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Sports Psychology for Performance Anxiety

By Elizabeth Quinn, VeryWellFit, 02/15/19, 12:00PM PST

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An athlete should first determine if thoughts of doubt, failure or a lack of confidence are due to a perceived lack of ability.

Do you perform well during training or practice but choke in competition? If feelings of nervousness, anxiety or fear interfere with your sports performance, learning to use a few tips from sports psychology may help you get your anxiety under control and reduce game day nerves.

Performance anxiety in sports sometimes referred to as 'choking,' is described as a decrease in athletic performance due to too much-perceived stress. Perceived stress often increases in athletes on game day because (1) they have an audience and (2) they have extremely high expectations of their success. This type of stress is often based on the way the athletes interpret the situation.