Sports Psychology Articles

Quick Summary:

• Athletes often hold themselves back in games due to fear, not lack of talent.
• The most common fears include fear of mistakes, intimidation, fear of injury, fear of success, and over-focusing on results.
• Fear triggers a protection mode in the brain that leads athletes to play cautiously and avoid involvement.
• Holding back may feel safer, but it usually worsens performance and confidence.
• Identifying the specific fear driving your play is the first step toward playing freely and aggressively.

Quick Summary:

• Playing not to lose shifts athletes into a defensive, scared mindset.
• Fear of losing leads to hesitation, safe decisions, and underperformance.
• Playing aggressively requires accepting mistakes and losses.
• Athletes should judge performance based on effort and intent, not outcomes.
• Awareness of fear before and during games helps athletes play to win.

Quick Summary:

• Athletes play scared because of fear, not because they lack skill. Playing scared shows up as hesitation, second guessing, and holding back during games, even when athletes perform well in practice.
• The most common driver of scared play is fear of negative consequences, such as making mistakes, getting embarrassed, losing a starting role, getting yelled at, or letting others down.
• Outcome-focused thinking increases fear. When athletes fixate on results they want to avoid, their brain shifts into protection mode, leading to cautious, timid decision-making.
• Fear of injury or contact can also cause athletes to play scared, especially when they try to avoid physical situations that are required to perform at a high level in competition.
• Athletes stop playing scared by accepting fear, shifting from avoidance-based goals to controllable process goals, and training themselves to play aggressively and freely under pressure.