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Taming stage fright

Posted on February 27, 2012 , by junowebdesign

As well as being in good physical condition, it’s important to be mentally prepared for competitions. We might be looking to impress the coach or our parents, or even just ourselves. With a sport such as wrestling, this can be extremely demanding, and it’s often easy to feel the pressure.

Stress is the body’s reaction to certain situation, be it a mid-term or an important match. The right amount of stress can give us heightened focus, stamina and strength, but too much can cause us to freeze up or psyche ourselves out.

We can help to counter nerves and stress in a number of ways:

  • Deep breathing: Before the match, find a quiet place and spend a couple of minutes concentrating on your breathing. Breathe in deeply for about 5 seconds, and then exhale. This will help you focus and calm your heartbeat.

 

  • Visualization: If you’ve got to nail a tricky technique, one top tip is to visualize. Close your eyes and go through the move in your mind, including exactly how you want to pull it off. This calms nerves and boosts your self-confidence, and is used by athletes from all over the world.

 

  • Relax your muscles: To avoid tensing up before a match, in addition to your normal warm up try to do some muscle contractions on different muscle groups. Tense for 5 seconds then release and repeat. This can get rid of nervous tension and ensures you’re fully prepared for the match.

 

  • Positive thinking: Don’t let negative thoughts you down, and don’t talk yourself out of victory. If you believe you can do it, then keep telling yourself that you can. Always remember to take positives from defeats, whether that it was a close match or that you showed some good technique.

With a good mental condition, you’ll soon be able to achieve your aims, both on and off the mat.

My Wrestling Room

 

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