How Stress Can Affect Sports Performance

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Feature Mental Game Article
How Stress Can Affect Sports Performance
By Patrick J. Cohn, Ph.D.
Not all stress is bad for your performance. Stress can affect your performance in two different ways. Stress can help you when it makes you more alert, more motivated to practice, and gain a competitive edge. In the right amount, stress helps you prepare, focus, and perform at your optimal level. Conversely, too much stress, or bad stress, can cause performance anxiety, which hurts your health and does not allow you to play relaxed, confident, and focused in competition.

"You're always going to be nervous teeing it up in a Major Championship. It's very natural and it's a good thing. It means that you want it."
~Rory Mcilroy, first round leader at the 2011 Masters

Every competitive athlete experiences some stress; good and bad. Your stress may be positive and helpful or instill anxiety and apprehension. Pregame jitters can cause some athletes to not sleep well the night before competition. Some athletes can’t eat the morning before a big game. Your pre-competition jitters may make you feel like you have to throw up.
You want to feel excitement or thrill in anticipation for competition (what I call positive pregame jitters). A high level of activation will help you perform your best – up to a point where you may be too jacked up to play well. Too little or too much intensity (or stress) can cause your performance to decline. Your ability to cope effectively with pregame nerves is critical to consistent peak performance.
Sources of Stress in Sports
Worry, stress, anxiety, or tension can come from several sources depending on your personality. What causes you to become anxious or stressed is different than what another athlete experiences. I have found that most worry comes from focusing too much on results or more specifically, the consequences of poor results.
For example, a golfer might worry about shooting a high score, but the real anxiety might be directed at the fear of embarrassment or letting a parent down. The fear isn’t really about shooting a poor score. It’s about what you think others might say or think about you.
Performance anxiety comes from the following:

• Focus on outcomes or scores
• Excess mental chatter or negative self-talk
• Fear of failing
• Worrying about what others might think
• Not performing up to expectations
• Not feeling fully confident – being doubtful
• A poor practice leading up to a competition
• Worrying about performing well in the “big game”
• Worrying about not playing well due to injury
• Feeling intimidated by the quality of the competition

Fear of Failure and Stress
Fear of failure is the major source of stress or anxiety for athletes. I believe anxiety and fear of failure are closely related. And most athletes who are afraid to fail have anxiety about disappointing coaches, teammates, or parents, for example. Many athletes worry about embarrassing themselves when they do not perform well. They are afraid others will judge them harshly or not approve of them in some way.
You should also know that fear of embarrassment or rejection (social approval “threats”) are not always based on reality. Your fear and anxiety may feel very real, but the source is not realistic. Worrying about shooting a high number and fear of embarrassment feels real to golfers, but it may not be rational or helpful to one’s game. You do not want to base your fear on false assumptions about what others might think about you or your game.
Some athletes feel this when they are afraid to lose, get embarrassed, or afraid of injury. You might be worried about your opponent, or impressing others. You might start doubting your ability and it snowballs prior to a game and thus you feel anxious. Once you experience anxious symptoms, you become obsessed with the uncomfortable feelings, which distract you from what you need to focus on. Focusing too much on the uncomfortable feelings only heightens the tension.
What's Your Ideal Performance State?
Why is finding your ideal mindset so important? Every athlete has an ideal performance state or mindset which you can use as a model for future performance. You should realize that NOT every athlete needs to be relaxed to perform well. Many athletes indeed need to relax while others would perform better by getting energized. Keep in mind that performing your best includes a mix of focused intensity and a relaxed or calm mind.
You intuitively know that too much stress or anxiety can cause you to perform poorly. Likewise, too little intensity or physical activation can cause you to under perform as well. What does this mean? You need to find a balance. A balanced mindset will help you focus to do your best and be “up” for competition, but one that also allows you to think clearly and have a calm mind.
Think back to when you felt "over the edge" and too anxious when performing. Contrast this with when you felt energized, focused, alert, but not stressed. Ask yourself the following questions to help you contrast these mindsets:

• What was your pregame attitude like?
• How did that affect your ability to perform?
• How juiced or up did you feel?
• Did you feel full of energy or drained?

Embrace the Butterflies
One important lesson here: Avoid turning positive stress or excitement into anxiety or worry. Feeling jacked up or excited is a natural part of sports, and you need to feel it to play your best! If you think you can’t handle the challenge, you will lose confidence and tighten up. If you think you are up for the challenge, you will embrace the excitement and perform confidently. Embrace your pregame intensity. It's your body’s way of preparing for action. Welcome it and it will help you perform at your peak.