Simply put, Anxiety can be defined as any situation or problem whether in the present, past or future that brings out a nervous, fearful or stressful response, puts you in a great unease.
For an athlete, it arises in multiple forms : when is this pandemic going to end , Playing your first match after the pandemic, and you are worried about the outcome , or whether you will play your free game, hoping to win, converting opportunities, closing out a match, Playing a top player.
As you can see, the Stimulus for anxiety is ALL the “What If” thoughts, it is always about the future or the past or the outcome. It is always trying to cope with something that the player has no control on.
If any of these negative stressful thoughts come and if the player isn’t strong on their mental muscles or has not trained their mind to know and use the tools to combat pressure, the athlete ends up being nervous, not thinking clearly, is fidgety, never present in the moment, not relaxed. In other words there isn’t joy and qualitative focus in what one does which affects their performance.
This is one constant worth repeating, and my players and I do that in all the sessions – Reinforcing the core mental fitness principles is an integral part of my mental training for athletes.
Coach Badri
Don’t wait for the problem to fix itself. Get your game back – Book an appointment today!