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Feature
Mental Game Article
Conquering
Pre-Competition Jitters
By Patrick J. Cohn, Ph.D.
I receive several
questions each week from athletes who want to learn how to cope
better with pre-competition jitters or pre-event anxiety. I
thought this would be a good topic for this month’s newsletter
as pregame jitters apply to all sports and all levels of performance.
What are
pre-competiton jitters? Jitters are feelings of excitement or
butterflies in your stomach prior to the start of competition.
But not all athletes experience jitters in the same way. Why?
Two types of pre-competition jitters exist – positive
and negative jitters. The first is the friendly kind of jitters
characterized by excitement and anticipation, all good stuff.
This is typically a feeling of positive anticipation at the
start of competition.
With the
good jitters, you feel excited and ready to get the game going;
you want to play right away. This positive type of jitters can
help you perform better by helping you heighten your focus.
You feel ready, adrenalin is flowing, and your focus becomes
more acute. The pros often experience pregame jitters and interpret
them as a necessary part of sports.
The second
kind of jitters, negative jitters, is the type that makes you
have a sinking feeling in the pit of your gut. You have butterflies,
but feel like throwing up. Your mind races, heart rate accelerates,
palms sweat, muscles tighten, blood pressure increases, and
you get an uncomfortable feeling in your stomach.
Negative
thoughts or worry races through your mind as you worry about
embarrassing yourself, not performing up to your ability, or
feel intimidated by the competition.
When you
feel anxious jitters, your performance suffers because it makes
you physically tense and cripples the ability to focus. When
an athlete experiences anxious jitters, he or she become even
more worried that something is wrong mentally and physically,
which then turns into a bigger distraction and more anxiety.
You actually
want to embrace the first kind of jitters because they will
help you focus and give you the energy to perform your best.
Pros want to feel the friendly jitters because they know this
is a positive sign that they are ready for competition. If you
get the second kind of jitters, this can be hazardous to your
performance and you need to learn how to cope better if this
sounds like you.
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What is
the solution to the negative or harmful jitters? The first step
is to discover what the real fear that is holding you back.
What are you anxious about? Here are some likely options:
-
Fear of embarrassment - don’t want to look stupid in
front of others.
-
Fear of performing poorly - don’t want to get off to
a bad start.
-
Fear of losing the match - afraid to lose the game to a rival.
-
Fear of not playing up to your own expectations - afraid of
not achieving your capabilities.
-
Fear of not being respected - worry about how others will
perceive you as a person and athlete.
As you can
tell from the list above, many fears come from worry about your
level of performance and what other people may think about your
game. Sometimes these fears are irrational and not based on
reality. Sometimes they are based on past experience and how
you felt after a lose.
The first
step is to do a reality check with your own fears. What’s
the worst thing that can happen if you get off to a poor start
to the game or match? No one is going to judge you on how you
perform on the athletic field, but it feels like that for many
athletes.
Try putting
your fears aside and focus on something more pleasant. Keep
your mind distracted from unpleasant feelings you have because
if you give them energy, you will most likely feel more anxious.
Relax and talk with you teammates or playing buddies before
competition. Try to stay light and not so serious about the
day.
Second,
know that pre-competition nerves are part of sports and that
all athletes get them. You must interpret them as helpful and
useful to getting you focused for the game with a shot of much
needed adrenaline. This is how the pros look at jitters.
Focusing
too much on the uncomfortable feelings only heightens the tension.
Don’t bring more attention to the knot in your stomach
or a rapid heart beat when you feel the unfriendly jitters.
Shift your attention to your game plan and how you want to play
the first set, hole, or opening minutes of the game.
Try to relax
and talk with your teammates or playing partners. Some players
work themselves into a state of anxiety as they stand around
and worry about results before the game even starts! Keep your
mind occupied with relevant thoughts in the present moment.
Lastly,
keep your mind focused on execution, instead of results. You
cannot win the game in warm ups or in the opening minutes of
the game. Ask yourself, “What do I need to do to perform
my best today?” Think about what you have to do to be
successful instead or worrying about mistakes or embarrassment.
Worrying about mistakes will only increase your anxiety.
