How to Overcome Butterflies and Nervousness

Most athletes, including myself, have at some time or another experienced what is commonly know as butterflies in the stomach or jitters- which usually comes from the excitement of the competition or contest. As a result, their nervousness can cause a drop in performance. Butterflies before a contest is common in sports; however, pregame anxiety can cause athletes to perform poorly due to tension in their muscles and restrict them from performing in the manner that they desire.

Pregame anxiety can cause athletes to lose sleep and stay up the night before worrying about the performance and outcome. Athletes may experience lack of an appetite the day of the contest because of pregame anxiety. It can cause some to have the feeling of throwing up before going out to perform. On the contrary, it can cause some to have a heighten sense of excitement to want to perform to the best of their ability.

Athletes should want to have positive butterflies when going into competition that will help them optimize their focus and performance. However, too much or little can decrease their desired performance because their anxiety levels are either too high or too low for performance. The desired outcome of every athlete is to be able to consistently control their emotions for optimal performance.

Your pregame preparation is the best time to control your emotions and to plan the optimal performance that you are seeking.

Later in this series, we will create a checklist for you to examine if you are committing some of the top mistakes during your pregame preparation.