Fear of Failure and Overcoming Avoidant Behaviours in Sport

In sport of all levels, we make the choice to compete against ourselves and against others. Whether we are in individual or team sports, there is a chance we can feel threatened by the ability of the opposition, or by our own skills letting us down. These feelings of performance anxiety related to ourselves or others is very common and can be damaging if left unchecked.

Sources of this anxiety can be seen in our potential fear of:

1)    being dropped for another player in our team

2)    making mistakes

3)    embarrassment in front of others

4)    letting the team down

5)    underperforming

6)    disappointing others

7)    being seen as not good enough

8)    what others might think

Some of these points are quite general, but within our specific sports we might experience a specific event that is classed under multiple categories, which could amplify the negative association with this experience. For example, the fear of missing a tackle in a rugby match might fall under multiple categories. This fear/anxiety can stop us from expressing ourselves freely in our sports and cause us to hold back, freeze or tighten up and be a detriment to our performance. A tennis player who is scared of messing up their second serve might tighten up and play an overly safe shot that his/her opponent can easily capitalise on.

Not only are there negative physiological outcomes of fear and anxiety, but the psychological outcomes can make this even worse. When we experience fear and anxiety, we tend to replay a moment or pre-empt the mistake by playing the negative outcome over and over in our heads. The major issue with this is that our brains do not distinguish what is real from what we are imagining. This mental rehearsal of a negative outcome can become hard wired in our brains and then be expressed in our physical performance. Read the following example to illustrate this point:

Steve plays on the wing for his rugby team. He recently missed a tackle that led to a game winning try for the opposition. He felt that his mistake had let his team down and he was disappointed in his performance. Not only that, but he was dropped to the bench and replaced by a player he has been working very hard to stay ahead of for weeks. He feels that he might not get the chance to show that he is good enough again. He constantly replays his mistake in his head, and every time someone runs at him in training, he feels he is being watched and adds pressure to every tackle. He is relieved when he makes his tackles, but extremely anxious when he is in this position and holds his ground when faced by an opponent rather than risking pressing up in case he is caught out. He even avoids tackling drills in training for a few weeks because he no longer enjoys these sessions and fears the coaches might see him make more mistakes. His safe choices in playing might allow him to take less risks, but they also prevent him from making the defensive impact he used to make. He remains on the bench and is eventually dropped to the 2nd team weeks later after he has failed to make any sort of impact coming off the bench.

Steve finds himself stuck in a negative feedback loop after his initial development of anxiety surrounding missing a tackle and being dropped. By replaying the event in his head, he is mentally rehearsing a negative outcome and history is doomed to repeat itself as the patterns we solidify mentally, are expressed in our performance on the field.

What can be done to prevent this?

Firstly, it is important for players to realise that the risk of being replaced is part and parcel of playing competitive sport and accepting this risk is something we undertake when we participate. And, secondly, it is a luxury for a coach to have the depth in his/her team to be able to move players up and down based on their performances. The coach’s responsibility in this scenario is to ensure the players feels valued regardless of their performance and that if they are to be dropped, that the player is briefed with things to work on. The coach should encourage the player to grow and develop and ensure they know that they do not need to be perfect in order to regain their place or show the coaches they are improving. If the player feels that every tackle they miss in training is a failure and that they need to be perfect in order to regain their spot, their anxiety will only be enhanced.

The player in this situation can:

a) accept responsibility and that this is part of the sport rather than feeling singled out and mistreated as this is not the intention of the process

b) focus on what can be done (e.g. making tackles rather than avoiding missing tackles)

c) work on the process of developing this skill rather than demanding perfection (coaches should reward effort in practicing this skill)

d) Refrain from ‘mind reading’ your peers and coaches as we might assume they are remembering our missed tackle as vividly as we are. (Teams should encourage this supportive environment.)

e) Proactively mentally rehearse the missed tackle going the way you want it to in the future and replace the negative outcome.

This final point is vital. When we create a positive mental image of our performance, our brains can recognise this opportunity emerge during a match and our bodies are far more likely to execute the skill as we have rehearsed. By replacing the negative memory with a positive one that is repeatedly rehearsed in our minds, we can override the negative outcome as well as prevent the negative emotions that come with it.

5 Quick Tips for Mental Rehearsal:

1.    Find a quiet space so that you can fully focus

2.    Set the scene by adding details (what, where, how, when, who and try to layer it with your 5 senses)

3.    Picture the scenario as if viewing it through your own eyes

4.    Initially run through the scenario in slow motion and adjust to full speed when you’ve got a vivid picture

5.    Walk through the movements you are picturing to solidify rehearsal into your physical skills

In summary, athletes should acknowledge the risk of being dropped or replaced as part of competing in sport and use this to motivate themselves to continue to develop their skills. As coaches, we should create environments that a) focus on the importance of development over the outcome, b) constantly challenge players to improve, c) frame replacing/dropping players as an opportunity for someone to prove themselves and provide constructive feedback for the dropped player, and d) encourage players who have been dropped/replaced in their pursuit of their previous place.

There are methods, such as imagery, that can help us to positively pursue improvements after experiencing a setback. But, these should be paired with reflection on why this setback has had such an effect on us as understanding ourselves and our values is at the core of pursuing performance in sport.