Transcript
Today, I am playing the semifinals of the tournament. I don't really have anything specific that I want to do outside of what I did yesterday. I want to start the match aggressively and I want to work hard to deal with my nerves. When I get nervous today, I will remind myself to: keep my feet intense, stay aggressive, stay confident, and use my coaching voice.
I have an obligation to my parents, my coaches, and my future self to be deliberate in how I talk to my self. I will not put too much pressure on this match. Regardless of the score, I want to be aggressive and intentional. I want to take the match, not hope they give it to me. I will remind myself that that is the lesson I am trying to learn in this tournament. It doesn't matter if I win if I don't learn anything.
My coaching voice will remind me that I can only focus on the things over which I have control. I am performing against myself, because regardless of who is on the other side of the net, my intentions are the same. No one single athletic event is going to make or break me as a competitor or person. There is no reason to be nervous because this is just a learning opportunity.
Nervousness is fear of doing something wrong, and that affecting something you care about. When you get nervous, you become tentative because you don't want to be accountable for messing up. Your hands get sweaty, your feet get heavy, and your breath gets shaky. While it helps you focus better because of how much you care, you cannot put too much pressure on anything or it could affect your performance.