No matter what players and coaches tell themselves, some tournaments or matches are bigger than others. The bigger the match, the more potential there is for nerves to negatively impact performance.
To get the upper hand on the jitters, Andrea Becker, a sport psychology coach for the U.S. Men’s National Team and a professor of psychology at Cal State Fullerton, recommends developing routines that can be done over and over, whether it’s practice, a scrimmage, a not-so-big match or the championship match. Watch the video to hear her thoughts.
