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Overcoming the Anxiety of Tryouts

By GameChanger and Stephen Kerr, 07/17/17, 10:30AM PDT

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You’ve dreamed for years of trying out for your high school or travel team. You’re passionate, you work hard and you follow advice from all your coaches.

You’ve dreamed for years of trying out for your high school or travel team. You’re passionate, you work hard and you follow advice from all your coaches. 

As the big day approaches, you become more anxious. Before you know it, those voices of self-doubt start whispering in your ear. Why are you doing this? You’re not good enough. You’re not as talented as those other kids. On and on it goes, until you’re paralyzed with fear.

It’s perfectly normal to be nervous before a tryout. Even pro athletes who fight for a spot experience some form of anxiety. But when the fear of failure dominates your way of thinking, it often leads to poor performance, says Bill Cole, founder and president of the International Mental Game Coaching Association and a world-class sports psychologist in Silicon Valley, Calif.