Performance Anxiety

Philthepockets

Philthepockets

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Has anyone that suffers from this horrible affliction ever beaten it into submission and gone on to be successful in winning and or performing to the best of their ability? Or do you know of a professional sports person that has overcome Performance anxiety or any related success stories for that matter. Any input would be much appreciated :thumbup:

Thanks
 
Many was the night my second wife said I had performance anxiety, but I worked very hard for a long long time and finally divorced her sorry butt. :grin:
 
Philthepockets said:
Has anyone that suffers from this horrible affliction ever beaten it into submission and gone on to be successful in winning and or performing to the best of their ability? Or do you know of a professional sports person that has overcome Performance anxiety or any related success stories for that matter. Any input would be much appreciated :thumbup:

Thanks
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Here is a good thing to say to yourself before every shot...it helps me to get over the jitters... " I have made this shot a million times" This will give you a positive image just before pulling the trigger instead of a negative...
It has been very helpful to me and maybe for you...
Hope that helps... Keep on strokin!!:thumbup:
 
Neil said:
If you worked "very hard, for a long time", why did she say you suffered from performance anxiety????;)
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I was talking about the part-time job I took at the local hospital to pay for the lawyer. It was a great job to. I worked in the circumscision ward. They paid me five dollars an hour plus tips. :D
 
Has anyone? how about every single great performer, HOF'er etc..has had performance anxiety, so pick any top athlete and you will find someone who overcame it. How anxiety effects you depends on how you channel it, all the best turn that anxiety into a performance boost.

We need pressure and anxiety to help us perform better...make crazy tough shots that under normal pressure in a relaxed environment you would have missed. You get that, I have to make this shot mentality, you can't look at the shot and try not to miss or think about missing, you have to shoot to make it.

Negative thinking is the problem, it's the root cause of anxiety. Never fear missing the shot, you have to look at every shot as your going to make it...if your trying not to miss, your concentrating more on missing it. If you miss, move on, it's over, everyone else has moved on.

I would say top performers have mastered these points

First and foremost, expect anxiety, it's normal, don't fight it, harness it, make it positive.

Breath, learn to breath right.
Change focus
Positive visualization
Change all thoughts to positive ones

And the big goof you make, get forgotten pretty fast, (unless you pull a Bill Buckner)..lol and if you do that, well then just have fun with it, go with it, don't hide, enjoy your goofs, even big ones!) I love big goofs!
 
I agree with all these posters. Confidence, practice, understanding your strengths and weaknesses, experience, clearing your head, keeping in your routine, and a couple of cold beers all can help with performance anxiety. Overcoming mental problems in the game can happen in a single evening.

One example that comes to mind is a time I played a guy that I just couldn't beat. We played numerous times in league through the years, and I'd feel that pressure and no matter how hard I tried, I'd rattle the 8-ball. This only compounded the problem. Then one weekend I ran into him and he wanted to gamble. Five bucks. There was too much peer pressure to turn him down so I took the bet. I was playing fairly well that night and got a run going and worked all the way to the 8-ball. But ended up with a hard cut down the rail. He promptly pulls out the $5 and lays it on the rail right in front of the 8-ball as I was stroking on it. I stood up and said "You giving me that shot?" He smiled and said I still had to shoot it. So I stuck my cue tip under the $5 dollar bill and flipped it off the table and on to the floor. "You can give me that after I make this shot." Crap. Now the pressure was really on. But I felt good about my shot making and bent over and stroked it in. I never lost to him again. I owned him and he, at that moment, knew it. My confidence soared. It was a huge step in my game.

So my point is, step outside of your comfort zone, and test your limits. Don't accept that feeling of anxiety. Force your confidence to well up inside you. Get mad if you have to.

Best of luck!
 
are you sure you're talking about performance anxiety?

actual performance anxiety is a little more than "butterflies" or "the jitters", it can manifest itself at any time, and cause a myriad of physical conditions, from hyperventilating, dizzyness, black outs, or even shock, etc. much of which can be caused by tachycardia. there have been athletes whom have taken beta blockers to help with this condition. however due to drug scandals some individuals whom truly suffer from the condition are forced out of sport, due to individuals that abuse medications that would enhance their performance. i've had anxiety while playing poorly, and during play when like i'm robbing someone, it doesn't seem to matter how confident i am or how much i've been practicing. I had thought about getting a prescription for something like "ativan" after blacking out at a tournament, but didn't want to be dependent on a drug like that. now usually two quick beers before play does the trick but it doesn't last forever, and i'm not big on drinking.:grin:
 
Like sands through the hour glass, so are the days of our lives. It fades over time for everyone. Some faster than others. Its a great feeling when its gone.
 
thefonz said:
now usually two quick beers before play does the trick but it doesn't last forever, and i'm not big on drinking.:grin:
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I start with one beer and if I shoot bad its 2 beers. I'm not a big drinker either.

One thing I have found helps me is to practice my lag. If I win the lag and get off to a good start I play much better than when my opponent breaks and is shooting good. If he is really shooting good I have the shakes by the time I get to shoot.
 
Fatboy said:
Like sands through the hour glass, so are the days of our lives. It fades over time for everyone. Some faster than others. Its a great feeling when its gone.
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Whoa! Did you really say that or am I dreaming? I'm impressed. From now on you will be Mister Fatboy to me.
 
Neil said:
To my thinking, perfomance anxiety is nothing more than a lack of self-confidence. Self-confidence CAN, and often is overcome in sports. It is usually overcome by practice, practice, and more practice. Practice until you are confident in your abilities, and no longer have self doubt in them.

Now, many will get "butterflies" before a match. I do not feel that is necessarily the same thing. That can be nothing more than anxiety for knowing the outcome of the match, and can actually help you focus more intently. Being anxious about the outcome, and anxious about how you will perform, are two different things. The outcome may not even depend on your performance, other than the coin flip or lag.
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I agree entirely that is self-confidence issue. I think the cure is, as Neil says, lots of practice but also lots and lots competition.

I used to have this problem in 9 ball matches. I practice solo more than I play matches (shift worker, generally not many people around during the day), so I would run out from everywhere in practice but when it came to playing seriously I choked, badly. It wasn't until I played more and more matches, that became confident in my abilities only because I had the match play experiences to draw upon.

I seem to be having that same issue in snooker at the moment, but I'm getting more comfortable with every match I play.
 
Fatboy said:
Like sands through the hour glass, so are the days of our lives. It fades over time for everyone. Some faster than others. Its a great feeling when its gone.
Click to expand...

You confused me on this one, Fatboy. Please don't go this high on the
intellectual scale again. Actually , it sounds like you were smokin' that funny stuff.:cool:
 
Like sands through the hour glass, so are the days of our lives. It fades over time for everyone. Some faster than others. Its a great feeling when its gone.



get a steel framed earthquake proof pool table and you will be able to focus on pool anxiety.

just kidding. Man I think anyone who takes pool seriously suffers from pool anxiety. I think we are all anxious to run out. Accept it as part of the game and move on. Otherwise leave it. It is not a monkey that you will ever get rid of.
 
The circle of life

My performance anxiety is caused by my fear that I will shoot badly
and people will laugh at me. This , of course, causes me to shoot
badly and then people start laughing at me. :help:
 
It's ok to have butterflys in your stomach. The key is to teach the little bastards to fly in formation. :groucho:
 
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