While many athletes focus on the physical strength, agility, and technical skills required to succeed in sports, mental conditioning is just as important. As athletes, we have all felt the pressure to perform on the biggest stage and it can be scary even for seasoned veterans. For those that struggle with pre-game anxiety regularly or just before a scout watches a game, here are 22 verified tips.
- Acknowledge the feelings of anxiety or nervousness!
The first step in conquering uneasy feelings is to become aware of them. Anxiety is normal and can occur at different times and places. Identifying what is causing the nervous energy will allow you to conquer it.
Related: Sports Psychology and the Impact of Mental State on Physical Performance
- Develop a Game Day Routine
Whether it is blowing a kiss from the free-throw line like Jason Kidd or the performance of The Haka before an All Blacks rugby game, a more consistent and controlled routine will help eliminate uncertainty and calm pre-game nerves.
Related: 9 Essential Game Day Rituals from Yale Athletes
A problem shared is a problem halved
If you are nervous, talk to your teammates, coach, or someone you feel comfortable around. Sharing your emotional state has been proven to release stress. According to Professors Townsend, Kim, and Mesquita, who wrote Are you Feeling What I'm Feeling? Emotional Similarity Buffers Stress, the act of communicating your emotions helps reduce your stress levels.
- Visualize
Visualization is the process of forming a mental image of the event or outcome you want to occur in the future. By imagining yourself triumphing in a moment of stress, the brain can practice responding to nerve-racking situations. Mimicking the visual, kinesthetic, and auditory environment trains the mind to perform the skill imagined.
Related: Tips to Prepare for Competitive Golf
- Focus on your Breathing
The body regulates our relaxation response through the vagus nerve system. Deep diaphragmatic breathing is one of the main ways to stimulate the healthy function of the vagus nerve. Try closing your eyes, inhaling for four seconds, holding for two seconds, then exhaling slowly for four to five seconds.
Related: 6 Tips to Relax in the Heat of the Moment
- Play your favorite jams!
A simple trick is to sync your warm-up with a great song. Listening to music is scientifically proven to release endorphins and can get you energized for the game.
Related: 12 Songs to Get You Pumped for Game Time
- Stretch
Physically stretching can help release mental tightness. Concentrated movements will refocus your mind and help you regain both physical and mental control.
- Get to know your opponents
While it can be helpful to paint the picture of a ferocious enemy, understanding that the athletes on the opposing team are human can help defeat pregame anxiety. If you regularly face a team or have the opportunity, talk to the other players.
- Joke around
Have a crazy roommate story or favorite sitcom reference? Tell it on game day. Laughter stimulates the vagus nerve, lifts your mood, and keeps your body loose for the game.
Related: Athletes: 6 tips to Get Out of Your Head
- Think Positive!
Positive affirmations or self-talk can go a long way to combatting sports-related anxiety. Just the act of staying positive can improve your mood and performance. Choose and practice a mantra to get familiar with speaking to yourself!
- Count objects or numbers
One of the oldest tricks in the book is to count. Whether you are struggling to fall asleep or about to start in the national championship game, counting can be a powerful tool to calm yourself down and control your mind.
- Breakdown the problem
The term chunking refers to the process of dividing large amounts of information into more manageable units. If you get a dose of game day jitters, try to separate the game into smaller sections or focus on your specific role on the team.
- Focus on your body language
Nervousness is closely associated with body language. To increase confidence within the body, keep a solid stance with your feet hip-distance apart, relax your shoulders, hold your head up and your chest out.
Related: Importance of Body Language
- Eat Fiber
Grab that CORE Bar or Kencko Smoothie before leaving the house. These high-fiber snacks will help stimulate vagus impulses, slow gut movements, and make us feel fuller after meals.
Related: Grab ‘N Go Foods for College Athletes
- Meditate
Preparation for the game can start early in the week. Try to work in meditation or yoga to get
your mind and body on the same page.
Related: Athletes: How to Practice Mindfulness
- Get some Zzzzzz's
A powerful stress reducer happens when we are not awake. A regular sleep schedule calms and restores the body, improves concentration, regulates mood, and even sharpens decision-making.
- Practice how you play
This common coaching mantra can come in handy in stressful moments. By treating warm-ups like the game, you can alleviate some tension and get mistakes out of the way.
- Cut back on caffeine
Caffeine can trigger your fight, flight, or freeze response. Try to cut back on coffee, energy drinks, and pre-workout on game days!
- Drink Water
As stress levels heighten, your electrolyte levels may lower due to the production of cortisol, a stress hormone, by the adrenal glands. Drinking water can reduce the psychological and physiological effects of stress.
- Get comfortable with the idea of failure
Perfect can be the enemy of good. Making mistakes is normal and does not overshadow the rest of your play. Take risks in practice to get used to the feeling of going outside your comfort zone. Come game day you'll be ready to go!
- Think of the game like a practice
If all else fails, try to lower the stakes. You have played many games and practices. This game is just further preparation.
- Have Fun!
Remember that you are doing an activity that you love–go out there and play your game!
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* Originally published on May 23, 2022, by Chloe Singer
