Time Required: 20 minutes

Format: Interactive practice with guided techniques

Materials Needed: Quiet space

Target Ages: 8-18 years

How did the STOP technique work for you this week?

Did anyone get a chance to use it during practice or competition?

Which part of STOP (Stop, Take a breath, Observe, Proceed) felt most helpful?

Any situations where emotions felt more manageable?

Acknowledge that emotions can be challenging and celebrate any efforts to practice.

Building on all previous modules, this session helps young athletes work skillfully with performance anxiety.

Athletes will learn to reframe nervous energy and develop effective pre-competition routines using all their mindfulness skills.

By the end of this module, athletes will be able to:

• Understand what happens in their body and mind during performance anxiety
• Reframe pre-competition nervousness as performance-enhancing energy
• Apply mindfulness techniques to work with competitive anxiety
• Develop a personalized pre-competition routine
• Implement real-time strategies for managing anxiety during competition

Address high-stakes competition and college recruitment pressure

Include mental health awareness and professional help when needed

Discuss anxiety as part of peak performance psychology

Connect to life skills and career preparation

Allow for complex discussions about anxiety disorders vs. normal performance nerves

Use clinical and psychological terminology appropriately

Include research on anxiety and peak performance

Address mental health stigma and help-seeking

Connect to adult anxiety management and life skills

Include professional athlete anxiety management examples

Complex anxiety scenario analysis with high-pressure situations

Advanced anxiety management techniques

Leadership opportunities in helping others with anxiety

Connection to life beyond sports and future careers

Sophisticated pre-performance routine development

Create positive pre-competition environments that support anxiety management

Model calm confidence in your own coaching approach

Use anxiety reframing language with the whole team

Include brief anxiety management in team preparation

Celebrate athletes who use their anxiety management skills

"That nervous energy shows you care about competing well"

"Use your breathing technique to channel that energy"

"Your body is getting ready - that's good preparation"

"Remember your pre-competition routine"

"I can see you're managing those nerves really well"

Create controlled pressure situations in practice for anxiety skill practice

Include pre-competition routine practice in team preparation

Address team anxiety and nervousness as normal and helpful

Use competition preparation that reduces rather than increases anxiety

Support individual anxiety management without singling athletes out

Wang, Y., Lei, S. M., & Fan, J. (2023). Effects of mindfulness-based interventions on promoting athletic performance and related factors among athletes. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(3), 2257.

Kim, S., Lee, J., Park, H., & Choi, M. (2024). Mobile-based mindfulness meditation intervention's impact on mental health among young male judo athletes in South Korea. Scientific Reports, 14, 12847.