Managing Performance Anxiety

Your heart pounds. Your palms sweat. Your mind races with worst-case scenarios. You know you can do this—you've done it dozens of times in training. But now, with eyes on you, your body betrays you.

Performance anxiety is nearly universal. Even elite athletes who seem unshakeable experience it. The difference isn't that successful performers don't feel anxiety—it's that they've learned to manage it. This chapter gives you the tools to do the same.

Understanding Performance Anxiety

Anxiety isn't a character flaw or weakness. It's a normal physiological response that evolved to help you survive threats. The problem in athletic performance is that your brain triggers the same survival response for non-survival situations.

The Anxiety Response

When you perceive threat—whether physical danger or social evaluation—your body launches a cascade of responses:

Physiological changes:

• Heart rate increases
• Blood pressure rises
• Breathing becomes rapid and shallow
• Blood flow shifts to large muscle groups
• Adrenaline and cortisol release
• Digestive function decreases
• Muscles tense
• Pupils dilate

Cognitive changes:

• Attention narrows (tunnel vision)
• Processing shifts from analytical to reactive
• Working memory capacity decreases
• Focus goes to threat detection
• Self-critical thoughts increase

Behavioral tendencies:

• Urge to escape or avoid
• Restlessness and agitation
• Difficulty making decisions
• Rushing or freezing

Why Anxiety Hurts Performance

These responses, useful for fighting or fleeing predators, interfere with skilled athletic performance:

Fine motor control deteriorates: The tension and blood flow changes that prepare for gross motor survival actions undermine the precise movements calisthenics requires.

Attention scatters: Instead of focusing on technique, attention goes to threat monitoring—the audience, potential failure, others' judgments.

Working memory suffers: Complex movement sequences that require holding multiple cues become harder when cognitive capacity is reduced.

Timing disrupts: The arousal changes affect rhythm and tempo, critical for skills like muscle-ups that depend on precise timing.

Self-focus increases: Instead of focusing externally on the task, attention turns inward to monitor anxiety symptoms, creating a negative feedback loop.

Types of Performance Anxiety in Calisthenics

Competition Anxiety

Anxiety triggered by evaluative situations—competitions, testing, grading.

Characteristics:

• Fear of judgment and failure
• Worry about results and consequences
• Comparison to competitors
• Pressure to perform at a specific moment

Social Evaluation Anxiety

Anxiety triggered by being observed, even outside competition.

Characteristics:

• Self-consciousness when training publicly
• Performance drops when others watch
• Avoidance of peak attempts in crowded settings
• Relief when training alone

Skill-Specific Fear

Anxiety tied to particular movements that feel dangerous.

Characteristics:

• Fear of specific skills (handstands, inversions, dynamic movements)
• Physical avoidance behaviors (making excuses, avoiding progressions)
• Often connected to past falls or failures
• May exist even when the skill is objectively safe

This type overlaps with the fear of skills covered in Module 4, but the anxiety management principles here apply.

Pre-Performance Anxiety

Anxiety that builds before a known challenge—the days or hours before an event.

Characteristics:

• Anticipatory worry and rumination
• Sleep disruption before events
• Physical symptoms building over time
• "Catastrophizing" about what might go wrong

Anxiety Management Strategies

Managing anxiety isn't about eliminating it—that's neither possible nor desirable. Some arousal enhances performance. The goal is regulating anxiety to optimal levels and preventing it from spiraling out of control.

1. Cognitive Reappraisal

Change how you interpret the situation and your physiological responses.

Reframing the situation:

Reframing physiological symptoms:

Research by Alison Wood Brooks found that reframing anxiety as excitement improves performance. The physiological states are similar—it's the interpretation that differs.

Instead of: "I'm so nervous" Try: "I'm excited and ready"

Instead of: "My heart is racing, something's wrong" Try: "My body is preparing for performance"

This works because you're not trying to suppress the arousal—you're changing what it means to you.

2. Breathing Techniques

Breathing is the most accessible tool for physiological regulation because it's both automatic and controllable.

