How To Get Over Sports Fears Video Link Location: http://youtu.be/E1w3HxlwkAE
by mentaltoughnesstips Craig Sigl
In this short video, you will learn mental toughness tips that I shared with a group
of wrestlers.
Right before they went out to compete in their tournament.
And they won as a team by one point.
What is performance anxiety?
Well, to cut to the chase it’s this: fear.
This is the number one problem in all sports.
Fear of embarrassing yourself, fear of disappointing your parents, fear of disappointing your coaches,
your teammates.
Fear – right?
Fear of not doing so well.
Alright, so here’s how I help people get over fear.
First of all, we’re going to break it down.
We do fear for two reasons.
For physical danger and we do it because we are afraid of our emotions.
What?
Now, this is something that you don’t hear too often.
When I said what are we really afraid of about losing about underperforming in a match?
We’re afraid of embarrassment, we are disappointments, what else?
What else are we afraid of that might happen?
Some people are afraid of getting angry.
Some people are afraid of the sadness that might come from it.
But I always ask my athletes, I say, “So if you lose, what’s going to happen?
Are you going to get shot?
Is someone going to shoot you if you lose this game?”
No.
No physical danger there.
“Is somebody going to take your house away and your food and your clothing and shelter?”
No.
“Is there anything physical?”
No.
So what is it that we are afraid of?
Well, all emotions including fear, they’re just chemicals running through your body.
Let me give you the breakdown of what happens.
So you get a thought here before a match.
You’re going against a guy who crushed you the last time you went.
Or you know he is the best around and has an undefeated record – right?
And you’re going, “Oh my gosh!
Oh I hope I can do this!”
And you’re starting to get tense and you’re starting to get nervous.
You’re starting to get anxious.
Right?
What’s going on?
That those are the thoughts that you have that you’re going against this guy who has
owned so many guys before me or has destroyed our team before whatever.
So these chemicals just get released in your body and then they attach to cells, fibers,
tissues, even muscles, even bones.
And they make your body feel something.
Alright?
So there’s an emotion – fear.
And then there’s a feeling.
It is the feeling that hurts your performance – right?
Going out there on fire feeling like you’re going to kill this guy or scared to death.
It’s not even close – right?
So that’s our whole goal to is to get into that state.
So all we have to know is, is we feel that, if we think that, if we’re experiencing
that fear.
All you have to do is tell yourself, “Huh!
Look at that!
I’ve got some chemicals doing some things in my body.
There’s nothing outside.
We as athletes, we as human beings, tend to blow this fear thing up.
And to oh my God!
My whole life has come apart here.
Oh my gosh!
If I lose this, I’m to go to the team and we go all over the place.
All it is, is some chemicals in your body.
Literally, they’re just chemicals.
That’s all that’s going on.
There’s no outside force punishing you.
Feeling of fear, by the way goes for all your chemicals: anger, sadness, guilt, hurt.
All those: shame, embarrassment, rejection.
They’re just chemicals.
Let me give you a quick story, and you guys might experience this.
A few years ago I was in the dating world and I asked this woman out for a date.
And we had a good time.
Went to a movie and afterwards I drop her off, say goodnight, write her an email said,
“Hey!
I enjoyed your presence.
It was fun.
Whatever and I’d like to get to know you better.”
The next morning I wake up and there’s an email saying, “You know I enjoyed the time
too.
Thank you very much.
And I’m not interested in you romantically and I want to be your friend and whatever.”
Now, at first, I’m feeling rejection – right?
So this pertains to wrestling, because you guys are all in some way have experienced
fear of rejection of what might come from losing.
The fear.
I’m just going to use this outside because you can use this kind of these techniques
and tactics everywhere in your life to fight the fear and the performance anxiety that
holds you back in wrestling.
Alright?
So what do I do?
I sit there and I actually felt like this hole in my gut.
I don’t know if you guys have ever been dumped by a girl or not or anybody for that
matter.
It doesn’t feel very good.
So the tendency, the temptation, is to go, “I suck.
Oh there must be something wrong with me.
Right?
I must not be good enough.
Or all this other BS that comes.”
No.
This is what I do.
“Look at that.
There’s some chemicals making my stomach feel that way.
That’s kind of interesting.
I’m just going to be in it for a while.
They are just chemicals.”
Because what’s the trust of the situation?
The truth of the situation is some girl who said I’m not interested in you is “we’re
not a match.”
In any relationship, somebody can say we’re not a match, either side can say we’re not
a match.
That’s the truth.
It doesn’t mean I’m not good enough.
I’m not good enough as a wrestler.
It doesn’t mean I’m not good looking enough.
It doesn’t mean I’m not smart enough.
None of that.
Or have enough techniques or tools there out on the mat.
See the metaphor there?
It’s just chemicals.
That’s what I want you guys to tell yourself.
Make sure to go to TeenMentalToughness.com to get a free “Master The Pressure” guided
visualization.
And an eBook for parents, “The 10 Commandments for Great Sports Parents.”
Click on the link in the description below and I’ll see you in the winner’s circle!