How Can Stress Affect Sports Performance?
Stress is a feeling that’s created when we react to particular events. It’s the body’s way of rising to a challenge and preparing to meet a tough situation with focus, strength, stamina, and heightened alertness. A little stress or the right kind of positive stress can help keep you on your toes, ready to rise to a challenge. The events that provoke stress are called stressors, and they cover a whole range of situations – everything from outright danger to stepping up to take the foul shot that could win the game. Stress can also be a response to change or anticipation of something that’s about to happen – good or bad. People can feel stress over positive challenges, like making the varsity team, as well as negative ones. Distress is a bad type of stress that arises when you must adapt to too many negative demands. Suppose you had a fight with a close friend last night, you forgot your homework this morning, and you’re playing in a tennis match this afternoon. You try to get psyched fo