When it
is time to play, don’t rush, slow down. Above all else,
take your time during your warm up or pregame routine and think
confidently! You don’t want to just go through the motions
physically. This is a good time to give yourself a pep talk
with statements of confidence and composure, such as “I
know how to play this game, trust your practice to get the job
done today!”
If you want
gobs of confidence oozing from your head for pregame, I suggest
you snag a copy of The
Confident Athlete: A 14-Day Plan for Ultimate Self-Confidence
today and see how much confidence you can cram into your brain.
Sports
Specific Mental Training Tip
Gordon’s
Single-Minded Focus in Racing
You have
several competing distractions that want to grab your attention
when you perform in competition. Distractions can come from
many places including fans, coaches on the sidelines, schoolwork,
or issues in life you bring into sports when you compete.
However,
the most difficult distractions to cope with start on the inside
of your own mind and are triggered by your own thoughts and
not external events. I call these internal distractions because
they start on the inside of your mind, such as when you can’t
stop thinking about term papers or assignments at work.
In sports
such as auto racing, skiing, and motocross you have to be focused
almost 100% during the race. If your mind wanders for a moment,
you will not perform your best and there is a potential for
major injury.
Jeff Gordon
uses a single-minded approach to his racing to help him stay
focused. He knows that in racing you can only focus on the car,
track, and other racers on the track and everything else is
just a distraction to doing his job.
“Once
I get focused on something that’s the only thing I focus
on. That can be good or bad in life, but in racing it’s
typically pretty good.”
~Jeff Gordon, NASCAR Driver
How do you
get a pinpoint focus for racing? You first have to determine
what is important for you to focus on. Sounds simple, but this
is the reality. You must draw a mental line in the sand between
what performance cues will help you perform your best in the
present moment and what thoughts or distractions cause you to
get sidetracked.
Once you
know the important performance cues think about in racing, such
as your lines, then your task is to become immersed into these
cues. I know, easier said then done, but you have to train yourself
to have a single-minded focus on what helps you go fast.
If you want
a step-by-step program on how to get a single-minded focus,
jump on over to peaksports.com and get our latest CD and workbook
program,
The Focused Athlete now.
Podcast
of the Month
Get Psyched for Sports
- Podcast of the Month!
Learn how to perform beyond your comfort zone
in sports. The best athletes in the world do not limit themselves
with comfort zones. Learn how to perform your best when you get
the lead or your team is winning in this month's podcast. Show
me the Podcast of the Month!
Pro
Athlete Quote of the Month
"Before
you step onto the mat you have to be able to relax even before
you compete. Many people get very anxious and nervous and jittery
so already their heart is beating very fast. The anxiety causes
you to be tired. Maybe five minutes before you actually fight
you need to sit down, relax, control your breathing before you
get onto the mat."
~ Jim Pedro U.S.A. World Judo Champion
Ask
Doc Cohn
Basketball
Player:
My sport is basketball and I really have a problem of just playing
freely in games. I think it is because the coach is very intimidating
to me. He is one that gets frustrated easily and it is hard
to focus because of that. I usually am very afraid of failure
in this situation. I don't take many shots because I am afraid
to miss. I am afraid to drive because I don't want to turn the
ball over. Help! How can I get beyond this issue?
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Most
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The Focused Athlete:
A 14-Day Plan for Superior Concentration
If you're an athlete who is frequently distracted,
loses focus in competition, or wants to learn more about how
to focus better under pressure, check out "The Focused
Athlete." Part of The Confident Athlete Series,
Dr. Cohn shares all his focusing strategies in "The
Focused Athlete." Immeditely download two special bonuses
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Dr.
Patrick J. Cohn
Master Mental Game Coach
Dr.
Patrick J. Cohn is the President and founder of Peak Performance
Sports of Orlando, Florida. He earned his Ph.D. in Education from
the University of Virginia in 1991, and founded Peak Performance
Sports in 1994. Dr. Cohn is an author, speaker and one of the
nation's leading mental game experts. His coaching programs instill
confidence, composure and effective mental strategies that enable
athletes and teams to reach their performance goals. Dr. Cohn
has helped athletes from a variety of sports backgrounds (both
amateurs and professionals) identify and develop the mindset needed
to achieve peak performance. World-class golfers, runners, shooters
and auto racers, as well as motocross, tennis, baseball, softball,
football and hockey players, are among those who have benefited
from his mental game coaching and training.
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