| Do You Get Anxious? |
Before competition, a player’s worrying can lead to poor performance
By Charles Hardy and R. Kelly Crace
Imagine that it is the night before a competition. You begin to worry about how well you will perform. You may find that your worrying begins to “feed” on itself, creating further areas of concern that you had not considered earlier. Your expectations about your performance, enjoyment and the outcome start to look bleak. This is an example of precompetitive anxiety (PCA), one of the most debilitating variables in sport performance.
Precompetitive anxiety is a state of arousal that is unpleasant or negative and occurs during the 24-hour span prior to competition. The worry that is associated with PCA is not just experienced in the head, but in the entire body. The body provides numerous cues, such as muscle tension, butterflies, desire to urinate and “cotton mouth,” that suggest that we are out of control. Thoughts become self-focused, self-defeating and negative. Most will have a combination of these responses during the precompetitive period. However, the degree to which they influence performance is largely dependent upon the interaction of each player’s own uniqueness and the competitive situation.
Meeting the challenge
Precompetitive anxiety results from an imbalance between perceived capabilities and the demands of the sport environment. When the perceived demands are balanced by the perceived capabilities, the player experiences optimal arousal, often referred to as the “flow” state. In this state, everything appears to go smoothly, almost effortlessly. However, if perceived capabilities exceed the sport’s challenge, arousal will decrease, resulting in boredom or lack of motivation. If the opposite occurs (perceived challenges exceed capabilities), over-arousal occurs, resulting in worry and anxiety. As you can see, then, PCA results when skills and abilities are not perceived as equivalent to the sport challenge.
Research by Walter Kroll has demonstrated that at least five factors underlie PCA:
1. Physical complaints — digestive disturbances, shaking and yawning;
2. Fear of failure — losing, “choking,” living up to expectations and making mistakes;
3. Feelings of inadequacy — unprepared, poor conditioning, low skill ability and feelings that something is wrong;
4. Loss of control — being jinxed, bad luck, poor officiating and inclement weather; and
5. Guilt — concerns about hurting an opponent, playing dirty and cheating.
Whether or not you experience PCA in these areas is dependent upon several factors, such as skill level, experience and your general level of arousal in daily activities.
Effects on performance
There are two primary ways that PCA can affect performance. First, a high state of physical arousal may be counterproductive to a particular sport’s activity. For sports requiring endurance, power or both, PCA can be draining on an athlete’s energy level. In sports where calmness is critical (e.g., golf, archery, free-throw shooting), PCA can significantly interfere with the ability to stay calm. A high state of physical arousal also can interfere with sports requiring a channeling of power. Effective performances in these sports require some muscles to be tense and others relaxed to effectively transfer their power. The increased tension that accompanies PCA usually interferes with this channeling. Examples of such sports include hitting a baseball, karate and field events such as javelin, discus and shotput.
Second, research has demonstrated that anxiety can significantly interfere with the ability to think clearly. When a player is anxious, thoughts generally turn inward to focus on his or herself, which may result in inappropriate focusing of attention. Actions that were once automatic require constant thought, which further interferes with the ability to adjust and make quick, on-the-spot decisions. In addition, these thoughts may be negative and result in preoccupation with what the athlete doesn’t do rather than what he or she can do.
Does nervousness always lead to bad performance? Definitely not. Whenever someone anticipates an event that is important to that person, it is normal to feel some nervousness. In fact, this is a sign of readiness. This type of readiness is known as positive arousal and usually refers to many of the physical cues the athlete experiences. Elite athletes channel this energy to work for them rather than against them. Answers to the following questions may help distinguish between positive arousal and negative anxiety:
• How much does my sport require me to be “pumped” as I enter the competition? Some sports may require a higher state of arousal (i.e. weightlifting) than others (i.e. golf);
• Do I often have thoughts of self-doubt about my ability?
• Do I often have thoughts about factors that are beyond my control?
Answering yes to the last two questions is an indication that the athlete is moving from positive arousal to negative anxiety. If the athlete finds he or she is nervous but still confident in his or her ability, that is a sign of readiness. However, worrying about the ability to perform at levels that the athlete normally is able to perform with ease, or worrying about factors over which the athlete has no control may interfere with the ability to enter a competition mentally ready.
Recommendations for athletes
• Become more aware of your optimal level of arousal.
Think of the times when you felt ready going into a competition and it worked for you. Think of other times when you were anxious and it interfered with your performance. Being as specific as possible, write down the differences between these times based on three questions:
1) What thoughts made you feel ready and what thoughts made you anxious?
