Anxiety is Not Bad, Anxiety is Not Good, But Anxiety is Necessary

Anxiety in sports has been a hot topic ever since tennis star Naomi Osaka pulled out of the French Open due to anxiety issues. Osaka cited the media’s disregard for the mental health of athletes during press conferences as a major cause for anxiety in sports. Osaka also tweeted that she suffers from social anxiety, and […]

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Anxiety and Intensity Are Two Sides of the Same Coin for Athletes

In sports psychology literature, authors generally use the terms anxiety and intensity interchangeably. Both terms describe one’s level of arousal, heart rate, blood flow, and emotions. However, athletes and coaches view anxiety as a negative and intensity as a positive. Essentially, the popular / non-scientific view is that anxiety and intensity are two sides of […]

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Teaching Athletes How to Cope with Pressure Starts with This Mental Skill

Yesterday I was moved to write about former professional football player Marcus Smith and the story of his attempted suicide. The point parents must take away from stories like Smith’s is how critical it is to teach athletes mental skills. Today the mental skill I want to focus on deals with teaching athletes how to […]

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