You’ve practiced, prepared, and put in the work. So why does anxiety seem to show up right before a game?
For athletes, pre-game nerves can look like racing thoughts, a pounding heart, muscle tension, trouble sleeping, or a constant fear of making a mistake. You might worry about letting your teammates down, disappointing your coach, or not performing at the level you know you’re capable of.
Some nervousness before competition is normal. In fact, a certain level of adrenaline can help you feel alert and ready to perform. But when anxiety starts interfering with your focus, confidence, or ability to enjoy your sport, it may be time to approach the mental side of performance just as intentionally as you approach physical training.
What Is Sports Anxiety?
Sports anxiety, sometimes called performance anxiety, involves feelings of worry, fear, or nervousness related to athletic performance. It can happen before a game, during competition, or even in the days leading up to an important event.
Sports anxiety can affect athletes at any level, from youth and high school sports to college athletics and adult recreational leagues. It may show up as:
- Overthinking every possible outcome before a game
- Worrying about making mistakes or being judged
- Comparing your performance to teammates or competitors
- Feeling physically tense, shaky, nauseated, or restless
- Losing focus or second-guessing decisions
- Feeling like your self-worth depends on how you perform
- Avoiding competition because of the pressure
Anxiety does not mean you are unprepared, weak, or not cut out for your sport. Often, it reflects how much you care about performing well. The goal is not necessarily to eliminate nerves, but to learn how to respond to them without letting them take over.
Why Does Performance Anxiety Happen Before a Game?
Performance anxiety can develop for many reasons, and every athlete’s experience is different.
Fear of failure. You may feel pressure to meet expectations, avoid mistakes, or prove that you belong. When mistakes start to feel unacceptable, competition can become more about avoiding failure than playing your game.
Perfectionism. Athletes who hold themselves to extremely high standards may struggle to accept that mistakes are part of sports. Even a small error can lead to frustration, self-criticism, or worries about what will happen next.
Pressure from others. Coaches, parents, teammates, and spectators can all influence how an athlete experiences competition. Sometimes, the pressure athletes feel from others becomes pressure they place on themselves.
Past experiences. A previous injury, disappointing performance, difficult competition, or highly stressful game can contribute to anxiety before future events.
Identity and self-worth. When sports become a major part of your identity, performance can feel deeply personal. A bad game may feel like proof that you are not good enough rather than one experience in a much larger athletic journey.
Understanding what contributes to your anxiety can help you identify which strategies may be most useful.
7 Ways to Manage Sports Anxiety Before a Game
The goal of managing sports anxiety is not to eliminate every nervous feeling or convince yourself that nothing will go wrong. It is to build your ability to experience anxiety, uncertainty, and self-doubt without allowing them to dictate your performance. You can feel nervous and still compete, have an unhelpful thought and still focus, or make a mistake and still recover.
1. Focus on What You Can Control
You cannot control the final score, an opponent’s performance, a referee’s call, or every mistake that might happen. You can control your preparation, effort, and how you respond to what happens during competition.
Before a game, identify two or three actions you want to focus on, such as communicating with teammates, staying engaged after a mistake, or committing to your game plan.
When your mind starts focusing on everything that could go wrong, notice the urge to predict or control the outcome. Then bring your attention back to the next action you can take.
The goal is not to convince yourself that everything will go well. It is to recognize that you can participate in the game without knowing exactly how it will unfold.
2. Create a Pre-Game Routine That Makes Room for Anxiety
The goal is never to eliminate anxiety entirely. Instead, it is to build the confidence to recognize anxiety, manage it effectively, and continue showing up for yourself and your sport, even when nerves are present.
A pre-game routine can help you prepare consistently, but it does not need to be a way to eliminate anxiety before you compete.
You might listen to music, complete your usual warm-up, review your game plan, or take a few comfortable breaths. The important part is learning to follow your routine even when you do not feel completely calm or confident.
