Does Your Teen Athlete Have Anxiety? How Can Sports Performance Training Help?

• May 1, 2024

Is your kid getting sweaty palms the night before the game?

Well, some kids love sports and thrive under pressure. Others experience a whirl of negative thinking, fear of failure, and an overwhelming need to win. Sports can often make kids feel anxious, but if the instances of headaches, trembling, a racing heart, and vomiting persist, your young athlete might be dealing with sports performance anxiety.

In this comprehensive blog, we will explore how guided training, like sports performance training, can help improve signs of performance anxiety during sports.  

What is Sports Performance Anxiety

Anxiety is characterized by intense, overwhelming, and enduring fear and worry about commonplace events. However, SPA happens when a person is too scared, apprehensive, or anxious to compete freely. The individual frequently experiences illogical embarrassment or anxiety over playing poorly or losing the match. Fear of failure is a significant contributing factor to SPA.

“I am terrible at this sport,” “I can’t play under this pressure,” “I am a terrible teammate,” or “I hurt my team more than I help” are among the thoughts that children with SPA frequently have in their minds. Their confidence might be destroyed by this negative self-talk, which can also hinder their ability to perform in the sport. Specialized training, such as sports performance training can help cope with sports performance training.

Physical symptoms of sports anxiety

Sports anxiety can significantly impact athletes’ performance, both physically and emotionally. When athletes experience anxiety before or during competitions, they may exhibit a range of physical and emotional symptoms that can hinder their ability to perform at their best.

Understanding the physical and emotional symptoms of sports anxiety is essential for athletes, coaches, and sports psychologists to manage and mitigate its impact on performance effectively.

1. Tremors: Athletes experiencing sports anxiety may notice trembling or shaking in their limbs, affecting their fine motor skills and coordination during competition. Tremors are often a result of increased adrenaline levels and heightened physiological arousal in response to stress.  
2. Hyperventilation: Rapid, shallow breathing or hyperventilation is a common physical symptom of sports anxiety. This breathing pattern can lead to dizziness, lightheadedness, and decreased oxygen delivery to the brain and muscles, impairing athletes’ performance and cognitive function.  
3. Strong Urge to Visit the Bathroom: The stress and nervousness associated with sports anxiety can stimulate the body’s “fight or flight” response, leading to increased activity in the gastrointestinal system and a sudden urge to urinate or defecate. This urge can be distracting and disruptive to athletes’ focus and preparation.  
4. Racing Heart: A racing heart or palpitations are typical physiological responses to stress and anxiety. Increased heart rate helps prepare the body for physical exertion, but excessive arousal can hinder athletes’ ability to regulate their heart rate and maintain optimal performance levels.  
5. Muscle Tension: Sports anxiety can cause muscle tension and stiffness, particularly in the neck, shoulders, and jaw. This tension can impair athletes’ range of motion, coordination, and flexibility, affecting their technique and execution of skills during the competition.

In addition to these physical symptoms, athletes may also experience a range of emotional manifestations of sports anxiety:

1. Low Self-Confidence: Athletes may doubt their abilities or fear not meeting their own or others’ expectations, leading to diminished self-confidence and self-belief.  
2. Disrupted Focus: Anxiety can cause athletes to become easily distracted or lose concentration during competitions, resulting in lapses in attention, poor decision-making, and decreased awareness of their surroundings.  
3. Intense Fear of Failure: The prospect of failure or making mistakes can elicit intense fear and anxiety in athletes, leading to a preoccupation with negative outcomes and a reluctance to take risks or assert themselves on the field.  
4. Overthinking: Athletes experiencing sports anxiety may engage in excessive rumination or overanalysis of their performance, constantly second-guessing their decisions and actions and becoming trapped in a cycle of negative thinking and self-doubt.

Recognizing and addressing these physical and emotional symptoms is crucial for athletes and their support teams to manage sports anxiety and optimize performance effectively.

