Nerves get a bad rap, but nerves aren’t all bad. In fact you want to be nervous, because it makes you perform better.
However, like everything else, you can have too much of a good thing. Not being nervous is bad, but being too nervous can be worse.
I’m sure you’ve experienced that before.
Instead, you want to be right in the middle. You want to be in the Goldilocks zone of nerves.
Not too much. Not too little. You want to be just right.
Wait, nerves are good?
Nerves are good for performance. They’re a sign that your nervous system is giving you extra strength, endurance and focus.
When you lack nerves your performance will be flat. You’ll feel like you’re slogging through mud and won’t be able to perform up to your full potential.
Of course, being too nervous is equally bad. It can cause you to rush, over try, and freeze up entirely.
Ok. Knowing that you aren’t nervous is easy, but how do you know if you’re too nervous?
You’ll know you’re too nervous if it’s unbearable.
Is your heart pounding? Do you have an upset stomach? Are you frozen? Are you throwing up? Are you so anxious that you can’t function?
If you can’t handle your symptoms or how you feel, you’re too nervous.
Remember. Many athletes get nervous before they step onto the ice. This is normal.
And, every athlete is different. Every athlete is unique.
Some athletes can tolerate a lot of nerves. Others less.
The important thing is to find your personal Goldilocks zone. The amount of nerves that helps you to perform your best.
Let’s bust some myths
Before I finish, let me debunk some myths.
Has anyone ever told you this?
“If you’re confident, you won’t be nervous.”
This is false. Totally and completely false.
Confident athletes still get nervous, they’re just in their Goldilocks zone.
Some athletes are afraid of being nervous. They worry that nerves will make them perform poorly.
This isn’t true. In fact, most of the time their worries about being nervous affects their performance more than the nerves ever could.
Basically, the fear of being nervous leads to poor performance.
Nerves are good
Nerves are good. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. The important thing is to be in the Goldilocks zone. That way, you won’t lose out on the positives that nerves bring.
Don’t fear nerves, embrace them. Your performance will thank you for it.
If skaters took Mental skills training as seriously as they do their on ice technical skills, they would find that their technical skills would improve exponentially.
Start here. Download “Confidence Myth Busters,” a complimentary eBook and make a change.