How to Handle Nerves at the Beginning of a Season

Do you get really nervous at the beginning of a season? Do you feel more expectations and notice that you typically don’t perform as well as you have been throughout training?

In this article, I’m going to go over why athletes get more nervous at the beginning of a season, and some sports psychology tools and techniques that you can use to manage this nervousness.

Why Athletes Get Nervous at the Start of the Season

Something I see a lot in the athletes I work with is an increased feeling of nervousness and pressure at the beginning of a season. One of the main reasons athletes share that they’re feeling this way has to do with wanting to prove themselves to their teammates.

This is especially true if you’re on a new team and you’re wanting to prove yourself to your new teammates or to your new coach.

For example, a young soccer player I’m working with right now wasn’t experiencing a lot of fear or anxiety last season because he was playing with a team he’d been with for a while. But he’s now on a new club, and at the start of this season, he’s experiencing more fear, more anxiety, and more nervousness.

All of this is coming from him wanting to prove himself to his new teammates and coaches.

Another example is a baseball player I’ve worked with who experiences this cycle every season. At the beginning, he feels more stress and pressure because of the expectations he puts on himself.

He wants others to see how much he’s improved. But because of that, he ends up more tense and stressed.

As the season progresses, he settles in. He sees himself perform well, which builds confidence, and he plays better.

But here’s the challenge: for him, for that soccer player, and for every other athlete (including yourself), we all want to start strong. We want to get off to a good start at the beginning of the season.

Unfortunately, this nervousness and pressure often works against us and hurts our ability to perform well from the beginning.

The Harm in Wanting to Prove Yourself

Now, it doesn’t mean you can’t want to prove yourself at the beginning of the season. But we have to recognize how hurtful that feeling can be.

These nerves, this fear of performing poorly, or even losing your starting position—whatever it may be—will often result in underperformance.

So, to break this down, I want to cover three different ideas that will help you as you start the season. Then I’ll share some in-the-moment tools you can use during games to reduce nervousness, fear, and anxiety.

Step One: Reframe Nervousness to Excitement

The first thing you want to do is work on reframing nervousness into excitement.

At the beginning of the season, if you’re experiencing nerves and worry about how things are going to go, this can quickly turn into fear and scared play. You don’t want to perform poorly, so you tighten up.

Instead, try to reframe your thinking:

• “I’m excited to show everybody what I can do.”

• “I’m excited to play well at the beginning of the season.”

Rather than thinking, “I hope I don’t play poorly. I hope I don’t mess up. I don’t normally play well at the start of the season.”

This shift in thinking can change your performance. A simple reframe from nervousness to excitement moves you from being a nervous player to a confident one.

Step Two: Focus on the Process, Not the Outcome

The next thing you want to work on is shifting from being outcome-focused to process-focused.

Going back to that baseball player, one way we helped him move past nervousness was by shifting from focusing on stats—like batting average or number of hits—to focusing instead on the process of his game.

This is a theme I talk about often because I truly believe in it. When we go from focusing primarily on the outcome and results to giving our attention to the process, we reduce fear and anxiety and put ourselves in a better position to play well.

So, if you’re stressed about starting strong, reframe that into daily and game-day process goals.

For practice:
Don’t just think, “I want to have a good practice.” That’s too open-ended. Instead, ask:

• What does a good practice mean today?

• What specific things do I need to do?

Otherwise, you may expect perfection, which leads to self-criticism.

For games:
Don’t say, “I just want to have a good game.” Instead, set specific, controllable focus points that define success.

Step Three: Build Confidence Through Preparation

The third thing you want to do is really focus on preparation.

Confidence follows preparation. While confident thinking matters, as the season begins it’s easy to overlook your preparation because of anxiety and stress.

So, as you reframe nervousness and shift focus from outcome to process, make sure you’re:

• Preparing for practices with intention.

• Putting in extra work where needed.

• Mentally preparing before practices and games.

This not only gets you into a better mindset but also builds trust in yourself. That trust will help you play freely and confidently.

In-the-Moment Tools to Manage Nerves

Now let’s move on to the main in-the-moment strategies you can use going into games, especially if you’re feeling nervous.

1. Breathing Exercises

Whether it’s mindfulness meditation or count breathing (inhale for four, exhale for four), using your breath will help calm nerves. Do this before practices, before games, and even during competition if needed.

2. Visualization

Use visualization to see yourself playing calm and confident. If you normally build confidence as the season goes on by seeing yourself perform well, leverage that through mental rehearsal. The more you visualize success, the more confidence you’ll feel when you step onto the field.

3. Thought-Stopping & Mantras

Have simple mantras or thought-stopping phrases ready for when nerves or anxiety hit. For example:

• “Let it go.”

• “Breathe.”

• “Focus on the present.”

Being present is the ultimate state for athletes. That’s when you play freely and naturally. Use these cues to let go of worries about performance, stats, or playing time.

Final Thoughts

If you’re currently struggling with this cycle where you only feel confident as the season progresses, it’s time to figure out how to start strong in spite of nerves, anxiety, and fear.

To recap:

1. Reframe nervousness into excitement.

2. Shift from outcome focus to process focus.

3. Build confidence through preparation.

4. Use breathing, visualization, and mantras in the moment.

These strategies will help you manage nerves and set yourself up for a strong start to the season.

If you’re interested in going deeper, I do offer one-on-one coaching that will help.

I’ve also created two online courses:

• The Confident Competitor Academy
• The Mentally Tough Kid

And if you’re more of a reader, check out my books:

• Mind Games
• Athlete Mental Training

Thank you for reading and I wish you the best of success in all that you do.