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Competitive Anxiety

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Competition can cause athletes to react both physically (somatic) and mentally
(cognitive) in a manner which can negatively affect their performance abilities. Stress,
arousal and anxiety are terms used to describe this condition.
The major problem in competition is letting your mind work against you rather than for
you. You must accept anxiety symptoms as part and parcel of the competition
[8]
experience; only then will anxiety begin to facilitate your performance. Gallwey (2000)
explains the elements of interference that impact on performance.
Performance = Potential - Interference.

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Anxiety-PerformanceRelationshipTheory

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DriveTheory
[7]

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According to the Drive Theory (Zajonc 1965) if an athlete is appropriately skilled then
it will help them to perform well if their drive to compete is aroused - they are "psyched
up".

Inverted-Uhypothesis

Signs of Anxiety

An alternative approach to Drive Theory is known as the Inverted-U hypothesis (Yerkes

[2]
1908)
that predicts a relationship between arousal and performance approximates to
an inverted U shape. The theory is that as arousal is increased then performance
improves but only up to a certain point (top of the inverted U). If the athlete's arousal is
increased beyond this point then performance diminishes.

Somatic Anxiety

Multi-dimensionalAnxietyTheory

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[3]

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Multi-dimensional Anxiety Theory (Martens 1990) is based on the distinction between

cognitive anxiety and somatic anxiety. The theory makes a series of predictions:
There will be a negative but linear relationship between cognitive anxiety and
performance
There will be an inverted U relationship between somatic anxiety and performance
Somatic anxiety should decline once performance begins but cognitive anxiety
may remain high if confidence is low

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CatastropheTheory
[6]

Catastrophe Theory (Hardy 1987)

suggests that:

stress and anxiety will influence performance

each athlete will respond in a unique way to competitive anxiety
performance will be effected in a unique way which may be difficult to predict
using general rules

OptimumArousalTheory
[4]

According to the Optimum Arousal Theory (Hanin 1997)

each athlete will perform at
their best if their level of arousal or competitive anxiety falls within their optimum

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Signs of Anxiety
Somatic Anxiety

functioning zone. The challenge for the coach is to determine the athlete's zone and
identify the techniques that will place the athlete in this zone prior to competition.

HowdoyoumeasureAnxiety?
A range of psychometric tests or sport anxiety questionnaires (SAQ) have been used by
[5]
sports psychologists to understand and measure this condition. Spielberger (1966)
argued that it was necessary to make a distinction between momentary states and more
permanent traits.
Anxiety states (A-state) is our response to a particular situation (i.e. sky diving)
Anxiety traits (A-trait) are the characteristics of our personality, our general
anxiety level
[3]

Marten (1990)
developed anxiety traits (A-trait) questionnaires that were tailored
[3]
specially to sport known as the Sport Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT). Marten (1990)
recognised that any measure of sport anxiety must take into consideration cognitive
anxiety (negative thoughts, worry) and somatic anxiety (physiological response). The
Competitive State Anxiety Inventory or CSAI-2 takes into account the difference
between A-state and A-trait and distinguishes between cognitive and somatic anxiety.

SymptomsofAnxiety
[1]

Anxiety can be recognised on three levels (Karageorghis 2007)

Cognitive - by particular thought process

Somatic - by physical response
Behavioural - by patterns of behaviour
Cognitive

Somatic

Indecision
Sense of confusion
Feeling heavy
Negative thoughts
Poor concentration
Irritability
Fear
Forgetfulness
Loss of confidence
Images of failure
Defeatist self-talk
Feeling rushed
Feeling weak
Constant
dissatisfaction
Unable to take
instructions
Thoughts of avoidance

Increased blood pressure

Pounding heart
Increased respiration rate
Sweating
Clammy hands and feet
Butterflies in the stomach
Adrenaline surge
Dry mouth
Need to urinate
Muscular tension
Tightness in neck and
shoulders
Trembling
Incessant talking
Blushing
Pacing up and down
Distorted vision
Twitching
Yawning
Voice distortion
Nausea
Vomiting
Diarrhoea
Loss of appetite
Sleeplessness
Loss of libido

Behavioural
Biting fingernails
Lethargic movements
Inhibited posture
Playing safe
Going through the motions
Introversion
Uncharacteristic displays of
extroversion
Fidgeting
Avoidance of eye contact
Covering face with hand

HowcanwecontrolAnxiety?
As we can see anxiety includes state and trait dimensions both of which can show
themselves as cognitive and somatic symptoms. An athlete with high anxiety trait
(A-trait) is likely to be more anxious in stressful situations. To help the athlete control
competitive anxiety somatic techniques (relaxation) and cognitive techniques (mental
imagery) can be used.

