NAVIGATING PRE-COMPETITION ANXIETY AMONG FOOTBALLERS AND IN REFEREEING

Abstract

The write-up underscores the profound impact of pre-competition anxiety on footballers and referees in sports, highlighting its potential to immobilize and impair performance due to overwhelming fear. It explores symptoms, escalation to competitive anxiety for referees, and instances from the UEFA Champions League finals. Personal experiences, including the author's anxiety before a national fitness test, vividly depict the overwhelming nature of pre-competition anxiety. Coping mechanisms for both referees and athletes, such as reframing thoughts and controlled breathing, are discussed, along with stress reduction techniques like progressive muscle relaxation. Stress management techniques, exemplified by ice bath exercises during the 2023 FIFA Membership Association course, are portrayed as dual-purpose mental and physical therapy for coping with anxiety and achieving psychomotor optimization. Overall, the article aims to illuminate the challenges of pre-competition anxiety in sports and provide effective strategies for managing it.