2) What feelings did you experience when you were ready versus when you were anxious?
3) What were the differences in your behavior between these times?
This enables the athlete to look for patterns that may help him or her become more aware of their best mental preparation method for a competition. Examples of when the athlete is anxious may include thinking about whether he or she had prepared enough for the competition, exaggerating the skill of the opponent or exaggerating the importance of the competition’s outcome.
Feelings may have been an overly high sense of arousal that led the athlete to emotionally “avoid” the competition rather than “move toward” it. The athlete may have found that, behaviorally, he or she was more anxious when around others rather than alone.
The important point is to start understanding the factors that tend to take the athlete too far. A good rule of thumb is to notice when the athlete begins to focus intently on the competition and becomes excited about its approach. This is a good indication that the athlete is reaching the optimal level. If self-doubt occurs and the athlete is having trouble putting it aside, crossing into the “anxiety zone” is likely. The following recommendations may help during those times:
• Focus on things that are within the athlete’s control.
One of the major sources of anxiety is worrying about factors that are beyond the athlete’s control. Thoughts become preoccupied with a series of “what ifs.” An excellent method of counterbalancing this attitude is to become performance-oriented. Here the focus is on the one thing that is most in the athlete’s control — his or her own performance. Performance-oriented athletes are more satisfied with a loss in which they played their best rather than a victory where they played poorly. Conversely, being outcome-oriented means the athlete is concerned with one thing — the win. It doesn’t matter how you get there, as long as you have the big “W.”
We are certainly not trying to suggest that winning is not important. Of course it is — we all enjoy the thrill of winning. However, by placing the highest importance on the outcome, think of the added pressure the athlete is placing on him or herself. We should hasten to add that it is unnecessary pressure. So many other factors beyond the athlete’s control play into the outcome of the contest (i.e. the opponent’s ability, the location of the contest, the condition of the facilities, weather).
Most anxiety lies in the fear of the unknown. This fear can be reduced by pulling in the ranks to focus on what is truly within our control. Actually, being more performance-oriented is likely to increase the chances of winning. The competition is being approached with a focus on what the athlete can do and what needs to be done to perform to his or her best.
In addition, as the concentration is placed on performance in the pre-competition period, it is usually best to concentrate on the athlete’s strengths. Focus on what the athlete can do, not what he or she can’t do. Practice is the time to focus on weaknesses and working to improve them. The competition is the time to capitalize on strengths and improved areas. Therefore, focus intently on these areas.
If the athlete feels his or her arousal level getting too high, he or she should take a moment to regroup and say “okay, I’m going to show them what I can do and not worry about what I can’t do. I’m going to give 100 percent of the potential I have today.” The bottom line is to learn to focus on doing the best the athlete can with the skills, talents and tools available at that moment, and view any positive outcome as a bonus. If the athlete does well, he or she should take the time to focus on how that makes them feel. A victory makes the performance that much sweeter.
• Use “performance cues” to develop or retrain arousal level.
It is important to realize that mental training develops skills much the same way physical training does. When first learning a new level of a sport, the athlete must think about every little movement. As these new skills are practiced, they become more habitual. The same is true for mental skills. An athlete’s typical arousal level has been developed over time and may have become habitual. To retrain the arousal level, the athlete simply must learn new mental routines and practice them until they become automatic. In sport, however, athletes may need to do this quickly, rather than constantly rehearse long statements to themselves.
One helpful exercise is for the athlete to reflect on how he or she wants to play given his or her present skill level. The desired performance may be a recollection of a past accomplishment or an image of a future performance. Once a clear image of a desired performance is identified, it should be labeled with a representative cue word, statement or symbol. When doing this, the athlete may choose to use a general cue that reflects the overall performance or a cue that reflects a more specific part of the performance. The cue also may incorporate something that reminds the athlete of a performance at the desired level. Experimenting with all three types of cues, separately or in combination, helps determine which works best for each individual.
The most important thing to remember is that this label must immediately recall the image of a performance that the athlete wants to create. An example is a rower who used the cue “cougar” to represent explosive speed as a way of preparing for a sprint race, and “swan” to represent long, smooth rowing strokes as a way of preparing for a middle-distance race.
The next step is incorporating this performance cue into pre-game preparations. Reflect on the cue as a method of motivation. It also can be used to reduce arousal levels if the athlete starts experiencing anxiety. If anxiety is noted, the athlete should take a deep breath, relax and repeat the cue, trying to focus fully on what it represents. This will help bring the athlete back to performance-oriented thoughts that will properly prepare him or her for the competition. With practice and repetition, these thoughts become more habitual and capable of controlling the arousal level.
