Sports Performance Anxiety: Signs, Causes, and How Athletes Can Overcome It

Statistically, among school-aged children, more than half participate in at least one sports team, nearly 8 million high school students play on a school team, and approximately 530,000 collegiate students play in the NCAA. Of these individuals, fewer than 2% of NCAA collegiate athletes go on to play professionally, which reflects the narrowing of opportunities for these athletes as competition increases.

This progression can intensify sports performance anxiety by reinforcing the pressure to “make it” as they are repeatedly confronted with the risk of being cut or failing to advance in their sport.

While participating in athletics offers a plethora of benefits, such as the development of physical skills, social connections and community, improved mental well-being, and enhanced overall health and fitness, it also has the potential for injury; burnout related to sport specialization or overscheduling; conflicts with teammates; struggles with identity and perfectionism; and a heightened pressure to perform from oneself, teammates, parents, and coaches as well as the perceived expectations placed upon them. Additionally, the widespread use of social media exposes athletes to a constant stream of opinions and comparisons.

What is sports performance anxiety?

Sports performance anxiety, also known as athlete anxiety, relates to a form of distress that may occur before, during, and/or after an athletic competition, such as practice, training, or a game. While it is normal to have pre-competition nerves, sports performance anxiety is distinguished by the heightened level of distress and impairment it can cause as an athlete may perform significantly below their typical level of ability. For example, a basketball player who normally performs well on free throws during practice may become anxious during a game, worrying about missing in front of the crowd. This anxiety can cause them to tense up, leading to missed shots or even causing them to avoid taking shots altogether to escape the pressure of shooting free throws.

What are some athlete anxiety symptoms?

Athlete anxiety may present with cognitive, emotional, somatic, and behavioral symptoms. Cognitive symptoms may manifest as anxiety, which affects one’s thought processes and presents as worrying, confusion, inattention, and forgetfulness. Emotional symptoms may appear as frustration, overwhelm, irritability, fear of failure, and self-criticism. Somatic symptoms may present as an increased heart rate, rapid breathing, excessive sweating, and nausea. Behavioral symptoms may involve pacing, withdrawal, fidgeting, and avoidance.

Why do some athletes experience performance anxiety and others don’t?

A number of factors may influence an individual’s risk of developing sports performance anxiety, which can be related to the specific athlete or to the context with which they perform. These may include personal achievement goals, expectations, experience, fear of failure, perceived abilities, self-confidence, the value placed on results of winning or not, coaching style, intensity of the sport, whether the sport is individual or team-based, and support system for the athlete.

Does sports performance anxiety impact adults and professional athletes?

In short, yes! As the world seemingly becomes more accepting of mental health, many professional athletes have become trailblazers in contributing to that conversation and combatting the stigma surrounding it. In almost every sport, professional athletes have come forward to share their experiences. Examples of this, particularly related to sports performance anxiety, include Naomi Osaka (tennis), Rory McIlroy (golf), Brandon Brooks (football), and Alex Morgan (soccer).

What are some ways to overcome anxiety using sports therapy in Charlotte, NC?

Research has shown that utilizing the therapeutic frameworks of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness-based interventions, and Psychological Skills Training (PST) can provide athletes with the tools needed to manage sports performance anxiety.

CBT focuses on addressing unhelpful ways of thinking by looking at the connection between one’s thoughts, emotions, and actions with the purpose of changing faulty ways of thinking to improve overall functioning. Through evidenced-based strategies within the CBT framework, athletes can be taught to challenge their cognitive distortions and then replace them with more realistic, empowering thoughts. 

For example, a soccer player may miss a penalty kick in practice and think “I’m the worst player on the team and will never take a penalty kick in a real game.” Catching oneself in the moment and replacing the automatic negative thought with “I missed one penalty in practice. I can improve by practicing more, and one mistake doesn’t determine my value or future performance” can lead to resilience and motivation to continue practicing as opposed to perhaps avoiding penalty kicks and a decrease in confidence with the latter thought.

Mindfulness-based interventions, which is utilized in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), differs from CBT. Rather than changing their thoughts directly, athletes learn to acknowledge and accept thoughts and emotions without judgment, while acting in alignment with their values. So, from the example above, this may look like the athlete saying, “I feel discouraged and frustrated after missing the penalty kick, and I can still keep practicing because I value being persistent and working hard.” This approach accepts that we can’t control how we feel, but we can control how we choose to move forward without adding more judgement.

PST focuses on teaching athletes how to increase their awareness of their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It is comprised of a range of strategies, such as self-talk, imagery, arousal regulation, and goal-setting. Continuing with the example from above, perhaps this athlete could use self-talk to encourage oneself: “This is part of getting better.”

In relation to arousal regulation, the athlete could utilize a breathing exercise to calm down the nervous system. There are many breathing exercises available, but one I like to use in time-limited environments what I call the “2 inhale, 1 exhale” technique. The athlete closes their eyes, takes one long inhale through the nose, follows it with a short second inhale through the nose, and then finishes with a long exhale through the mouth. It allows the athlete to reset to a more calm and focused state.

In a therapeutic setting, the therapist works collaboratively with athletes to determine the most effective approaches for them, with the overarching goal of helping them manage performance anxiety by experiencing it without being controlled by it, and remaining present while performing in alignment with their values, training, and abilities. For children and adolescents, it is also essential to involve parents/caregivers in the treatment process, as well as potentially other significant people, such as coaches.

Likewise, for adult athletes, a strong support system is a key protective factor in building resilience and validating experiences.

As a former competitive soccer player, I often reflect on my playing days and recognize that while soccer was a meaningful and rewarding part of my life that helped me build friendships and lasting memories, it also came with stress. The constant attention to detail such as ensuring I had the correct uniform, managing demands and balance of academics and athletics, understanding tactical systems, and striving to perfect my performance created pressure to meet both my own expectations and those of my coaches and teammates. As I progressed to higher levels of competition, these demands increased, and the weight of expectations began to shape how I viewed myself and my identity. 

If you feel that you or someone you know may relate, there are resources available, including tools and therapists, like myself, who can provide valuable guidance. Just as physical skills require consistent practice, the mental side of the game also deserves attention, practice, and development.

Sources

Beenen, K. T., Vosters, J. A., & Patel, D. R. (2025). Sport-related performance anxiety in young athletes: a clinical practice review. Translational pediatrics, 14(1), 127–138. https://doi.org/10.21037/tp-24-2