What is anxiety?
It’s important for your son/daughter to know that it’s normal to feel anxious about their football from time to time. Anxiety is their body’s response to threats, either actual or perceived. Their breathing rate might increase, their heart might start pounding, they could feel butterflies in their stomach and they might get a burst of energy.
A certain level of anxiety is helpful in times of danger. Anxiety can also motivate your son/daughter to power through. However, feeling too much anxiety about something, or feeling anxiety that’s not connected to an obvious challenge, isn’t helpful. It can get in the way of your son’s/daughter’s football performance and affect their overall wellbeing.
What is Sport Performance Anxiety (SPA)?
SPA occurs when a footballer is anxious, nervous, or too frightened to perform freely during competition. The footballer often has an irrational embarrassment or fear about not performing well or losing the game or match. SPA has a lot to do with the fear of failing.
Sports performance anxiety is common. Research reports Sports performance anxiety can impact anywhere between 30 percent to 60 percent of athletes.
Signs of performance anxiety include feelings of weakness, “butterflies” in the stomach, elevated heart rate, fast breathing, muscle tension, frustration, cold sweat and feeling clammy.
How to manage Sports Performance Anxiety
Focus on the present.
Feeling stressed or anxious often coincides with dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. Encourage your son/daughter to be more relaxed by focusing their mind on the present moment.
Use Positive self-talk
Self-talk is exactly what it sounds like: a conversation your son/daughter has with themself. Studies show positive self-talk can benefit performance.
Saying things like “I’m not prepared at all” or “I’m doomed to lose,” can easily derail their mood and self-confidence. Your son’s/daughter’s self -confidence will grow if they consciously stop negative thoughts and replace them with more encouraging messages, such as “Let’s do what I practiced” or “I can play a great game and win this.”
Play Music
Studies have shown that listening to calming music can help reduce anxiety for footballers. Whether it’s rap, metal, or plain old classic rock, music is a perfect way to set the mood before a game or practice.
Use Visualisation
Visualisation can be a powerful tool for a footballer. This can be done on their own or with the help of self-guided mindfulness-based apps. Exercises using visualisation to help combat anxiety include:
- Visualising themselves: In this exercise your son/daughter visualises each part of their body and tells themselves that this part of their body is in good condition.
- Visualising opponents: In this exercise, your son/daughter visualise their opponents playing in the game while telling themselves their skills are superior to their opponents.
- Visualising the process: In this exercise, your son/daughter visualise practices, game-day preparations, the actual game, and victory.
YouTube video: 7:36 minutes. The Role of Visualisation and mental Rehearsal in Football Training.
Deep Breathing
Deep breathing, or diaphragmatic breathing, involves contraction of the diaphragm, expansion of the belly, with deep inhales and exhales. Studies have shown the positive impact of diaphragmatic ‘Box’ breathing on minimising anxiety and stress.
Box breathing:
Step 1: Breathe in, counting to four slowly. Feel the air enter your lungs.
Step 2: Hold your breath for 4 seconds. Try to avoid inhaling or exhaling for 4 seconds.
Step 3: Slowly exhale through your mouth for 4 seconds.
Step 4: Repeat steps 1 to 3 until you feel re-centred
YouTube Video 2 minutes 47 seconds. Box breathing relaxation technique: how to calm feelings of stress or anxiety.
Research suggests meditation can decrease sports performance anxiety. One method your son/daughter can try right is focused attention meditation.
- Hold an object. This can be anything, even a sock.
- Focus their entire mind on the sock. Examine the colour and texture.
- Aim to keep their attention on the sock and the sock alone. This might prove more challenging than it sounds, since anxious minds can easily wander.
- If they catch their thoughts drifting encourage them to gently shift their thoughts back to the sock.
Another method your son/daughter could try to remain calm under pressure is using a process called CPRRR.
(C) Checking-in (Tuning in to their body, mind, and emotions)
(P) Pausing with a breath, or a few breaths, breathing into any area of their body they notice that needs some extra energy.
(R) Releasing the tension in their body.
(R) Resetting using their body and/or mind to get themself more into the present moment.
(R) Refocusing on what’s important now and what they need to do in this moment NOW.
Video: 9. 14 seconds: 8 Minute Guided Mindfulness Meditation for Soccer Players
Please do not hesitate to contact me via wellness@gcufc.com.au or 0438184994 for a chat or to arrange a meeting in the club wellness centre on a training night.
Best wishes
Dr. Jeff Kemp OAM
