Pressure can affect young athletes’ performance in both positive and negative ways. Some pressure can help athletes stay focused and motivated to improve. However, when pressure becomes too much, it can lower performance by causing stress and making it harder to concentrate. Performance anxiety can make athletes overthink mistakes and lose confidence during games or competitions, causing them to not play like themselves. This shows that too much pressure can mess with an athlete’s ability to perform at their best. (1)
Pressure can also affect motivation. When young athletes feel pushed to meet high expectations from parents or coaches, they may begin playing for approval instead of enjoyment. This can reduce their motivation and make sports feel like an obligation rather than something they enjoy to do in their free time. When athelets begin to lose motivation, they are more prone to skipping practices, not caring about if they are getting better, and feeling empty when their sport is mentioned. Over time, this can lead athletes to lose interest in their sport and eventually quit. (2)
Another major effect of pressure is fear of failure. Athletes who experience high levels of pressure are more likely to focus on avoiding mistakes instead of trying to improve. This can make them play more cautiously and prevent them from taking risks that could help them grow as athletes. This fear of failure can hold athletes back and make them not able to take risky decisions which can pay off in the moment. It can also make the athlete just stick to what they are comfortable with instead of trying out new things which can grow their skill set. (3)
Pressure can also lead to burnout, which harms both motivation and performance. Constant and never ending demands to perform perfectly can cause emotional exhaustion and reduce enjoyment in sports. This can cause athletes to feel nothing for their sport and feel like they no longer want to improve and expand their skills. They can also be severely mentally and physically exhausted. Athletes experiencing burnout may feel less motivated to practice and may even consider quitting their sport completely. (4)
Citations:
- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/expert-qa/student-athlete-mental-health
- https://sc.edu/uofsc/posts/2023/01/conversation_young_athletes.php
- https://www.peaksports.com/sports-psychology-blog/sports-psychology-athletes-fear-of-failure/
- https://www.luriechildrens.org/en/specialties-conditions/athlete-burnout/
Thank you for reading!
