{"id":58458,"date":"2017-05-11T11:15:18","date_gmt":"2017-05-11T15:15:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=58458"},"modified":"2021-11-18T07:08:42","modified_gmt":"2021-11-18T12:08:42","slug":"how-athletes-channel-fear-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/how-athletes-channel-fear-success\/","title":{"rendered":"How Athletes Thrive Off Fear \u2014 And You Can Too"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"How
Photo courtesy of The North Face<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Big physical challenges can definitely be frightening. Just the thought of hiking<\/a> Kilimanjaro, signing up for an ultramarathon<\/a> or even trying a crazy-intense new HIIT<\/a> class can put your nerves on high alert. But, it turns out those nerves can actually be a good thing.<\/p>\n

Thinking about your fears can improve athletic performance significantly, according to a study<\/a> from the University of Arizona. In the study, researchers observed basketball players and how well they played after receiving prompts that made them consider the fear of death. Those who were led through questions that made them think about their fears ahead of time performed a whopping 40 percent better than they had in a previous game without a fear-inducing prompt.<\/p>\n

The resulting boost in performance likely stems from people\u2019s subconscious desire to bump up their self-esteem<\/a>, say researchers. The basketball players, they determined, associated doing well with a chance at immortality (like overcoming the fear of death). It\u2019s the same idea behind pump-up phrases like \u201cpain is temporary, pride is forever\u201d \u2014 they get you fired up and help you channel your nerves into high performance.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>9 Athletes Over 60 Who Can Kick Your Butt<\/a><\/p>\n

Turning Fear into Triumph<\/h2>\n

Of course, all different types of fears can pop up when you take on an athletic challenge. When you feel that nervousness, \u201cThere are the bodily changes \u2014 such as muscle tension, increased sweating, uneasy feeling in the stomach, shaking \u2014 and also changes in the thought process, such as dwelling on the importance of the activity or thinking about the possible outcomes,\u201d says Vincent Granito, PhD, president of the sport psychology division of the American Psychological Association. \u201cMost of these things are negative and would not necessarily help sport performance<\/a>. However, there are some athletes that need to have that fear in order to compete at their best.\u201d<\/p>\n

That type of athlete, he says, really relies on feelings of uneasiness to help get mentally prepped to compete. In general, using fear as motivation<\/a> tends to help people participating in sports with a big focus on speed, strength or power \u2014 like basketball, running races<\/a> or powerlifting, says Granito.<\/p>\n

To determine whether you\u2019re motivated by fear, Granito recommends thinking back on how you\u2019ve performed during past activities, whether that\u2019s a half-marathon<\/a>, a grueling hike or a CrossFit<\/a> class. Try to remember your mental state at the time. Were you totally nervous toeing the start line and then busted out a PR? Or did nerves get to you and hold you back from doing your best?<\/p>\n

You can learn to harness that nervous\u00a0feeling and turn it into good next time you get antsy mid-competition. Granito recommends using cue words to get psyched \u2014 like \u201cIt\u2019s go time,\u201d \u201cLet\u2019s do this\u201d or \u201cThis point is the most important point of the match.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more ways to use anxiety to your advantage, we turned to people who know fear best: Extreme athletes. Read on to learn how they work with fear to excel at their sports and how you can do the same. Even if you\u2019re not riding waves or climbing peaks, you can adopt their strategies for nailing any<\/em> challenge.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>10 Marathoner Mantras for When You\u2019re Ready to Give Up<\/a><\/p>\n

5 Ways to Turn Your Distress Into Success<\/h2>\n
\"Using
Photo courtesy of Russell Hoover<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1. Take a deep breath.<\/h3>\n

\u201cIn scary situations I just try to be really present, not overreact, and just breathe<\/a>,\u201d says Paige Alms<\/a>, a big wave surfer and the 2016 women\u2019s big wave world champion. \u201cTake big breaths and analyze the situation, then you\u2019ll know how to react calmly.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. Repeat a mantra.<\/h3>\n

\u201cWhen I\u2019m moving, I say the word\u00a0\u2018yes\u2019\u00a0in my head,\u201d says Emily Harrington<\/a>, a rock climber who\u2019s free climbed El Capitan, summited Mount Everest, and became the U.S. national champion in sport climbing five times. \u201cIt\u2019s so simple, one\u00a0syllable, and a positive affirmation<\/a>. It helps me focus in times of hard movement and keeps me from letting doubt creep in.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>7 Trainer Quotes That Will Instantly Boost Your Confidence<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Use
Photo courtesy of Altra Footwear<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3. Focus on the small stuff.<\/h3>\n

\u201cI try to\u00a0consciously\u00a0slow my heart rate<\/a> down, and I stare at a tiny piece of rock in front of me, like a little crystal or something,\u201d says Harrington. \u201cI try to study it and think only about it for a few seconds.\u00a0It helps me be present.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jacob Puzey<\/a> \u2014 an elite endurance runner who\u2019s tackled ultra trail marathons and set a record for covering 50 miles on a treadmill<\/a> in one go \u2014 also pays attention to his surroundings to help channel any nerves into extra energy. \u201cI just try to focus on everything around me, putting myself in a place of gratitude,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

4. Make your muscles relax.<\/h3>\n

Because fear can cause your muscles to tighten up, Puzey takes a minute to check in with his body and nix any stiffness to ensure he runs his best. \u201cI try to identify places where I feel tense and relax that area, whether it’s my shoulders or my hands or my jaw,\u201d he says. \u201cI focus on running naturally and relaxed. If one area tightens up, it usually tightens up everything else in the entire chain and that can lead to injuries<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>Meditation Meets HIIT in New Mindful Fitness Approach<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Use
Photo courtesy of The North Face<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

5. Remind yourself of your prep.<\/h3>\n

\u201cI find confidence in physical preparation. With everything I do in the gym and during every surf session, I am learning something new and making myself a better athlete,\u201d says Alms. While training, Alms also does breath holds to help prepare her lungs to handle long pauses underwater. She reminds herself of this practice when nerves start firing. \u201cFor sure knowing you can hold your breath for a long time helps! Trusting in my skill is what I rely on to push through and know that I can do it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fear can be a factor in your fitness \u2014 but a positive one, if you channel it into success, not setbacks. Learn how to do that from three extreme athletes. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":58466,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,24,6,14],"tags":[209,289,108,341,343,100],"class_list":["post-58458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cardio","category-exercise","category-fitness","category-strength-training","tag-athlete","tag-exercise","tag-running","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2exercise","tag-workout"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58458"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58458\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58466"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}