STRESS AND ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE

The Correlation Between Stress and Athletic Performance

Robert Ah Sue
Salt Lake Community College
Psychology 1010
Dr. Marci Campbell
June 12, 2016

STRESS AND ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE

The Correlation Between Stress and Athletic Performance

Introduction
Sport psychology is becoming a popular topic among athletes looking to increase
performance. In a world of bigger, faster and stronger athletes the psychology
components often separate the good from the best. Most people would agree that the
highest rated quarterbacks in the NFL arent the most physically talented suggesting the
most significant component of an athlete might go deeper than physical capability. The
goal is to explore the correlation between stress and performance. Studies discussed in
this paper demonstrate negative performance outcomes caused by stress. Changing your
perception of a stressful situation from a threat to a challenge can actually modify
your bodys response to the situation and lead to better performance (Schacter, Gilbert,
Wegner, & Nock, 2009). By further understanding psychology components, such as
stress management, coaches and exercise specialists are drastically improving
performance.
Literature Review
Stress is defined as the physical and psychological response to internal or external
stressors (Schacter, Gilbert, Wegner, & Nock, 2009). One study that reported stress
scores four days prior to competition showed significant correlation between stress and
game day performance (Seggar, Pedersen, Hawkes, & McGown, 1997). Linking stress
to a decrease in athletic performance is of massive importance in the world of sports.
Every coach, athlete and exercise specialist is looking for areas of improvement in the
sport setting. Another study that implemented a stress-management program to subjects
demonstrated increase in performance, mental rehearsal and attentional skills when

STRESS AND ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE

compared to the control group (Ker & Leith, 1993). These results suggest effective
management of stress has the potential to improve athletic components. More
importantly stress management is just as significant to athletic preparation as a tactical
game plan or physical training.
The immune system is remarkably responsive to psychological influences such as
stress (Schacter, Gilbert, Wegner, & Nock, 2009). The heart and circulatory system are
also sensitive to stress (Schacter, Gilbert, Wegner, & Nock, 2009). Stress can even
accelerate the aging process (Schacter, Gilbert, Wegner, & Nock, 2009)! Inability to
handle stress in an effective manner can result in diminished physical capabilities.
Biological evidence of negative response to stress should be enough for athletes consider
stress management yet decline in performance is often a bigger motivator. Every coach
should be examining ways for athletes to manage stress better. Studies have done a good
job depicting the biological disadvantages and decreased performance that result from
stress but the next step is implementing techniques to treat stress.
One problem with stress management is that there is no universal method to treat
stress. As Fine states in her review of techniques to reduce stress: for every athlete who
must be psyched-up to produce optimum performance, another athlete must be
relaxed to produce optimum performance (Fine, 1982). This presents complexity when
coaches are responsible for multiple athletes at a time. It requires coaches to use stress
management skills that are unique to the athlete. In other words there is no specific
protocol that a coach can follow for every athlete. Coaches and staff must be able to
recognize and adapt to positive and negative stressors in order to help the athletes

STRESS AND ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE

performance. Training coaches and staff to reduce potential stressors and improve stress
management skills of athletes can potentially improve a teams success.
A study using the Profile of Mood States (PMOS) showed negative moods such as
depression or tension had a negative effect on performance outcome (Beedie, Terry, &
Lane, 2000). If a coach can implement a positive mood it might eliminate some stress.
Improvements to stress management skills have to be practical in order to be effective
and efficient. It is much easier to identify the mood of an athlete in comparison to a
psychological response to stressors. For organizations that dont have the resources to
train coaches in stress management aptitude, recognizing and encouraging a positive
mood might be the next best thing. Utilizing psychology to improve someones response
to stress in order to increase performance is going to require experimentation and new
methods.
Perhaps the most difficult concept of stress in relationship to performance is the
broad spectrum of stressors. Narrowing down specific stressors that affect performance
then implementing a plan to eliminate those stressors is not an easy task. One article
suggests that most studies of stress and athletic performance do not involve the influences
of stress outside athletics (Felsten & Wilcox, 1992). Felsten reiterates that studies of
anxiety and athletic performance have produced inconsistent results. This could be
because of multiple stressors that are unrelated to athletics. Athletes must learn to handle
stress in all aspects of life not just the sport-specific scenario. The biological response to
stress is negative and unbiased. In summary athletes must respond to stress in a positive
way regardless of the source in order to improve performance.
Application