Box Breathing (4-4-4-4):

• Inhale for 4 counts
• Hold for 4 counts
• Exhale for 4 counts
• Hold for 4 counts
• Repeat for 5-10 cycles

Physiological Sigh (Quick Reset):

• Double inhale through nose (fill lungs, then sip more air)
• Long, slow exhale through mouth
• Repeat 1-3 times

Extended Exhale Breathing:

• Inhale for 4 counts
• Exhale for 6-8 counts
• Repeat for 2-5 minutes

Extended exhales activate the parasympathetic nervous system, directly countering the anxiety response.

3. Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Systematic tension and release of muscle groups reduces overall muscular tension and shifts nervous system state.

Quick Protocol:

1. Feet and calves: Tense for 5 seconds, release, notice relaxation
2. Thighs: Tense, release, notice
3. Glutes: Tense, release, notice
4. Abdomen: Tense, release, notice
5. Hands and forearms: Tense, release, notice
6. Shoulders: Tense, release, notice
7. Face and jaw: Tense, release, notice

The contrast between tension and release helps identify and reduce unconscious holding patterns.

4. Pre-Performance Routines

Consistent routines create predictability and signal to your brain that you're ready, reducing anxiety through familiarity.

Components of effective routines:

• Physical preparation (warm-up, chalk, grip adjustment)
• Breathing regulation (specific breathing protocol)
• Mental preparation (visualization, cue words)
• Physical trigger (a specific action that signals "start")

Example pre-handstand routine:

1. Take three box breaths
2. Set hands in position
3. Briefly visualize successful hold
4. Say cue word ("solid" or "float")
5. Kick up

The routine should be practiced until automatic, so it works even when anxiety is high.

5. Attention Control

Anxiety pulls attention to threats—perceived judgment, potential failure, physical symptoms. Redirect it deliberately.

Task focus: Before attempts, deliberately focus on one specific technical element. "My job right now is just to [specific cue]."

Present moment: Anxiety often involves future worry ("What if I fail?"). Bring attention to the present. "What do I need to do right now, in this moment?"

External focus: As discussed in the previous chapter, external focus reduces self-consciousness and overthinking. Focus on the equipment and movement effect, not your internal state.

6. Exposure and Desensitization

Anxiety often decreases with repeated exposure to anxiety-provoking situations. Avoiding them maintains and often increases anxiety.

Progressive exposure:

1. Identify situations that trigger anxiety (rated 1-10 in intensity)
2. Start with lower-intensity situations
3. Practice managing anxiety using the tools above
4. Gradually increase exposure to higher-intensity situations
5. Build tolerance and confidence at each level before advancing

Example for social evaluation anxiety:

1. Practice alone (baseline)
2. Practice with one supportive friend watching
3. Practice in a corner of a moderately busy gym
4. Practice in a busier area
5. Practice during peak gym hours
6. Practice with deliberate audience (invite people to watch)

Each exposure, managed successfully, builds confidence and reduces anxiety intensity for future situations.

7. Acceptance-Based Strategies

Sometimes, trying to control anxiety creates more anxiety. Acceptance approaches offer an alternative.

Core principle: Instead of fighting anxiety, acknowledge its presence without judgment and proceed anyway.

Practical approach:

• Notice the anxiety: "I'm feeling anxious right now"
• Accept without judgment: "That's okay. Anxiety is a normal response"
• Defuse from the feeling: "I'm having the feeling of anxiety" (not "I am anxious")
• Choose values-based action: "What matters is attempting this skill. I can feel anxious and still perform."

This doesn't make anxiety disappear, but it reduces the secondary anxiety about being anxious—which often causes more problems than the initial anxiety.

Competition-Specific Strategies

Competitions present unique challenges that require additional preparation.

Pre-Competition Preparation

In the weeks before:

• Simulate competition conditions in training (time pressure, audience)
• Develop and practice your pre-performance routine
• Visualize successful competition performance
• Identify and address specific anxiety triggers

The night before:

• Prepare all equipment and logistics early
• Use relaxation techniques if sleep is difficult
• Avoid excessive rehearsal or visualization—you're already prepared
• Accept that some anticipatory anxiety is normal

Competition day:

• Maintain normal routines as much as possible
• Use breathing techniques during transport and waiting
• Avoid excessive caffeine or stimulants
• Focus on what you control (your preparation and effort)

During Competition

Before your turn:

