Performance Anxiety in Athletes: a Closer Look by Martindale Coaching’s Linda Martindale

Performance Anxiety in Athletes: a Closer Look by Martindale Coaching’s Linda Martindale

In the second of our two part series on the challenges athletes faces, we look at performance anxiety issues amongst athletes of all ages, courtesy of Linda Martindale and Martindale Coaching.

Linda Martindale, Martindale Coaching

OnFocus: Explain a bit about what you see in performance anxiety from student-athletes. Does this differ among youth, high school and college student-athletes?

Martindale: Performance anxiety is common in all levels of sports, from youth to college athletes.  The most important coach an athlete will ever have is the one in their own head – this should be developed as early as possible.  What are young athletes saying to themselves?  We need to have these discussions with our children while they’re developing.  Inner dialog that sounds like, “I’m not good enough.” Is not helping.  At the youth level, anxiety often stems from the pressure to please parents and coaches or from a fear of making mistakes.  Younger athletes are still developing athletic skills, emotional coping mechanisms and an understanding of what “winning” means so they need a lot of guidance before, during and after competition.  A good youth coach recognizes the importance of “teaching” during every interaction with their athletes.  

See the first part in our series: Hurdles Athletes Overcome: a Closer Look from Coaching Expert Linda Martindale

As athletes progress to high school, performance anxiety can intensify due to the increased stakes, such as getting cut from a team, social media pressure or even earning a college scholarship.  Anxiety at this level can look like burn-out, over-training, quitting a team and failing to perform under pressure.  The “Inner Coach” is even more important at this level.

At the college level, performance anxiety can become a huge problem for athletes especially if they feel alone or unsupported.  Some athletes have trouble sleeping, eating, balancing academics and the problems start to impact an athlete’s mental health.  Creating a supportive culture of open communication can make a huge difference at this level.

OnFocus: What should parents know about performance anxiety and how can they help?

Martindale: Parents play an important role in an athlete’s development.  I talk to college coaches all the time about how to develop relationships with parents; some do not feel like parents should be involved.  New Flash – they are involved and can’t be ignored.  The reason is because some have significant influence over an athlete’s well-being.  If a coach develops a trusting relationship with an athlete, parents will step back (most of the time).  At the same time, parents need to let their athletes build relationships with coaches and teammates that enhance their athletic career. Supporting their athletes and focusing on hard work and improvement can really help – especially if an athlete is struggling.  During the Olympics, we heard several successful athletes say that they focused on “being enough” meaning that their preparation was enough and that is what they needed to focus on rather than the outcome.  Pushing our athletes to perform can often backfire.  Pushing our athletes to work hard and prepare for competition is often the better answer.

OnFocus: What role should coaches play in supporting student-athletes and their anxieties?

Martindale: Coaching is a verb.  A constant role of supporting, mentoring, guiding, developing, encouraging, serving and being present.  Being a coach is not for everyone.  It can be hard, stressful, frustrating but most of all rewarding.  Sports can induce anxiety and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.  Recognizing the signs of increased anxiety or other mental health issues is very important for a coach.  Additionally, keeping an open communication with one’s athletes is critical.  Developing a culture of trust can have tremendous benefits when things become difficult. Emphasizing growth, learning from mistakes, and teamwork can reduce anxiety and build a team culture that allows all participants to thrive.

The importance of training physical fitness as well as mental fitness cannot be underestimated.  It starts with great communication and building a relationship based on mutual respect and trust. Coaching players to be great captains and peer leaders is an amazing way to build a culture when the coach isn’t around.  

As a female coach who coaches high school boys, I can’t always be in the locker room so I need to make sure that my culture is consistent when I’m not around.  This starts and ends with great Captains. I work hard to mentor them and it pays off throughout the season.

OnFocus: What advice can you share for sports officials as they officiate contests with the rise in performance anxiety among student-athletes?

Martindale: I don’t really have any specific advice for officials other than remaining unbiased, fair and respectful during games. They do play an important secondary role in sports and should be clear, decisive, respectful and in control during competition.

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Author: David Keech

David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at keechertheteacher@gmail.com