If you notice yourself thinking, “I can’t play until I calm down,” practice continuing with your preparation while allowing the nerves to be there.
Your routine should support your readiness, not become another thing you have to do perfectly to feel ready to compete.
3. Practice Allowing Unhelpful Thoughts to Be There
Before a game, your mind might tell you, “I’m going to mess up,” “What if I let everyone down?” or “I’m not good enough to be here.”
It can be tempting to argue with these thoughts, reassure yourself that they are not true, or replace them with positive affirmations. Sometimes, this can turn into an exhausting cycle of trying to get your mind to cooperate before you feel ready to play.
Instead, practice noticing your thoughts without treating them as facts or instructions.
For example, rather than telling yourself, “I can’t make any mistakes today,” try, “I’m noticing the thought that I’m going to make a mistake.”
You can also remind yourself, “My mind is giving me a worst-case scenario. I don’t have to figure it out right now.”
Then return to what you were doing, whether that is warming up, talking with teammates, or preparing for the game.
You do not have to prove the thought wrong, replace it with something positive, or make it disappear. The practice is allowing the thought to exist without giving it all your attention.
4. Build Your Ability to Tolerate Discomfort
Sometimes, the hardest part of pre-game anxiety is not the anxiety itself. It is the belief that you should not be feeling anxious in the first place.
You might become frustrated with yourself for being nervous or worry that your anxiety means you are unprepared. This creates a second layer of distress: you are anxious about the game and upset that you are anxious.
Instead of asking, “How do I make this feeling go away?” try asking, “Can I make room for this feeling and still do what matters to me?”
Notice the physical sensations that accompany anxiety. Maybe your heart is racing, your stomach feels unsettled, or your muscles are tense. Rather than immediately trying to fix these sensations, practice observing them without judging them or treating them as a sign that something is wrong.
You might tell yourself, “This is uncomfortable, and I can handle being uncomfortable.”
Then continue with your preparation while allowing the sensations to be there.
This is distress tolerance: learning that you can experience uncomfortable emotions without automatically needing to escape, suppress, or resolve them. You are not trying to enjoy anxiety or force yourself to endure overwhelming distress. You are gradually learning that discomfort can be present without making your decisions for you.
5. Practice Recovering From Mistakes Without Getting Pulled Into a Thought Spiral
For some athletes, one mistake can affect the rest of their performance. You miss a shot, make an error, or lose possession, and your mind immediately starts replaying what happened or predicting what might go wrong next.
The mistake itself may be brief, but your reaction to it can interfere with the next several plays.
Practice noticing the difference between what happened and the story your mind starts telling about it.
For example, “I missed that shot” describes an event. “I’m playing terribly, my coach is disappointed, and I’m going to keep messing up” is a series of interpretations and predictions.
You do not need to argue with every part of that story. Instead, recognize that your mind is trying to make sense of what happened, allow the frustration or embarrassment to be present, and redirect your attention to your next responsibility.
A simple cue such as “Next play” or “Back to the task” can help.
You might still feel disappointed. You might still be thinking about the mistake. The goal is not to feel completely better before continuing; it is to practice re-engaging with the game while those feelings are still there.
6. Separate Your Performance From Your Self-Worth
When sports are a major part of your identity, a difficult performance can feel deeply personal. A mistake may become evidence that you are not good enough, or a loss may feel like proof that you have disappointed everyone around you.
These interpretations can make every game feel like a test of your worth rather than an opportunity to compete, learn, and improve.
Practice noticing when you move from evaluating your performance to judging yourself as a person.
There is a difference between “I made a mistake on that play” and “I’m a terrible athlete.” One identifies something you can learn from; the other turns a moment into a judgment about who you are.
You can take your goals seriously, hold yourself accountable, and work to improve without attacking yourself in the process.
Your performance matters, and it is okay to care about doing well. But your worth does not have to rise and fall with your statistics, playing time, wins, or losses.
7. Practice These Skills Before You Need Them
It is difficult to develop a new response to anxiety in the middle of a high-pressure game if you have never practiced it outside of competition.
