One struggle athletes face is fatigue and lack of sleep from the demands of both their sport and their classes. Student athletes also tend to deal with added pressure and stress. Like every student, athletes need to pass their classes, but unlike regular students, they are required to uphold a certain GPA….

Ethics in sport requires four key virtues: fairness, integrity, responsibility, and respect. Athletes and coaches are not discriminated against or excluded from participating in a sport based on their race, gender, or sexual orientation….

Common Mental Game Challenges for Athletes

• Fragile or low self-confidence. In sports confidence is defined as one’s belief in their ability to execute a task or win an event.
• Breakdowns in trust.
• High Expectations.
• Fear of Failure and Social approval.
• Perfectionism.

The Six Most Common Challenges and Rewards of Working in the Sports Industry

• Motivating Others. In the sports world, extra effort is rewarded.
• Experiencing the Thrill of Victory. Every sports competition has a winner.
• Learning to Be a Successful Coach.
• Managing Time.
• Remembering the Individual.

1) Competitive Stressors

• Injury.
• Returning from injury.
• Pressures leading up to game day.
• Pressures to perform during a big game.
• The opposition.
• Competition for places.
• Issues with form and/or technique.

Ranking List

Ranking	Sport
1	Boxing
2	Ice Hockey
3	American Football
4	Basketball

Uncertainty is a major cause of anxiety, whether in sports or any other aspect of life. The significance of the event also affects anxiety levels. The higher the stakes, the higher your anxiety is likely to rise. Expectations also play a role in how anxious you feel….

As for the sport environment, difficult relationships with teammates or coaches, unrealistic or unclear performance expectations, time demands, lack of clarity regarding role definition within the team, consistent critical feedback coupled with little to no communication of support or encouragement, intolerance for …

Healthy ways for athletes to deal with stress are to engage in pleasurable activities, get efficient rest, maintain a positive perspective, laugh, and strengthen their social relationships. A big mistake that athletes make is to train too hard too fast. Instead, training should be gradually progressive.

Stress has been identified as crucial in sport, influencing performance as well as social functioning (Jones & Hardy, 1990). Increased anxiety and burn-out are symptoms which have been associated to an inability to manage stress in sport, as well as decreased self-esteem and performance difficulties.

How to Manage Symptoms

1. Ensure that you have practiced enough so that you are confident during competition.
2. For “away” games, ask friends or family to be there to root you on.
3. Generate that “team spirit” even for individual sports by making friends with other competitors.

5 TIPS FOR RELAXING THROUGH SPORT

1. Try abdominal breathing. To relax before, after or even during your workout (depending on your sport), try abdominal breathing: Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth as slowly as possible.
2. Do yoga. Sports don’t get much more zen than yoga.
3. Go hardcore.
4. Remember to stretch.
5. Meditation and visualisation.

Trait anxiety refers to anxiety as a characteristic of a person, so that the person is generally anxious about unknown outcomes, it is a part of who the person is. In sport state anxiety may rise when an athlete is in a high-pressure situation and is called upon to perform….

“It’s a common misnomer. Pro athletes do experience anxiety, the same way everybody else does,” Aoyagi, who’s worked with NFL players and Olympic athletes, told CBS News. He said telling players the Super Bowl is “just another game” isn’t helpful at curbing game-related nerves….

In high-pressure situations, I recommend that you focus on your breathing while staying mindful of your surroundings. Breathing deeply slows the heart rate, calms the nervous system and a calm body is followed by a calm mind.

Push yourself and test your physical limits, by training with the same intensity that you play with during a game. By simulating game like intensity, athletes will feel less pressure during competition. 6) Practice Psyching Yourself Up: When training practice self-motivation and positive self-encouragement….

Pro football players are no different regardless of their age or experience. The week builds through meetings and practice, thinking and action to prepare for the game. The fact that you move from training to the game and you have nowhere to hide in a full stadium does initiate some nervousness….

Remind nervous players what they are good at – or better still, get them to remind each other. Get them in pairs around the changing room and give them two minutes to tell each other 2 or 3 good things about each other….Motivating players that are nervous or scared

1. Scared.
2. Nervous.
3. Confident.
4. Complacent.

Coping With Pre-Competition Nervousness

1. Visualization.
2. Goal Setting.
3. Relaxation Techniques.
4. Cognitive Restructuring.
5. Develop Self-Confidence.
6. Distract Yourself.
7. Focus on What You Can Control.

Here are 5 Tips to help overcome nervousness before games/competitions:

1. Focus on the process not the outcome.
2. Develop a consistent pregame routine.
3. Keep things in perspective by understanding your values and principles.
4. Relax leading up to the “big” game and treat it like any other game.
5. Train your mind on daily basis.

Prepare yourself mentally for anything which could happen during the game. Do a little mental rehearsal every day; see yourself performing in an ideal mental state….Improve your pre-game mental preparation

1. Be calm under pressure.
2. Control of their emotions.
3. Be Confident.
4. Mentally alert.
5. Be Positive.

Feeling nervous before a performance is natural — and part of your body’s way of helping you do your best. The “stress hormones” (like adrenaline) that your body produces at times like these can actually help you focus.

Here are some helpful, actionable tips you can try the next time you need to calm down.

1. Breathe.
2. Admit that you’re anxious or angry.
3. Challenge your thoughts.
4. Release the anxiety or anger.
5. Visualize yourself calm.
6. Think it through.
7. Listen to music.
8. Change your focus.