The same principle often is utilized with music tapes. Many athletes have a favorite song that has the effect of psyching them up and another song that relaxes them. During the pre-competitive period, they will listen to one or both of the songs at times when they want to modify their arousal levels. They in essence have found a performance cue that induces a feeling that they are trying to achieve. The important thing is to find what is right for each individual. It may take some trial and error, but it will eventually result in approaching a competition in a manner that will allow the athlete to enjoy the sport at its optimal level.
What coaches can do
• Become aware of their own arousal levels and how they interact with the athletes and other coaches.
It is important to spend time reflecting on your own arousal levels as a way of understanding how they impact your effectiveness in coaching and your impact on others’ performances. Applying the recommendations for athletes to your coaching performance can help you understand and develop your optimal arousal level, as well as deal with PCA.
• Understand your athletes, individually, as to how they react during the precompetitive period.
Recognize those athletes who usually are under-aroused and those who usually are over-aroused for the demands of your sport. The under-aroused athletes may be those who typically take a while to find their groove and appear sluggish during the early parts of the competition. The over-aroused athletes, on the other hand, can be detected most often by being strong “practice players.” These are athletes who do great in practice but have trouble realizing their potential in competition. Performances during competition are a regression for them rather than a progression.
• Allow time for athletes to individually prepare themselves mentally for the competition.
Research has demonstrated that the famous “win one for the Gipper” pep talks are relatively short-lived in their effectiveness. During pre-game preparation, it may be helpful to bring the team together to review and discuss strategy. Following this meeting, individuals should be allowed some time on their own to prepare for the game in a way that is most effective for them. Do not underestimate the power of this gesture. Many athletes are concerned about how they present themselves to their coach. If they have tapped into how you would like your athletes to prepare, they most likely will present that image to you. However, this may be totally opposite of what they need.
Conveying the message that you respect their methods of preparation frees them to devote time to it. Some athletes may want to be by themselves, some may want to be with others to discuss the game, while others may want to be with teammates for humorous small talk as a way to reduce anxiety. Allow them to go through trial and error to find out what is best for them. Following this individual time, bring them back together and summarize the team goals you hope to accomplish. Don’t forget, incorporating individual time for the coaches is equally important to their preparation.
• Foster a performance-oriented attitude in your athletes.
As explained before, athletes need to focus on what they can control. So many factors beyond their control play a part in whether they win. Placing a high priority on the outcome results in unnecessary pressure and extra factors that athletes worry about. Unfortunately, a coach’s livelihood is dependent upon outcome. Job stability and opportunity for professional advancement usually hinge on the win-loss record.
As stated before, we are not implying that winning is unimportant. We are stating, however, that placing winning as the top priority can have negative effects on an athlete’s mental preparation and subsequent performance. Remember, your greatest chance for a positive outcome is to have each athlete play at his or her potential. This can best be achieved by having your athletes focus on what they can control — their performance. One of the greatest lessons a coach can teach is helping athletes appreciate the importance of gauging success by how well they perform against their own potential rather than the standards of others.
• Be specific with your suggestions to help athletes with PCA.
It is easy to create a situation where an athlete struggling with PCA starts to “worry about worrying.” Keep helpful suggestions specific to the actions that the athlete finds troublesome rather than identifying or characterizing the athlete by the weakness he or she demonstrates. If the athlete begins to view him or herself as a “choker,” a self-fulfilling prophesy is created that ensures further PCA. A coach can be extremely helpful in showing the athlete that it is only one part of his or her game and can be viewed as a challenge for improvement rather than a permanent birthmark.
• As time allows, try to schedule periodic individual meetings that focus on the issue of mental training.
Once again, don’t underestimate the power of this gesture. You are letting them know that their mental training is important and you are there to help them in that regard. Most importantly, it breaks down the barrier that athletes may feel to always present themselves as mentally tough 100 percent of the time. Such meetings may remove concern athletes may have about being an imposter around you, constantly rearing concerns about what will happen “if coach finds out what I’m really like.” Let them know that dedicating time to their weaknesses as well as strengths will not jeopardize their position, but contribute to their potential as an athlete.
Editor’s note: This article was published in 1989 in the Sport Psychology Training Bulletin and was the joint effort of Dr. Charles J. Hardy and R. Kelly Crace. It originally appeared in the November-December 2002 issue of Soccer Journal.
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