Start incorporating these skills into regular practices and lower-pressure situations. Notice when you become frustrated, worry about making mistakes, or feel the urge to avoid something uncomfortable. Practice acknowledging those experiences and continuing with the task rather than immediately trying to get rid of the discomfort.
Before your next game, choose one skill to practice. You might notice self-critical thoughts without getting caught up in them, allow yourself to feel nervous without treating it as a sign that you are unprepared, or redirect your attention after a mistake even if you are still frustrated.
After the game, reflect on how you responded to pressure, not just on the outcome.
- Did I notice when I got caught up in my thoughts?
- Was I able to return my attention to the game, even when I still felt anxious?
- How did I respond to mistakes or unexpected setbacks?
- What do I want to keep practicing next time?
Progress may not look like feeling less anxious right away. It may look like recognizing that you are anxious and discovering that you can still do what matters to you.
What If You Feel Anxious During the Game?
Even with preparation, anxiety may show up once competition begins. Rather than viewing this as a failure, treat it as an opportunity to practice responding differently.
When you notice yourself overthinking or becoming overwhelmed by pressure:
- Notice: Recognize that you are caught up in a thought, feeling, or prediction about what might happen.
- Allow: Give yourself permission to feel nervous, frustrated, or uncertain without immediately trying to make the feeling disappear.
- Refocus: Bring your attention back to the next play, decision, movement, or responsibility in front of you.
You might use a short cue such as “Next play,” “Back to the task,” or “I can feel nervous and still compete.” Choose language that feels natural to you and practice it during training, not just on game day.
You may have to repeat this process many times during a game. That does not mean you are doing it wrong. Each time you notice that your attention has drifted and choose to return to the present, you are practicing a skill that can help you respond more flexibly under pressure.
When Should Athletes Consider Therapy for Sports Anxiety?
Pre-game nerves are common, but you do not have to manage persistent performance anxiety on your own. Therapy may be helpful if anxiety regularly affects your performance, confidence, enjoyment of your sport, sleep, or relationships.
Working with a therapist can help you explore perfectionism, fear of failure, self-criticism, pressure from others, and the connection between athletic performance and self-worth. It can also help you practice tolerating uncomfortable emotions, stepping back from unhelpful thoughts, and responding to setbacks without getting caught in cycles of rumination or self-criticism.
You do not need to eliminate anxiety to benefit from support. The goal is to build a different relationship with it, so that nervousness, uncertainty, or self-doubt do not have to determine how you show up.
Learning to tolerate discomfort takes practice, just like any other skill. Over time, you can work toward responding to pressure more intentionally, recovering from setbacks, and spending less energy fighting your own thoughts.
You Can Be Nervous and Still Perform
Managing sports anxiety does not mean becoming an athlete who never feels nervous. It means learning that you can experience nerves without allowing them to dictate your choices, attention, or confidence.
You can feel pressure and still trust your training. You can make a mistake and still recover. You can care deeply about the outcome without making it the measure of your worth.
If performance anxiety is making it harder to enjoy your sport or perform with confidence, support is available. At Welling Wellness, therapy can help you better understand your relationship with pressure, build practical coping skills, and develop a more sustainable approach to achievement.
Ready to explore therapy? Visit Welling Wellness to learn more about the practice and available services.
Sports are a major part of Maryland’s culture, from high school athletics and college sports to competitive club teams and recreational leagues. For many athletes, sports are more than a game; they are a source of identity, connection, and personal achievement. But the pressure to perform, meet expectations, and avoid mistakes can contribute to sports anxiety and performance anxiety. At Welling Wellness, we offer therapy for athletes in Maryland who want to manage pre-game nerves, navigate performance pressure, address perfectionism, and build confidence in their ability to perform under pressure. Whether you compete in high school, college, or adult sports, sports psychology-informed therapy can help you develop practical skills to manage anxiety and stay focused on your goals.
