Adopting a pregame ritual that helps you feel prepared and in control can help ease your anxiety and help you perform better on the court. Whether you prefer meditation and deep breathing or visualization and positive talk, spending time before the game to calm your nerves can help prepare you for the game.
Step 1
Develop a saying or mantra that you can use to calm your nerves before and during the game. It could be a favorite quote from a player that inspired you or simply an uplifting motto concerning performance, courage or heart. Whenever you're feeling nervous or worried about your game, repeat the mantra to yourself until you feel your anxiety begin to calm.
Step 2
Visualize yourself performing well in the game. Visualizations work to calm you on a number of levels. They help you feel prepared as you run through a variety of scenarios on the court and they can also help you feel more confident about your performance. Visualize yourself making perfect passes, making effective baskets and being a key player for your team. Avoid visualizing anything negative about your performance.
Step 3
Prepare yourself for the game by attending all of your practices, reviewing film from old games or discussing various plays with your coach. Knowing that you're fully prepared to win can help you calm your nerves when they begin to creep into your consciousness. By knowing that you've done everything you can to win, you'll feel more confident on the court.
Step 4
Practice breathing before you suit up for a game. When you arrive in the locker room, take a moment to lie on a bench and place your hand over your belly, then breathe slowly and deeply enough to make your hand rise with your breath. This very technique helped to calm softball athletes' nerves in a 2009 study published in The Sport Journal. It gives you time to regulate your breathing, mediate and get your head in the game mentally before you do so physically.
Step 5
Pinpoint your talents with positive self-talk. Negative ideas and thoughts can make you nervous about your performance, particularly if you've failed in the past by not being an effective player. By remembering the things you're good at -- whether it's passing, shooting or grabbing rebounds -- you'll feel more confident concerning your role on the team and be ready to contribute.
References
- "The Sport Journal"; Implementing a Breathing Technique to Manage Performance Anxiety in Softball; Linda Garza; 2009
- KidsHealth.org: Handling Sports Pressure and Competition
- "Nerve -- Poise Under Pressure, Serenity Under Stress, and the Brave New Science of Fear and Cool"; Taylor Clark; 2011
