Sample Essay On Managing Stress In Sports

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All sports are tests of mind equally as much as they are of physical abilities. There are two main things that high-stress levels can do to a sportsman. First is, stress can harm the performance of that player, causing him or her to lose, and resultantly increasing the stress. This way, the player gets stuck in a viscous cycle of stress that eventually makes him throw in the towel. Second, stress can damage social behavior. It is commonly observed how players of both professional and domestic level are found fighting and taking foul actions against the opposition. This happens when they get wore down with stress and took the toll on the counterparties.
Managing stress is important for the career of a player, and regardless of how important a role a coach or a psychologist can play in that, it all comes down to the player himself. Good athletes know the difference between using their stress and getting used to it. Experts believe that stress up to a certain level is actually beneficial for sportsmen. Focus is always achieved when the player “wants it enough”. It has been observed that star players who believe they will be given a chance in every game have a low-stress level, and even though they are high in confidence, they perform poorly. The right amount of stress brings out the best of an athlete. It is safe to say that being able to harness stress and using it as a challenge enhances the performance of players.
One of the biggest causes of stress in sports is the training itself. There are two ways how this works; first, when an athlete trains too much and too hard, the body fatigues and may begin to cause ache in muscles and joints. Now, as the player goes on to play the real deal, the body just is not fit enough to pass. In addition to training enough, a sufficient amount of rest is also essential in preparing for a big game.
Secondly, when an athlete trains too hard, he begins to lose focus and miss out. For example, a soccer player begins to miss out on easy goals and passes and a baseball player starts to miss easy shots. This gets to the player’s head, lowering the confidence. The player begins to feel that he has gotten out of form and is now failing to perform. This adds pressure, and the negative kind of it. Negative pressure for players is like a poison. Coaching and training staff needs to schedule preparations in a way that players get appropriate rest daily and get off days every few days later (Robinson, 2013).
Sometimes, stress comes from economical aspects of the game in case of professional players. Competition is a good thing but is it really only healthy? The answer is no when the players feel insecure about whether or not they will be chosen; stress catches them off guard. Also, when professional players realize how much money of sponsors is riding on them, they feel pressurized to perform. It is important for managers of teams to make sure the players go out in the field just to play for the sake of wining and not keep money in their minds. Some teams manage this stress by giving players contracts for the whole year that makes them relaxed about their position in the team for the said time and to focus on the game.
Repetitive Stress Injuries are those which are caused by excessive use of a certain body part and muscle. This can include inflammation of a limb, tearing of muscle and tendons, tissue damage and vein dislocation. These injuries are not caused by accidents in sports, nor are they caused by falling over or making a wrong step. These injuries are actually caused by sheer stress on certain muscles. There is no other way to manage these injuries but to simply know when to stop (OK Sports and Fitness, 2014).
In sports that are an extremely exertion pro, like the hundred-meter dash, full ground football, rugby and the like, there is always a risk of getting numb on the field and collapsing. On a bright sunny day, running and making quick movements can heat the body system up very quickly and to a very dangerous level. This heat can find its way to the head and cause blackouts. This is the reason why such sports have so many timeouts in between and give a chance to the players to re-nourish and rehydrate themselves.
It is always better to try and be a human leveled hero rather than a super human one. Armature players very often make the mistake to prove themselves as being tough enough to last the game without drinking and resting, they end up lying on the field unconscious and under worse cases; they accidently end their careers by getting a real bad injury. It has been observed that low on nourishment players face more injuries than the ones who get into a sports accident.

Works Cited

Robinson, M. (May 24, 2013). Stress in Sport. Retrieved April 18, 2015, from http://www.thesportinmind.com/articles/stress-in-sport/
OK, Sports and Fitness. (2014). Under Pressure: Stress Management for the Athlete. Retrieved April 18, 2015, from http://www.oksportsandfitness.com/StressedAthlete.php