Ways to Relax Your Mind Before an Important Game

by Martin B. · August 30, 2021

Many people assume that all it takes to be a good athlete is agility, strength, mobility, courage, speed, balance, technical skills, cooperation, etc. Unknown to many, however, the ability to be calm, especially under pressure, is one crucial skill for all athletes. In other words, getting your anxiety and emotions under control is the only way an athlete can perform excellently.

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Staying calm under anxiety is essential for all the other athletic skills to work in your favor. It is necessary to have a smooth performance rather than having a tight and rigid performance.

Excessive nervousness during practice and high-stake competitions will make your body tense. You will likely be distracted, making it hard to perform at your best. This makes it essential to develop coping strategies to keep your nerves under control when feeling anxious about a big game. Here are the recommended tips

Engage Positive Visualization

The anxiety of making mistakes that could cost the team and soil their reputation is one of the sources of pregame jitters. Players often imagine scenarios where they mess up or make a mistake during strategic moments in the game. Such thoughts are normal, but athletes can focus on positive visualizations.

This comes down to picturing yourself making strategic moves, helping to score goals, and performing optimally on the team. Make sure to do this a couple of hours before the actual game.

In addition to positive visualization, you can engage in this action while having your pregame warm-up. This involves showing up early to the court and practicing the shots and moves you wish to make before the actual game. Such habits can equip you with confidence when you commence the actual game.

Consider Natural Supplements

There are times you might not be able to combat performance anxiety no matter how much you try. In cases like this, you can consider getting help from a natural substance.

Cannabis or marijuana, for instance, is known for its incredible calming effect on the mind. It can go a long way to banish anxiety before the big game. As long as you are into sports that legally allow cannabis consumption (National Hockey League, Major League Basketball, etc.), it is possible to use it up to some level. For more info on this, choose high supplies.

Let Go of Mistakes on time.

It is normal for the mind to fixate and dwell on past errors yet, this does not help in any way while preparing for a game or even during the game. As a result, when you make mistakes, the right call is to let it go and get yourself into the game as soon as you can.

After the game is over, you can meditate on mistakes and think of ways to improve your skills in the future. To relax you can even go for a long duration cycling alongside your bike carrier for ute. Cycling has proved to be one of the best things one can do he relax out fast. However, dwelling on such a mistake has a high chance of affecting your performance, soiling your self-esteem, and disturbing your concentration.

Control What You can

While preparing for the game, make sure you are not distracted by things outside your control. The weather is out of your hands so is the skill and attitude of your teammates. You also cannot control the officiating team, so you have to accept these things.

Focusing on such will distract you, hurt your performance and prevent you from giving your best. On the other hand, keep your focus on your performance, attitude, cooperation, body system, etc. once you capitalize on things you can, it will balance your mental energy, positively improving your stamina.

Focus on the Present

Every athlete wants to perform at their best, score some goals, or support their team to victory. They want to score a goal to show everyone that they deserve to be on the team and that the coach should give them some accolades.

While such expectation is reasonable, it robs them of concentrating on the future, not the present moment and the immediate reality of the game before them. This is a common issue even with established athletes. They worry about how every game will affect their legacy.

However, the idea is not about focusing on the legacy but on positioning yourself for success in the game. Don’t forget that you have no control over what the media, your fans, or your coach think about you after the game. Spare yourself of that agony and perform at your best.

Accept Failure

Failure is part of life, and every great person and athlete has failed one time or the other in their life. Michael Jordan affirmed that he already failed several times, which contributed to his success.

Many athletes, however, are not so keen on accepting failure; as a result, they sabotage their success because of an irrational fear of failing. Also, the desire for perfection and maintaining their status before fans and fellow teammates get them worked up causes stress and affects their performance.

Failure is inevitable, but not letting it define you is what you should be after. There are times you will fail, but be humble enough to acknowledge it, understand what went wrong, and pick your lesson and avoid it the next time. While it is understandable that failure can be disappointing and discouraging, it is not the end of the world, and it doesn’t mark the end of your career.

Conclusion

Anxiety is expected before the big game, but it can affect your performance. This article has recommended workable tips that can help you fight anxiety before an important match.

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Martin B.

Ex-smoker, passionate vaper who loves to tell the world about the life-changing potential of vaping. Co-creator of Ecigclopedia with a background in Business & Finance. Prefers a dessert flavored vape and loves to innovate.