How Does Performance Anxiety Interfere With Your Performance?
Performance anxiety isn’t just about nervousness; it’s a physiological and mental response to stress or pressure. When you become anxious, your heart rate increases, muscles tense, breathing shortens, and your ability to focus narrows.
When you are ill-equipped to manage anxiety, even routine plays become increasingly difficult. It is important to understand the causes of performance anxiety, so you can implement strategies to manage and reduce your anxiety.
4 Common Causes of Performance Anxiety
- Fear of Failure – Some players worry about letting down teammates, coaches, family, or fans, especially in clutch moments of a game.
- Unrealistic Self-Expectations – Some players chase perfection or hold themselves to unrealistically high standards. Excessively high expectations increase the pressure to perform to overwhelming levels.
- Fear of Being Judged Negatively – Some players feel they are being constantly judged and worry about losing their role on the team or embarrassing themselves on the field.
- Focus on Past Mistakes – Anxious players often fear repeating past mistakes, slipping into slumps, or experiencing mental performance blocks.
Recognizing the early warning signs of anxiety and understanding the root causes are the first steps to regaining emotional control.
Twenty-three-year-old Los Angeles pitcher Roki Sasaki arrived in the major leagues with much hype. As a high schooler in Japan, Sasaki was throwing above 100 mph. By the age of twenty, Sasaki was pitching professionally in Japan and dominating.
On January 22, 2025, Sasaki signed a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, including a 6.5 million signing bonus. Shortly after his signing, Baseball America and MLB.com named Sasaki the No. 1 prospect in the MLB.
After an impressive spring training, Sasaki made the Dodgers’ opening day roster. The expectations were through the roof for Sasaki, with many team officials believing Sasaki could be one of the best pitchers in baseball this season.
Sasaki acknowledged he was nervous and uncertain of where he was as a pitcher and how he would perform in the big leagues. However, Sasaki has managed his nerves by taking things one day at a time.
SASAKI: “Inside, I’m really nervous. Until I throw in the major leagues, I won’t know what I’m lacking or what I have to do to perform well.”
Sasaki’s acknowledgment of being “really nervous” is a reminder that all players battle nerves at one time or another.
The key is how you respond to it. If you focus on fear, nerves will turn into anxiety. However, if you focus on the present and work to develop strategies to manage anxiety, you can minimize the pressure to perform and play at your peak.
- Acknowledge your Anxiety – Realize that all baseball players experience some level of nerves.
- Recognize your Symptoms – Recognize your symptoms before nervousness snowballs into anxiety. You can consider these symptoms as an early detection system.
- Understand the Causes – Knowing the reason for your anxiety will help you to break down and overcome your fears.
- Know the Difference – Know the difference between nerves (which is a healthy and productive level of stress) and anxiety (which interferes with your ability to focus and perform at a high level).
- Learn Stress Management Strategies – Learn and practice stress management strategies, such as deep breathing, so you can implement those strategies when needed.
Related Sports Psychology Articles
- How to Overcome Slumps in Baseball
- Are Your Trying too Hard at the Plate When Hitting?
- How this Yankee Manages Losses in the World Series
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