2. Endurance Sports: Marathon Running and Triathlons
Athlete Example: Meb Keflezighi (Marathon Running)
Olympic marathoner Meb Keflezighi has talked about how he uses positive visualization to overcome anxiety before races. Meb visualizes himself running smoothly, staying calm, and pushing through challenges to cross the finish line. This mental preparation helps him stay focused, confident, and calm during races.
Strategy: Use visualization. Before your next competition, close your eyes and picture yourself performing at your best. Visualize yourself staying calm under pressure, executing your game plan, and succeeding. This positive mental rehearsal helps calm your nerves and boosts your confidence.
3. Strength Sports: Powerlifting and Olympic Weightlifting
Athlete Example: Sarah Robles (Olympic Weightlifting)
Olympic bronze medalist Sarah Robles has shared how she deals with the intense pressure of competition by controlling her self-talk. When negative thoughts or self-doubt creep in, Robles replaces them with positive affirmations like “I’m strong enough,” and “I’ve trained for this.” This helps her maintain her mental toughness during high-stakes lifts.
Strategy: Practice positive self-talk. When you start to feel anxious or doubt yourself, replace negative thoughts with positive affirmations. Remind yourself of your strengths and all the hard work you’ve put in to prepare. This will help build your confidence and keep anxiety at bay.
4. Speed Sports: Track and Field
Athlete Example: Allyson Felix (Track and Field)
Olympic sprinter Allyson Felix uses a combination of deep breathing and focus on the present moment to manage pre-race anxiety. By focusing on her breathing and staying grounded in the present, Felix calms her nerves and stays focused on executing her race plan, rather than worrying about the outcome.
Strategy: Use deep breathing to calm your nerves. Before competition, take a few moments to focus on slow, deep breaths. Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, and exhale for 4 seconds. This simple exercise reduces anxiety and helps you regain control of your focus.
5. Combat Sports: MMA and Wrestling
Athlete Example: Ronda Rousey (MMA)
Former UFC champion Ronda Rousey dealt with performance anxiety by focusing on the process rather than the outcome. Instead of worrying about winning or losing, Rousey focused on executing her game plan and trusting her preparation. This mindset helped her stay calm under pressure and perform at her best in the octagon.
Strategy: Focus on the process, not the outcome. When anxiety creeps in, shift your focus away from the result and onto the steps you need to take to perform well. Focus on executing your technique, following your strategy, and staying calm. This helps reduce the pressure of the outcome.
DIY: Overcoming Performance Anxiety in Competition
Here’s a DIY guide to overcoming performance anxiety before your next competition. Use these strategies to stay calm, focused, and confident.
Deep Breathing (1-2 minutes)
Find a quiet space and take slow, deep breaths. Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, and exhale for 4 seconds. Repeat for 1-2 minutes to calm your nerves and lower your heart rate.
Visualization (2-3 minutes)
Close your eyes and picture yourself performing at your best. Visualize the competition, your surroundings, and how you’ll feel as you succeed. Imagine yourself staying calm, confident, and in control throughout the event.
Positive Self-Talk (1-2 minutes)
Use positive affirmations to boost your confidence and counteract any negative thoughts. Say things like “I’m ready,” “I’m strong,” and “I’ve trained for this.” Repeat these phrases to yourself until you feel more focused and confident.
Focus on the Present (2 minutes)
Shift your attention to the present moment. Focus on your breath, your body, and the task at hand. Let go of worries about the outcome, and concentrate on executing your skills to the best of your ability.
Common Mistakes Athletes Make When Dealing with Anxiety
Even the most experienced athletes can struggle with performance anxiety. Here are some common mistakes to avoid:
Focusing on the Outcome: Worrying about winning or losing can increase anxiety. Instead, focus on the process—what you need to do in the moment to perform well.
Ignoring Anxiety: Pretending that anxiety isn’t there won’t make it go away. Acknowledge your nerves, then use strategies like deep breathing and visualization to manage them.
Comparing Yourself to Others: Focus on your own performance, not how others are doing. Comparing yourself to other athletes can create unnecessary pressure and make anxiety worse.
How Athletes Across Sports Overcome Performance Anxiety
Here’s how athletes in different sports deal with performance anxiety:
Soccer players like Lionel Messi focus on their preparation, reminding themselves that they’ve done the work and are ready for the challenge.
Marathon runners like Meb Keflezighi use visualization to mentally rehearse their race and stay calm under pressure.
Weightlifters like Sarah Robles use positive self-talk to replace negative thoughts with empowering affirmations.
Sprinters like Allyson Felix rely on deep breathing exercises to stay grounded and focused before competition.
MMA fighters like Ronda Rousey focus on the process rather than the outcome, allowing them to stay calm and perform their best in high-pressure situations.
Final Thoughts: Mastering Performance Anxiety in Sports
Performance anxiety is a challenge that every athlete faces, but it doesn’t have to hold you back. By using strategies like deep breathing, visualization, positive self-talk, and focusing on the process, you can calm your nerves, stay focused, and perform at your best. With practice, you’ll learn to use anxiety as fuel for success, rather than letting it undermine your confidence.
Bonus Tip: Try a 7-day mental preparation challenge. For the next week, practice the DIY routine before each practice or competition. Track how you feel before and after each session, and notice how much calmer and more focused you become!
