Calming pre-game jitters

Recently, at a parents for good sports training programme in Fairfax County, Virginia, I heard Bob Rhyne (the Herndon-Reston Babe Ruth rep) describe baseball as a “game of failure”. Explaining the observation, he said that there’s an inevitability about baseball players experiencing some failures during the course of a season. There will be missed pitches, muffed throws, dropped balls, and many more strikes than hits. This in turn explains why many young players experience great anxiety before the beginning of a season and/or big game. The thought of so many failure traps lying in wait would make anyone nervous! Pre-game jitters are a common concomitant of competitive sport and all sportspersons and athletes - amateur or professional - experience them in varying degrees. To some extent, jitters are beneficial. You’re nervous, but the energy is positive – the kind you feel when you’re on the brink of something special, or meaningful. You’re all keyed up and ready to get the game going right away. The adrenaline is flowing and you are focused. As an athlete, I always welcomed that familiar sensation of ‘butterflies in the stomach’ before a big game. It helped me rev up for the imminent challenge. Nevertheless, as a parent of a young sportsperson who is just starting out in sports, it can be hard to watch your child experience anxiety. I’ve often had parents asking me what they should do about a child who chews her fingernails to the nub before a game, or who is so wound up the night before that she has sleeping difficulties. If you are a parent whose child’s pre-game anxiety makes you nervous and anxious, I have a few suggestions. First, remember that a bit of anxiety before a game is a natural process of revving up for competition. Second, a little nervousness before a big game won’t adversely impact an athlete’s confidence or performance. However, in cases where anxiety attacks are severe enough to interfere with your child’s ability to focus, perform, and enjoy a game, you need to explore the cause. How do you do that? Slowly. When dealing with an anxious child, focusing overly on the problem will only exacerbate it. Therefore it’s important to bide your time until you and your child are relaxed and not under any pressure or time constraint, and casually say something like, “I notice you seem to have trouble falling asleep the night before a game. What do you think about that?” The chances are that you’ll discover that children worry about embarrassing themselves, not performing up to their capability, or simply feel intimidated by the competition. If that’s the case, assure them that it is normal to feel apprehensive. With some simple measures such sentiments can be prevented from becoming overpowering. They include: Taking deep, relaxing breaths when they feel anxious Visualising good outcomes of the game or meet Spending extra time honing skills they feel unsure about Creating calming pre-game rituals, like listening to inspirational music Taking their mind off the game…