A major aspect for athletes is performance pressure from coaches themselves or even their parents, which makes their game full of anxiety instead of joy.
Low confidence can hold athletes back from performing at their actual best. They doubt their abilities and feel constant pressure while playing. They possess a huge fear of failure from disappointing their coach. Instead of positive self-talk, they keep reminding themselves they’re bad. They miss opportunities to play because they’re scared of what the others think.
Perfectionism often creates unrealistic expectations that are far higher than what athletes can actually achieve. They feel like mistakes are unacceptable and being perfect is necessary, even if it’s a part of learning. That feeling of accomplishment satisfaction is never reachable because it’s never as perfect as they want it to be. It becomes very mentally draining for them, and sometimes they just stop trying due to their tiredness.
Friend comparison can be harmful when it comes to many sports. Players see how fast their friend improves while they’re there, trying everything to get better, but it just isn’t enough. Constantly comparing your performance to your friends gets very frustrating
One key issue is bad coach favoritism, which can seriously damage an athlete’s motivation. Unfair treatment sometimes happens when they encourage and support the players they love more while the others are getting better, and they say nothing. They get angry over stupid errors, yet ignore them from their favorites. It makes players rethink their worth and potential in the thing they love most, their sport.
“I experienced having a bad coach for a year, as a result, I wasn’t excited to go to my practice anymore, and it just felt like it was a task that had to be done,” said Léanne Jobin.
Not all teammates have positive effects. Some find playing with them very stressful and depressing. Bad players can bring down morale, create unnecessary conflicts, and blame others for their own mistakes.
” I had a teammate who kept sreaming on others for errors she made, and nobody was enjoying their training because of her,” said a player at La Camaradiere.
Social isolation in sport happens when an athlete distance from people due to overtraining. They start training too much and miss opportunities to hang out with their friends. Those friends drift apart, and they lose good friendships.
All these stressors create extreme anxiety in an athlete’s head. It becomes draining, and some slowly start to lose the love for their sport. They have to remember the reason they started playing was for fun, and it should not make them feel this way while performing.