• Use your pre-performance routine
• Avoid watching competitors if it increases anxiety
• Stay warm and physically ready
• Use positive self-talk and cue words

During performance:

• Commit fully once you begin
• Focus on one element at a time
• If errors occur, refocus immediately on the next element
• Stay present—don't project forward to results

After your performance:

• Regardless of outcome, acknowledge completing the performance
• Don't immediately analyze—let emotions settle first
• Later, conduct a balanced review (what went well, what to improve)

Case Study: Managing Competition Anxiety

The Situation: Thomas was pursuing his calisthenics instructor certification. The physical skills were solid—he could demonstrate all required movements easily in training. But certification testing was a different story. In his first two attempts, anxiety overwhelmed him. His muscle-ups failed despite months of clean repetitions. His handstand wobbled into early collapse. He described "going blank" and "watching myself fail from outside my body."

Assessment: Thomas had high competition anxiety and little experience performing under pressure. His training environment was always private and controlled. He had no anxiety management strategies and would try to "just not think about it," which inevitably failed.

Intervention approach:

1. Cognitive reframing: Worked on changing interpretations from "I'll be judged and embarrassed" to "This is an opportunity to demonstrate what I've built." Addressed the all-or-nothing thinking—failure isn't permanent; he can retake the test.

2. Physiological regulation: Taught box breathing and the physiological sigh. Practiced these during training until they became automatic.

3. Pre-performance routine: Developed a specific routine for each skill: three breaths, set position, cue word, execute. Practiced this routine hundreds of times.

4. Graduated exposure: Progressively increased training pressure:

   • Week 1-2: Recorded attempts (minor pressure)
   • Week 3-4: Trained with audience of friends
   • Week 5-6: Performed for other trainers
   • Week 7-8: Simulated test conditions with evaluator

5. Competition simulation: Scheduled multiple "mock tests" with realistic conditions, timing, and format. Each became less anxiety-provoking.

6. Acceptance training: Learned to acknowledge anxiety without fighting it: "Anxiety is present. That's okay. I can perform with anxiety."

Outcome: Thomas passed his third certification attempt. He reported feeling "still nervous but in control." The routine helped him stay focused, and the exposure work had reduced the intensity of the anxiety response. Most importantly, he had proven to himself he could perform despite feeling anxious.

Building Long-Term Resilience

Short-term techniques manage acute anxiety. Long-term resilience requires deeper work:

Regular stress exposure: Periodically training under pressure maintains anxiety tolerance. Don't always avoid discomfort.

Physical fitness: General fitness reduces baseline stress reactivity. A well-trained nervous system handles acute stress better.

Recovery practices: Chronic stress amplifies anxiety. Regular recovery—sleep, relaxation, enjoyable activities—builds resilience.

Mental skills practice: Regular visualization, focus training, and self-talk work build skills that remain available under pressure.

Experience accumulation: Each successfully managed anxiety situation builds confidence for future situations. Seek opportunities to perform under pressure.

Self-Reflection Exercise

Part 1: Anxiety Patterns

Reflect on your experience with performance anxiety:

• What situations trigger anxiety for you?
• What physical symptoms do you notice?
• What thoughts accompany the anxiety?
• How does anxiety affect your performance?
• What have you tried to manage it? What's worked or not worked?

Part 2: Strategy Selection

From the strategies in this chapter, select:

• One cognitive reappraisal technique to practice
• One physiological regulation technique to practice
• One focus/attention strategy to develop

Part 3: Routine Development

Develop a pre-performance routine for a skill you find challenging:

1. What physical preparation will you include?
2. What breathing technique will you use?
3. What mental preparation (visualization, cue words) will you include?
4. What will be your trigger to begin?

Practice this routine in training until it's automatic.

Part 4: Exposure Planning

If social evaluation anxiety affects you:

1. Rate how anxious you feel performing in different contexts (1-10)
2. Create a progression from lowest to highest anxiety situations
3. Plan how to systematically expose yourself to these situations

Performance anxiety is manageable. The strategies in this chapter work—but they require practice. You can't learn to regulate anxiety while anxious without ever practicing. Start with low-stakes situations and build your skills before you need them in high-stakes moments.

In the next chapter, we'll explore self-talk strategies—how the voice in your head affects performance and how to make it work for you rather than against you.