Every day we are exposed to multiple types and levels of adversity and with each exposure we have to decide how to respond. From an athlete’s perspective, adversity might be stimulated by teammates, opponents, coaches, officials, the environment, or competitive arena. Predictability, having a sense of control, and possessing effective coping strategies are key to successfully overcoming adversity.

Coaches can play an influential role in enhancing an athlete’s ability to feel in control and effectively cope with adversity. Setting realistic expectations and standards for performance can help athletes better gauge their performance. How coaches react and view adversity can either add or take away excess pressure and stress. This response may also trickle down to how teammates support and respond to pressure and adversity. If a coach is very negative than athletes may be very critical of one another in their interactions: no one wants to be viewed as the weak link.

Athletes often experience the fear of failure, which can cause an athlete to become distracted, stressed, and exhibit counterproductive behavior during competition (Petitpas, 2008). This fear can cause an athlete to experience stress, anxiety, and exhibit avoidance behavior in fear of a negative response. This type of response limits an athlete’s performance, becomes worse over time, and leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy—what the athlete fears most becomes reality.

How can we increase a sense of control and evoke a positive coping response to adversity? One way is through replicating an environment with stimuli faced in competition. This allows athletes to receive exposure to potential negative consequences and work through them. Frustration and failure may occur, but enables an athlete to manage these emotions (Bell, Hardy & Beattie, 2013). Replication may be adding a consequence or additional pressure that creates a competitive level of stress. If one team wins they receive a bonus (e.g. break) whereas the losing team does pushups before their break. This type of environment allows athletes to be exposed through simulation training, which aides in desensitizing them from their fear of failure (Bell, et al., 2013).

Setting a goal each training or game can enhance focus and motivation to push through adversity. These goals must be specific, realistic, and challenging. Goals provide direction and can increase a sense of control. Saying these goals out load can increase the desire to achieve them and accountability. Ex: not diving in by keeping a defensive stance and watching the ball. Pairing this with learning how to breathe in stressful situations can help manage anxiety levels as well as provide clarity and focus. Taking (e.g. three) deep breathes with an emphasis on a longer exhale can slow down the body’s natural fight or flight response often exhibited when experiencing higher levels of stress. This helps an athlete refocus themselves and potentially feel more in control.

Coaches are strong influencers and have the ability to enhance and support an athlete’s sense of control and ability to cope under pressure. Getting creative with drills and tactics to expose athletes to competitive performance levels of pressure will benefit an athlete’s response to pressure and management of their fear of failure. Implementing goal setting into training and competitive tactics as well as awareness through deep breathing can aide in a more positive response to adversity.

References:

Bell, J. J., Hardy, L., & Beattie, S. (2013). Enhancing mental toughness and performance under pressure in elite young cricketers: A 2-year longitudinal intervention. Sport, Exercise, And Performance Psychology, 2(4), 281-297

Petitpas, A. (2008). Fear of failure in the context of competitive sport: A commentary. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 3(2), 193-194.