Thefivebreathtechnique
This exercise can be performed while you are standing up, lying down or sitting upright.
You should inhale slowly, deeply and evenly through your nose, and exhale gently
through your mouth as though flickering, but not extinguishing, the flame of a candle
[1]
(Karageorghis 2007) :
Take a deep breath and allow your face and neck to relax as you breathe out
Take a second deep breath and allow your shoulders and arms to relax as you
breathe out
Take a third deep breath and allow your chest, stomach and back to relax as you
breathe out
Take a fourth deep breath and allow your legs and feet to relax as you breathe out
Take a fifth deep breath and allow your whole body to relax as you breathe out
Continue to breathe deeply for as long as you need to, and each time you breathe
out say the word 'relax' in your mind's ear

Benson'srelaxationresponse
Benson's technique is a form of meditation that can be used to attain quite a deep sense
of relaxation and can be ideal for staying calm in between rounds of a competition. It
can be mastered with just a few weeks' practice and comprises of seven easy steps
[1]
(Karageorghis 2007) :
1. Sit in a comfortable position and adopt a relaxed posture
2. Pick a short focus word that has significant meaning for you and that you associate
with relaxation (e.g. relax, smooth, calm, easy, float, etc.)
3. Slowly close your eyes
4. Relax all the muscles in your body
5. Breathe smoothly and naturally, repeating the focus word
6. Be passive so that if other thoughts enter your mind, dismiss them with, 'Oh well'
and calmly return to the focus word - do not concern yourself with how the
process is going
7. Continue this for 10 to 15 minutes as required.

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References
1. KARAGEORGHIS, C. (2007) Competition anxiety needn't get you down. Peak
Performance, 243, p. 4-7
2. YERKES and DODSON (1908) The relation of strength of stimulus to rapidity of
habit formation. Journal of of Neurological Psychology, (1908)
3. MARTENS, R. et al. (1990) The Development of the Competitive State Anxiety
Inventory-2 (CSAI-2). Human Kinetics
4. HANIN, Y. L. (1997) Emotions and athletic performance: individual zones of
optimal functioning. European Year Book of sports psychology, 1, p. 29-72
5. SPIELBERGER, C. D. (1966) Anxiety and behaviour. Academic Press, New York
6. HARDY, L. and FRAZER, J. (1987) The Inverted U Hypothesis: A catastrophe for
sport psychology? British Association of Sports Science, monograph no. 1, NCF,
1987
7. ZAJONC, R. B. (1965) Social Facilitation. Science, 149 (1965), p. 268-274
8. GALLWEY, W. (2000) The Inner Game of Work. New York: Random House

RelatedReferences
The following references provide additional information on this topic:
MARTENS, R. et al. (1995) Competitive anxiety in sport. Human kinetics
JONES, G. (1995) More than just a game: Research developments and issues in
competitive anxiety in sport. British journal of psychology, 86 (4), p. 449-478

PageReference
If you quote information from this page in your work then the reference for this page is:
MACKENZIE, B. (2002) Competitive Anxiety [WWW] Available from:
https://www.brianmac.co.uk/companx.htm [Accessed 27/10/2016]

RelatedPages
The following Sports Coach pages provide additional information on this topic:

Articles on Psychology training

Books on Psychology
Mental Imagery
Performance Profiling
Psychology
Relaxation
Relaxation Techniques
Sport Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT)
Stress Management
TEOSQ - Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire

AdditionalSourcesofInformation
For further information on this topic see the following:
BEASHEL, P. and TAYLOR, J. (1996) Advanced Studies in Physical Education and
Sport. UK: Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd.
BEASHEL, P. and TAYLOR, J. (1997) The World of Sport Examined. UK: Thomas
Nelson and Sons Ltd.
BIZLEY, K. (1994) Examining Physical Education. Oxford; Heinemann Educational
Publishers
DAVIS, B. et al. (2000) Physical Education and the Study of Sport. UK: Harcourt
Publishers Ltd.
GALLIGAN, F. et al. (2000) Advanced PE for Edexcel. Oxford; Heinemann
Educational Publishers
McARDLE, W. et al. (2000) Essentials of Exercise Physiology. 2nd ed. Philadelphia:
Lippincott Williams and Wilkins
VILE, A. and BIGGS, J. (2004) Grace Under Pressure. UK; Lulu Press
ORLICK, T. (1986) Psyching for Sport. USA; Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc.
HALE, B. (1998) Imagery Training. UK; The National Coach Foundation

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