Write your search in the input below and press enter.
Esc to close.

The Sports Doc Chalk Talk with Dr. Chris Stankovich

Peak Performance:
Not Just for Sports, for Life

  • Products
    • Toolkits
    • Audio
    • Videos
    • Books
    • Apps
  • Services
  • Chalk Talk
    • Recent
    • Athletes
    • Coaching
    • Sports Parenting
    • Sports Administrators
    • Life
    • Administrators
  • About Dr. Stankovich
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Products
    • Toolkits
    • Audio
    • Books
    • Videos
    • Apps
  • Services
  • Chalk Talk
  • About Dr. Stankovich
  • Testimonials
  • Contact

Hello. Sign In

My Account
  • Login
  • Register
0
The Sports Doc Chalk Talk
Subscribe
The Sports Doc Chalk Talk with Dr. Chris Stankovich
  • Recent
  • Athletes
  • Coaching
  • Sports Parenting
  • Life
  • Administrators
Home / Blog / Play Your Best: Understanding the Differences Between Performance Anxiety & Frustration

Play Your Best: Understanding the Differences Between Performance Anxiety & Frustration

By: Dr. Chris Stankovich | @DrStankovich | Feb 13, 2019

No Comments

When an athlete “chokes,” should we immediately jump to the conclusion that performance anxiety was the cause?  While it is true that many athletes have failed to reach their potential because of performance anxiety, there are other, less obvious reasons to also consider.  For example, some athletes begin games with great confidence and focus — in other words, a positive mindset with little performance anxiety.  Sometime after the game starts, however, things begin to change when the athlete experiences frustration playing against a superior opponent, rowdy fans, or because of a questionable official.  The performance decline in these examples have more to do with in-game frustration (and the inability to successfully cope), not performance anxiety in the traditional sense of being scared to compete.

When the competition takes your best punch

What happens when an athlete tries his best move – and fails?  All that preparation suddenly feels like a waste of time, and the athlete is left to figure out what now?  In these examples even the most confident and focused athletes can quickly become frustrated, leaving the athlete to perform below his or her potential.  It’s important to note that it is not uncommon for athletes to have very little performance anxiety at the outset of games, only to later run into frustrating situations in-game that dramatically impact focus and performance.  This unforeseen frustration experienced is different from pre-game jitters, and should be viewed and treated differently as well.

Why is this important?

Generally speaking, if you don’t frame problems correctly, the “solutions” you come up with won’t lead to much success. You wouldn’t fill your car tires if what you really needed was gas to run your car, and you wouldn’t fix the plumbing in your house if the real problem was your electric.  As you can see addressing the real problem is directly related to the level of success you experience, and the same holds true for athletes working to reach their full athletic potential.

When it comes to performance anxiety and frustration, many people see them as one and the same, but the reality is that they are two different kinds of problems.  What this means is if you focus on getting an already confident athlete better prepared before games, it not only may not matter much (since the athlete is already set to play), but also misses treating the real problem — the frustration the athlete experiences during competition that quickly takes him/her out of their game.  While this may seem like a very small distinction, it is an incredibly improtant important distinction to make if maximum productivity is the end goal.

Final thoughts

It’s important to refrain from jumping to quick conclusions when problem-solving, even when things seem obvious.  Instead, keep an open mind, ask important questions, and weigh various solutions to the problem.  Yes, many athletes do struggle with performance anxiety — but many other athletes are instead challenged by performance frustration, an entirely different battle in my opinion.  The good news is that both can be improved upon, but this relies on framing the problem correctly and then developing congruent solutions to the problem.

drstankovich.com

 

adversity, anxiety, frustration, mental, pressure, psychology, sport, touhgness

  • Author
  • Comments
  • Details
Get to Know the Author

Dr. Chris Stankovich

Dr. Stankovich has written/co-written five books, including Positive Transitions for Student Athletes, The ParentsPlaybook, Mind of Steel.

Latest Blog Posts

  • December 4, 2023 Turn off the Noise for Improved Mental Health
  • November 28, 2023 Understanding Psychology: The Backfire Effect, and Why Facts Don’t Always Matter
  • November 28, 2023 Artificial Intelligence is Delivering Your News More Often than You Think
  • November 20, 2023 Experiencing Depression isn’t a Bug, it’s a Feature of the Human Condition
  • November 15, 2023 If You’re Tracking Stats in Youth Sports, You Might be Doing it Wrong

PREVIOUS POST

Work Smarter, Not Harder: Fixing Problems vs. Managing Symptoms

NEXT POST

The Top 5 Skills Coaches Teach Kids

Category

Amateur , Athletes , Athletic Counseling , Boys Sports , Coach , Coaching , Girls Sports , Mental Toughness , Performance Enhancement , Prep , Pro , Pro and College Sports , Sport Psychology , Sports Parenting , Sports Performance Science , Uncategorized , Youth Sports

Tags

adversity, anxiety, frustration, mental, pressure, psychology, sport, touhgness

  • Recent Posts
  • Most Read
  • Turn off the Noise for Improved Mental Health
  • Understanding Psychology: The Backfire Effect, and Why Facts Don't Always Matter
  • Artificial Intelligence is Delivering Your News More Often than You Think
  • Experiencing Depression isn't a Bug, it's a Feature of the Human Condition
  • If You're Tracking Stats in Youth Sports, You Might be Doing it Wrong
  • Increasingly More Student Athletes Make it to College -- Then Quit
  • Rather than Focus on Youth Sport Results, Try Embracing the Power of Play
  • Exercise Patience with Growing Kids Working Hard for Sport Success
  • Here's What Your Kid Might Not Tell You, But Tells Me
  • The Impact of Psychological Identity Development on Young Athletes
  • The Sports Doc on TV

    Catch Dr. Stankovich’s tv, radio, and print interviews and columns here!

    Dr. Chris Stankovich Watch Videos
  • Sport Performance Assessment

    Dr. Chris Stankovich Quickly and accurately test your level of mental toughness in just a few minutes using the Sport Performance Assessment.

    (SPA), an easy-to-use sport psychology system specially designed to help you REACH YOUR FULL ATHLETIC POTENTIAL.

    learn more
  • SportsSuccess360

    Life strategies for performance and character development for coaches, parents, and student athletes competing in youth and interscholastic sports.

    Life Strategies learn more
  • Contact Dr. Stankovich

    1207 Grandview Ave., Suite #218, Columbus, OH 43212

    (614) 561-4482

    Media & General Inquiries

    information@drstankovich.com

    Sales & Product Support

    sales@drstankovich.com

  • About Dr. Stankovich

    • Media
    • Blog
    • Testimonials
  • Products

    • Toolkits
    • Videos
    • Books
    • Audio
    • iPhone Apps
  • Services

    • Athlete Performance Training
    • Parent Community Forum
    • Coach Education & Development
    • Athletic Crisis Response and Intervention
    • Drug & Alcohol Assessment
    • Life Success Programs
    • Counseling & Consulting Services
  • Blog
  • YouTube
  • twitter
  • facebook

All rights reserved © 2023 Advanced Human Performance Systems™

↓ ↓