When I was directing and facilitating on the JUMP Challenge Course I watched many people become immobilized by fear! It was an incredible opportunity to relate their experiences to life circumstances... whether they struggled with fear on the challenge course or watched someone dealing with it. The high element that probably caused the most fear was the “Leap of Faith”. The participants would have climb a pole about 20 feet high and then walk out to the end of the platform on top of the pole. From there they would have to jump off the platform and try to grab a trapeze bar that was suspended from a cable out in front of them. When participants would get to the platform fear would set in. It is pretty hard to perform when fear gets the best of you. I remember a guy from a football team that was over 300 pounds walking out the end of that platform. His legs were shaking so bad the whole pole/platform started to shake. He needed to back up three times to the pole just to try to get his composure back. The last summer we were open we had three bathroom/bladder accidents on the leap of faith. Two of them were coaches. Luckily no one was walking underneath the platform at the time.
You may not visibly see an athlete shake or encounter a bathroom accident on the court or field, but it is amazing how much fear can affect an athlete’s performance. The worst part about it is that it sucks the fun out of things we should love doing! If a parent wasn't present, the first question parents ask when their son or daughter comes home from an event, competition, or game would be, "Did you win?" We put so much emphasis on winning in our society that it naturally creates the fear of losing, in addition to the fear of making a mistake, not meeting someon'e standards or expections, or failure. Many parents have no idea how they can actually inhibit performance and have a negative impact their son or daughter's ability to compete at the level they are capable of competing. Unfortunately they end of doing the opposite of what they are really intending to do.
Parents and coaches can play an enormous part in an athlete’s mental state of mind when it comes to the “Fear Factor”. One of the ugliest things in sports is parents living their lives through their kids. It is a sad thing when a parent’s self esteem or image hinges on the outcome of their son or daughters athletic events. Of course the worst of them typically can’t see it or they justify their comments or behavior one way or another.
Just a few of the things that can happens when the fear of losing sinks its ugly claws into an athlete;
You may not visibly see an athlete shake or encounter a bathroom accident on the court or field, but it is amazing how much fear can affect an athlete’s performance. The worst part about it is that it sucks the fun out of things we should love doing! If a parent wasn't present, the first question parents ask when their son or daughter comes home from an event, competition, or game would be, "Did you win?" We put so much emphasis on winning in our society that it naturally creates the fear of losing, in addition to the fear of making a mistake, not meeting someon'e standards or expections, or failure. Many parents have no idea how they can actually inhibit performance and have a negative impact their son or daughter's ability to compete at the level they are capable of competing. Unfortunately they end of doing the opposite of what they are really intending to do.
Parents and coaches can play an enormous part in an athlete’s mental state of mind when it comes to the “Fear Factor”. One of the ugliest things in sports is parents living their lives through their kids. It is a sad thing when a parent’s self esteem or image hinges on the outcome of their son or daughters athletic events. Of course the worst of them typically can’t see it or they justify their comments or behavior one way or another.
Just a few of the things that can happens when the fear of losing sinks its ugly claws into an athlete;
- They can lose their rhythm
- They can lose their timing
- They can lose their touch
- Their self confidence dwindles
- Doubt enters into the picture
- Their breathing can be affected
- They lose their ability to relax
- They lose their ability to stay focused
- They get tense and tight
- They often loose their ability to read, or anticipate what their opponent may do
- Their ability to react to what is going on around them is inhibited, often because they start playing in the panic mode
- They are consumed with worries and concerns about the outcome and aren’t able to think and play in the moment. In other words, they lose their ability to focus on the components of the game that would help them perform at their best.
I've played many volleyball teams that should have destroyed me. I watched them beat themselves because of the "Fear Facrtor! With all of John Wooden's success at UCLA with the Men's Basketball Team he never talked about winning, he challenged his athlete's with the pursuit of excellence. That is why I'm so convinced the concept of "Taking it to the Next Level" is so effective in conjunction with learning to celebrate progress. When athletes get the point where they are more concerned about "how" they are playing than the outcome, it FREES them to play at the highest level they are capable. Winning takes care of itself and it is a lot more fun! My elementary students hear me say all the time, "If you are more concerned about winning the game than you are about learning it and having fun, something is WRONG!" I would say that more than 90% of athletes in the performance realm are competing in the state of fear.