“Limits, like fears, are often just an illusion” Michael Jordan
An athlete’s performance doesn’t solely rely on how many hours they spend in practice.
It is also influenced by their motives and reasons to act.
When an athlete is driven by success, this motive usually occurs in two dimensions:
- Strive for success
- Fear of failure.
What is the Fear of Failure?
Fear of failure is an intense worry you experience when you imagine all the horrible things that could happen on the court if you failed to achieve your desired results.
The intense worry increases the odds of holding you back or giving up.
Being successful relies, to a large extent, on your ability to leverage fear.
The fear of failure is relatively common among athletes, so you are not alone. To become a successful athlete, it is essential to leverage your fear of failure.
Signs of Fear of Failure:
• You worry about what other people think about you
• You worry about disappointing others.
• You worry about not achieving your basketball goals.
• When you failed once, you use it as evidence in your inability to succeed.
• You worry about making mistakes on the court.
• You feel anxious before the game because you feel you will make mistakes.
• Your self-talk is negative, during games, which interfere with your focus.
• You believe you need to be perfect to gain the approval and respect of others.
Impact of Fear and Anxiety
Do you know what happens when you succumb to the fear of failure?
You start exaggerating the consequences of what might happen if things don’t go according to your plan.
Sports psychologists for basketball call this ‘catastrophizing’ – the phenomena whereby you conjure up dire and dramatic worst-case scenario images in your mind. Rather than acting quickly to head off or mitigate a situation if things start going off track, you imagine negative thoughts that are out of your control.
You terrify yourself with images of destitution, being shunned by your friends and family, ostracized by your peers and shamed by your failure. Overthinking about things isn’t just a nuisance. It can take a severe toll on your performance.
Fear causes you to focus on what you don’t want to happen. It robs you of your optimal performance because your performance is based on a state of tension, indecision, and carefulness.
Sports psychology for basketball also shows that fear leads to emotional distress.
To escape that distress, many athletes resort to unhealthy coping strategies, instead of relying on mental skills techniques.
Overcoming fear of making mistakes is easier said than done.
With consistent practice, you can limit your negative thinking patterns and overcome perfectionism mindset.
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