Causes of sports anxiety

Sports performance anxiety, also known as “competitive anxiety,” can be caused by various factors, including:

1. High Expectations: Athletes may set high expectations for themselves based on past performances, personal goals, or external pressure. The pressure to meet or exceed these expectations can contribute to feelings of anxiety and stress.
2. Perceived Judgment: Athletes may worry about being judged by others, including coaches, teammates, opponents, and spectators. Concerns about criticism or disapproval can increase anxiety levels, especially during high-stakes competitions.
3. Lack of Confidence: Low self-confidence or self-doubt can undermine an athlete’s belief in their abilities, leading to anxiety about their performance. This lack of confidence may stem from past failures, negative feedback, or comparisons with others.
4. Overthinking: Overanalyzing performance, dwelling on mistakes, or worrying about potential outcomes can increase anxiety levels before and during competitions. This tendency to overthink can distract athletes from focusing on the task and negatively impact their performance.
5. Physical Symptoms: The physiological arousal of sports performance, such as increased heart rate, sweating, and muscle tension, can mimic anxiety symptoms. Athletes may misinterpret these physical sensations as signs of anxiety, further exacerbating their feelings of nervousness.
6. Environmental Factors: Factors such as the competitiveness of the event, the size of the audience, the importance of the competition, and the level of perceived support or pressure from coaches and teammates can influence the intensity of sports performance anxiety.
7. Past Traumatic Experiences: Negative experiences, such as embarrassing moments, injuries, or failures during competitions, can contribute to the development of sports performance anxiety. These experiences may create lasting psychological barriers that affect an athlete’s confidence and ability to perform under pressure.
8. Personality Traits: Certain personality traits, such as perfectionism, sensitivity to criticism, or a tendency to catastrophize, can predispose individuals to experiencing sports performance anxiety.

How can sports performance training benefit?

If you are still wondering why is training necessary in sports, including sports performance training, then you must check the benefits mentioned below:

Sports performance training can be beneficial for managing anxiety in several ways:

1. Physical Exercise: Regular physical activity, often a component of sports performance training, has been shown to reduce anxiety symptoms. Exercise releases endorphins, which are natural mood lifters, and can help alleviate feelings of stress and anxiety.
2. Stress Reduction: Sports performance training often includes techniques such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and visualization, which can help individuals manage stress and anxiety both during training sessions and in everyday life.
3. Building Confidence: Through sports performance training, individuals can develop skills, improve physical fitness, and achieve personal goals. Accomplishing these milestones can boost self-confidence and self-esteem, which are essential to managing anxiety.
4. Distraction and Focus: Engaging in sports or physical activities can provide a healthy distraction from anxious thoughts and rumination. Focusing on the task, such as executing a specific movement or technique, can help individuals break the cycle of worry and anxiety.
5. Social Support: Many sports performance training programs involve working with coaches, trainers, and teammates, providing opportunities for social support and connection. A supportive network can help individuals cope with anxiety by providing encouragement, understanding, and a sense of belonging.
6. Regulating Emotions: Sports performance training often involves learning how to regulate emotions and maintain composure under pressure, which are valuable skills for managing anxiety in various situations, including sports competitions and everyday life.
7. Improving Sleep: Regular physical activity can improve sleep quality, often disrupted by anxiety. Better sleep can, in turn, reduce feelings of stress and promote overall well-being.
8. Cognitive Restructuring: Sports performance training may involve cognitive techniques such as reframing negative thoughts, setting realistic goals, and developing resilience in the face of setbacks. These skills can be applied to manage anxiety by changing unhelpful thought patterns and adopting a more positive mindset.

Bottom line

Anxiety related to sports performance is widespread, especially in elite athletes. Your performance can suffer if your emotions become too strong.

Are you fearful of committing a severe error when playing a game? Trying the above relaxing techniques can be beneficial. If your worry doesn’t disappear and starts interfering with your performance, a professional therapist can provide more specialized advice and coping mechanisms.