Is it Okay to Feel Nervous Before Games?

It is completely normal to feel nervous going into a game. But there’s a big difference between feeling nervous and then that turning into anxiety.

So, what we need to make sure of is that when you do feel nervous—because again, this is completely normal— that doesn’t turn into you holding yourself back or playing nervous as a result of you feeling nervous.

And that’s what we’re going to cover in this article.

Understanding Normal Nervousness

Athletes ask me a lot within my one-on-one coaching if it’s normal for them to feel nervous. And I always tell them first and foremost that feeling nervous is completely normal and it’s okay.

Those feelings of nervousness are natural and sometimes they even help you. They can give you more motivation or an adrenaline boost and then you go out there and you perform better because you do have that nervous feeling.

But there are also the cases where this nervousness turns into a distraction—where maybe the athlete starts to become anxious or afraid because they know that in the past when they felt nervous they have underperformed.

It’s completely okay and normal to feel nervous. But we need to be careful that that doesn’t translate into us playing nervous.

What It Means to “Play Nervous”

Now what do I mean by playing nervous?

When we play nervous, this means that we are scared to make mistakes. We are playing with anxiety and worry about what will happen, what other people will think, how the game will turn out.

And what that translates to is a scared style of play where you avoid situations where you could make mistakes. Maybe you don’t play with as much confidence because you are so hyperfixated on the fact that you are nervous.

Whereas normal nervousness is a feeling, but then we’re still able to go out there and play aggressively. We are still able to put ourselves in positions to succeed. We’re still able to put ourselves in positions to where we might make a mistake, but we accept that that’s a potential and we’re going to play hard and play aggressive anyway.

It’s when the nervousness becomes a distraction, and the nervousness actually changes your style of play, that nervousness becomes a challenge.

How Fighting Nervousness Can Make it Worse

Back when I was in college, I got nervous before every single game, and a lot of times I got nervous before practice. I dealt with a lot of nervousness, which turned into anxiety.

I knew that there were many times when I felt nervous and then I underperformed. So I began to associate the feeling of nervousness with underperforming.

As a result, I fought that feeling a lot.

But in doing so, I was actually creating a state of anxiety. So then I was going into games terrified that I would play poorly. I would try to control the result. I would perform stiff and timid because now I’m scared of making mistakes since I think that’s what’s going to happen.

So the nervousness translated into this timid, scared, anxious style of play because I was trying to fight that initial feeling of nervousness.

Tip #1: Accept That You Feel Nervous

What I teach athletes within my one-on-one coaching is that we have to accept that we do feel a certain way in the moment to allow ourselves to then move past that. That way, we’re not stuck fixating on the nervousness.

We accept that we are nervous so then we can turn our attention onto the controllable objectives we need to focus on—working to stay present, working to stay in the moment, not stressing about the result, not stressing about what other people think.

But we are only able to do that once we accept that we do feel nervous right now in the moment.

But it is admittedly very difficult to accept your nervousness if you’re currently feeling like you don’t want to be nervous. It’s not an attractive feeling to accept in the moment. You’re naturally going to try to resist it. And that’s why we need to try to change that association.

It’s okay to feel nervous, but it’s hurtful to your performance to play nervous. And you play nervous by trying to fight the nervousness—then playing scared, playing timid, holding yourself back, all of that.

We work to avoid that by accepting that we do feel nervous in the moment.

Tip #2: Have One or Two Tools to Stay Present

The second part of this is that as you go into the game, I want you to have one or two ways that you can work to stay present.

When we are in a game, our ultimate goal is to be present. Because being present allows you to play freely.

Back to my college example: when I was getting really nervous and then playing nervous, during the game I was still focusing on my nervousness. And then even worse than that, I was worried about what would happen. Will I strike out? Will I make an error? What are my stats looking like right now?

My attention was very rarely fully in the present moment.

Once I worked to do that, I saw an improvement in my performance. But most importantly, once I’ve been able to help other athletes get themselves to be more present, the nervousness stops becoming such a focal point. And we stop worrying so much about what the result will be.

Tools to Keep Yourself Present

Here are a few options you can use:

1. Focus on your breathing. It’s a great way to stay present because you’re helping yourself relax while keeping your attention in the moment.
2. Focus on a controllable objective. This could be:
   1. Giving full effort
   2. Calling for the ball
   3. Watching the ball
   4. A swing thought or technique cue

1. Use a visual cue. “Be where your feet are.” Focus on what’s happening right now on the field or court. Many soccer players I work with remind themselves to focus on the ball through their vision.
2. Use your self-talk. Tell yourself:
   1. “Be here.”
   2. “Focus in the moment.”
   3. “Stay present.”

Bringing It All Together

When we play nervous, we play with anxiety and worry about what will happen. We aren’t playing present.

So going back to the original question: it is perfectly normal and okay to feel nervous. A lot of times it helps you focus and give more effort.

But there are also a lot of times where that nervousness becomes a distraction.

If that’s the case for you, you want to work to accept that you’re nervous and then work to stay present when you compete—using your breathing, your self-talk, visual cues, or controllable objectives.

Because when we feel nervous, there is the tendency to start to worry about what might happen or what might not happen. We start to worry about the future and try to control our performance. That’s when nervousness really becomes a problem—not simply the feeling itself.

If you’re interested in learning more about my one-on-one mental coaching program, click here to schedule a free introductory coaching call, or fill out the form below.

I’ve also created two online mental training courses for athletes:

• 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.