mind

games

Suzie Tuffey Riewald, PhD, NSCA-CPT

about the
AUTHOR

HelpIm Nervous

Suzie Tuffey Riewald

received her degrees

Setting goals, imagery, and concentration are all

spective regarding anxiety and its role on performance.

in Sport Psychology/

mental skills that have been discussed in the most

See anxiety as something that can help performance, but

Exercise Science from

recent Mind Games columns. These have all been

take appropriate steps to keep it in check.

the University of North

beneficial skills, and I have been using them to man-

Carolina Greensboro.

age and enhance my practice and competition per-

She has worked for

formance. But, when are we going to learn about

USA Swimming as the

nervousness? Sometimes, I get so anxious at a com-

Sport Psychology and

petition that it gets in the way of my performing well.

If some anxiety seems to facilitate performance, but ex-

Sport Science Director,

Please help me.

perience (and research) tells us too much anxiety hurts

Determine Optimal Anxiety

Levels For You

performance, what are you supposed to do? How much

and most recently

as the Associate

These reflections may sound familiar to many of you. Feel-

nervousness is right? The answer depends on you. That is,

Director of Coaching

ings of nervousnessthings like sweaty palms, racing

optimal anxiety tends to be individualized; some athletes

with the USOC where

heart, jitteriness, tight muscles (somatic or bodily anxiety

perform best with low anxiety, others with moderate anxi-

she worked with

symptoms), doubts, worry and difficulty concentrating

ety and still others with higher anxiety levels. Think back

various sport national

(cognitive anxiety symptoms)are a common experi-

on past competitive experiences to begin to sort out what

governing bodies

ences for many athletes, especially before and during

is best for you. Prior to your better performances, how

(NGBs) to develop

competition. Furthermore, at times (and I want to be sure

nervous or anxious were you? What specifically were you

and enhance coaching

to emphasize this), this nervousness can have an adverse

thinking and feeling? Reflect back on poorer performanc-

education and training.

effect on performance. What are you to do?

es to give you a means of comparison. Most athletes will

see a pattern emerge that links certain levels of nervous-

Suzie currently works

as a sport psychology
consultant to several
NGBs.

Change Your Perspective

(Interpretation)

ness to better performances. Now, think about trying to

attain this identified level of anxiety as opposed to thinking oh no when experiencing pre-competition anxiety.

When anxiety was discussed above, it was emphasized

that at times, anxiety can hurt performance, but not all

Learn, practice and implement anxiety management skills.

the time. Unfortunately, it is often the case that when

Note that the skills to manage anxiety can be basic and

an athlete experiences anxiety, or nervousness before a

easy to understand, but they are hard to implement effec-

competition, he or she automatically thinks, oh no, I am

tively when needed most. That is why we still witness elite-

nervousthis isnt good. Things are going to end badly.

level athletes tensing up and double faulting on critical

Being nervous should not necessarily be an oh no experi-

points in tennis, or missing free throws and making critical

ence as anxiety does not always hurt performance. In fact,

errors during a basketball game. If you are more plagued

various theories put forth to help us understand the rela-

by the physical (somatic) manifestations of anxiety, your

tionship between anxiety and performance suggest that

pre-competition goals should focus on calming your body

anxiety can actually help performanceup to a point.

using such skills as stretching, moving around, so as not

Think about it from a practical perspective. Have you not

to get tight, light massage or deep, controlled breathing.

found that sometimes a little worry or jitteriness gets you

When mental (cognitive) anxiety tends to be excessive,

primed to compete? Of course you have. For example, the

your goal should be to calm the mindeffective skills

increased arousal before competition can elevate your

include using positive self-talk, focusing on process goals

heart rate and raise your body temperature, helping prime

(as opposed to outcome goals), distracting oneself so as

the bodys physiological systems. So, be cautious of men-

not to think about being worried and reminding oneself

tally tagging any nervousness you experience as detri-

of past successes to build confidence. Another important

mental and something you need to get rid of. Instead, be

note is that these skills must be practiced. Practice them

aware of what you are experiencing and change your per-

during training sessions by setting up situations that will

nscas performance training journal www.nsca-lift.org volume 8 issue 5

17

mind games

HelpIm Nervous

elevate your anxiety and present an opportunity

be. You are probably thinking, of course there

itymoving well, being aggressive and hitting

to practice your anxiety management skills.

is uncertainty. Isnt that the nature of competi-

deep ballsthan on who will win.

tion that there is uncertainty about who is go-

Understanding
Underlying Causes of
Excessive Anxiety

ing to win? Yes, but you might be able to moder-

Now, do your best to keep your nerves in per-

ate this uncertainty. You need to recognize that

spective and under control.

While it is important to have skills to manage

trol. So, having a sole focus on the outcome (i.e.,

anxiety (increase or decrease as needed), it is

winning), as opposed to focusing on the things

equally important to identify the whys behind

you can do to perform at your best, is probably

anxiety. Why are you more nervous today than

going to increase anxiety. Therefore, to manage

you were before the game last week? Research

pre-competition anxiety, it may be beneficial

indicates that the greater the importance you

to focus on the controllable aspects of perfor-

place on an event, the more elevated your anxi-

mancethat is, to focus on what you need to do

ety will become. That is why you will typically

to perform well. For example, a tennis player pre-

feel greater anxiety before the state champi-

paring for a quarterfinals match would focus on

onship meet than you will before a seemingly

good footwork, playing aggressively and hitting

meaningless inter-squad competition. Addition-

deep into his opponents backhand, instead of

ally, the greater the uncertainty surrounding

focusing on reaching the semifinals. This player

the event, the more elevated your anxiety will

is more focused on controlling of his own abil-

while the outcome of an event is uncertain, is it

also, to a large extent, typically out of your con-

Sport-Specific Training Conference

January 8 9, 2010 Hilton Orlando Orlando, FL

www.nsca-lift.org/SSTC2010

nscas performance training journal www.nsca-lift.org volume 8 issue 5

18