STRESS AND ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE

I have competed in athletics my entire life. Athletics have allowed me to
compete at the college and professional level. Towards the end of my college career I
began to notice improvements in physical characteristics and experience but it didn't
always correlate to superior performance. I knew there was an aspect of training that I
was missing. During my senior season we had the opportunity to hear from a Sport
Psychologist before a game against Utah State. Although at the time I was unfamiliar
with the title or job description of a Sport Psychologist this experience would go on to
revolutionize my athletic career. The Psychologist placed our team in deep mediation
then started to use "power" words such as fast, strong and quick. Obviously some
teammates didn't take the exercise seriously but I did and I noticed improved
performance. I felt more relaxed and in control of my performance. On the plane ride
home I had the opportunity to talk with the Psychologist regarding further techniques.
She introduced stress management techniques along with the principle of positive
thinking.
Since college I have went on to compete in Rugby at the international level. The
same stress management techniques have allowed me to perform at higher levels of
competition. My point is that for most of my life the inability to manage stress had a
negative effect on performance without me even realizing it. Thanks to a Sport
Psychologist I was able to work on a component I didn't even know existed. By
understanding stress I was able to utilize my talents and yield more consistent
performance. Just like strength, speed and conditioning, training for stress takes a lot of
practice. Many of my teammates were embarrassed or afraid to seek help from a

STRESS AND ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE

Psychologist but I am so grateful I did. Management of stress can benefit every single
athlete in both the sport setting and life.
Conclusion
Through literature review and studies I was able to discover even more evidence
of stress influencing performance. Thanks to the field of Psychology we are able to show
evidence of decreased performance from stress. I have learned that the psychological
component is even more important to athletic performance than I thought. I would like to
learn more application techniques for stress in the future. I know this is a difficult
concept because everybody is so diverse in response to stressors. Realizing stress played
a significant role in my athletic performance was only half the battle. Finding ways to
proficiently treat my stress was the other possibly more demanding half.
Stress is just one small component of psychology. I believe there are so many
additional factors that we can apply to the sport setting. We have done an outstanding job
at maximizing performance through strength and conditioning but I believe we have only
scratched the surface when it comes to psychology components. Application of stress
management skills has the potential to impact athletes in a life-changing manner! Just
like you don't run faster over night or gain muscle in one week, managing stress to
improve performance is going to take time. The ability to handle stress improved much
more than just my athletic performance; it enhanced my quality of life.

STRESS AND ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE

References
Beedie, C. J., Terry, P. C., & Lane, A. M. (2000). The Profile of Mood States and
Athletic Performance: Two Meta-analyses. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology
(12), 49-68.
Felsten, G., & Wilcox, K. (1992). Why is life stress ignored in studies of 'stress' and
athletic performance . Perceptual and Motor Skills (74), 800-802.
Fine, A. (1982 Oct). A Cognitive Behavioral Technique for Reducing Stress. Journal
of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance , 47-49.
Ker, G., & Leith, L. (1993). Stress Management and Athletic Performance. Sport
Pyschologist , 7 (3), 221-223.
Schacter, D. L., Gilbert, D. T., Wegner, D. M., & Nock, M. K. (2009). Psychology. New
York, NY: Worth Publishers.
Seggar, J. F., Pedersen, D. M., Hawkes, N. R., & McGown, C. (1997). A Measure of
Stress for Athletic Performance. Perceptual and Motor Skills , 227-236.