Dr. Josie Perry specialises in supporting athletes, stage performers, and professionals who struggle with performance anxiety.
Sometimes, in a physical activity or sport, it’s logical to be afraid.
For example:
- If a gymnast is trying a new, potentially risky move, they may fall and physically hurt themselves.
- If a rugby player decides to run into a breakdown and grab the ball they might get injured during the collision.
- If a cyclist is descending a mountain with no barriers and an uneven road surface, there is a chance they will crash.
When working with participants with these kinds of fears, it’s important to remember they are rational fears and should be accepted and validated.
Your role as a coach is to continue to do what you do all the time through support and challenge; reduce those fears through purposeful skill development, and gradually stretch the participant out of their comfort zone.
A far more difficult type of fear for participants and their coaches to manage is when the fear isn’t a physical risk but is instead a psychological one.
For example:
- What if I try and fail?
- What if I work hard at the skill and simply cannot do it?
- What if I give everything, train hard, attend all the sessions and I am still not selected? What if I am judged? And if I fail does that mean I am a failure?
We call this performance anxiety.