Elite Athletes use performance anxiety to their advantage!

A lot of moms are stating their girls are having trouble with performance anxiety, whether it's overthinking, not performing at their best, hesitating, or just having that overpowering feeling. of being nervous. Performance anxiety can be seen as a problem, but it can also be used to the athletes advantage. 

Elite athletes have pre-programmed methods to use these feelings to their advantage. On the other hand, the average athlete may only hope that the sensation will pass.

So, if you’re one of the moms who’s worried about performance anxiety, then this is the episode for you.

All athletes can relate to that feeling of nervousness and NOT wanting to be in the game at the moment even though they love the sport. It’s very common to have those nerves and anxiety before a game starts. And based on experience, the feeling stays in every competition you take part in. 

Part of that feeling is actually normal for athletes.

Oftentimes, what people mistake for performance anxiety is really athletes' natural nervousness. Because feelings of nervousness are our body's way of preparing us for the task at hand. It's a natural reaction to something important to us.

And so when your athlete starts to talk about butterflies in their stomach, dry mouth, sweaty palms, fast-beating heart- it’s a sign that they’re READY to go. 

And it takes self-awareness to make an athlete’s pre-game nerves work for them.

• Pre-game nerves can actually help an athlete perform better, as long as she reframes it to make sure it's working to her advantage. It is normal for an athlete to feel it and it’s a sign that her body is getting ready to play.

To strike a good balance of pre-game nerves, and to avoid excessive anxiety; 

• First, they need to know what their optimal zone is. They have to know their hype number. 
• Second, they have to have a routine to get them there and it has to be consistent. So we teach athletes in our programs a routine that they do the night before, and then also a routine that they do leading up to their competition. 
• Third, they need to have strategies to maintain the right amount of hype that works best for them.

We  teach those techniques in our Elite Competitor Program and we hone our athletes to be more self-aware. Your daughter can have everything it takes to be her BEST, she just needs to learn how.

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