Anxiety before and during the competition

Anxiety is for athletes, at any level, a key factor in competition performance. It is described as an emotion, which changes the smooth functioning of the organism, in each of its individual systems, however, it is experienced by each person in a special way. For some stress creates gastrointestinal disturbances, for others mental confusion, all report a feeling of discomfort and dysthymia.
In sports, anxiety “appears” perhaps several days before the competition. It creates over-intensity or even loss of energy, disrupts sleep, “accompanying” athletes in their daily life as an unpleasant feeling.
As they get closer to the race, the symptoms usually intensify, helping to develop further anxiety about the ability to perform. Athletes now have an additional thought: “How can I perform when I feel so uncomfortable?”.
The body becomes heavy, they lose the sense of mobility, the athlete becomes static, with great difficulty in doing anything that is asked of him or “demanded” by the competitive condition. “The body does not follow!” At the second level, the athlete’s cognitive function decreases, the plan he developed is not followed and the coach’s instructions are not listened to, not because he does not pay attention but because he is not able to control the specific mental function: “I lost it my mind, I can’t think or hear anything!’
Each athlete experiences the race differently, some feel anxiety which still affects them during the competition (even if they don’t realize it), some others not to the extent that it will create a problem for them to perform, many athletes feel anxiety, a pleasant feeling in anticipation of the competition.
The difference sometimes lies in the emotional state before the match: is it waiting or anticipation?
Anxiety is an extremely influential factor both in how athletes experience the competitive condition and in how they ultimately perform. At younger ages reducing anxiety improves athletes’ competitive experience, at older ages reducing or controlling anxiety helps achieve dramatically better performance.
Differentiating the way they see the performance process!

Yannis Zarotis MSc-Phd
Psychologist-Sports Psychologist
www.psychology.org.gr