“Frank is quickly becoming one of the games most respected and influential teachers. As the coach of a #1 WTA player, I recommend The Tennis Parent’s Bible to anyone serious about developing a champion.”
Sam Sumyk, Former Coach of Victoria Azarenka
The following post is a Q & A excerpt from the Second Edition of The Tennis Parent’s Bible available for pre-order now!
QUESTION: Why is avoiding performance anxiety in practice bad?
Frank: Avoiding stress in practice only magnifies a player’s performance anxiety during future competition. This avoidance keeps competition scary and uncomfortable and fuels the athlete’s lingering self-doubt.
“Players are actually increasing their anxieties by dodging their fears.”
Every time a player side steps their issues, the thoughts of possible failure multiply into a serious lack of confidence and self-esteem. Their apprehension and fear of competition will actually increase until they agree to stop avoiding their fears.
Psychologists report that the central nervous system decreases its arousal state with extended exposure to the same stimuli. In other words, if one’s nervous system isn’t overly aroused any more… it stops experiencing excessive performance anxiety.
Familiar things get boring. This is human nature. So, the best way for players to alleviate their performance anxieties is through exposure not avoidance.
If your child has performance anxieties, ask them to review with their coach the below facts regarding avoiding anxiety:
Five Avoiding Anxiety Consequences:
1) Avoidance eliminates exposure and experiencing the harmless reality of a tennis match.
2) Avoidance clutters the mind and steals any real analysis of the facts.
3) Avoidance eliminates repetition and the chance to see the event as actually routine.
4) Avoidance stops the practice of the actual protocols so there is no mastery of skills.
5) Avoidance kills true mastery and mastery is what decreases future failures.
Another way to look at the effects of avoiding anxieties is that it magnifies ignorance and multiplies fear, nervousness, uncertainty, distress and disorganization. Although confronting performance anxieties is difficult, it’s the exposure that brings empowerment. So, exposure is the most potent medicine for performance anxiety.
Contact: Frank Giampaolo
FGSA@earthlink.net
www.MaximizingTennisPotential.com
