Jesse Ebgelbrecht’s on Handling Nerves

When I competed in track as a teenager, I don’t recall having any issue with nerves. and when I played my first soccer season, I didn’t have any issues then either. So it was a bit of a surprise to me that when I played my very first competitive squash game, I discovered this feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach on the afternoon of the match.

In asking around that season I came to learn that many, maybe even most people were nervous before their matches.

While some people take it in stride, other’s performances are affected by it. The more important the match a player perceives the match, the worse it can become.

It is not always about “failure” either. I lost almost every single game my first year playing. But I realized part way in, I had a threshold of just how many points down I was comfortable with. I didn’t mind losing 15-10 but 15-3 made me wonder if I was “good enough” to be in the game.

But not everything was about the game, either.

As I worked my way through a fantastic book called “The Brave Athlete” (this is an affiliate link to Amazon – if you buy anything CourtBound gets a small percentage from Amazon for referring you there at no cost to you) I was surprised to discover that I had other concerns I wasn’t even aware of. Like what would happen if I had a heart-attack mid-game? Like what if I lost control of my emotions and loss my temper or worse, cried?

The best thing about this process is that by taking my worries seriously even as unlikely, silly or unjustified they might be, I could address them the way a good friend, loving family member or mental coach might off court when I had the time to dedicate to it.

Everyone has their own reasons for being nervous or anxious. But at the end of the day, you can’t be focusing on the hows and why of your anxieties when you are supposed to be present for your game. Jesse Englebrecht has some good tips. Check it out.

http://www.squashplayer.co.uk/workshop/2022/SP221_42_Engelbrecht_DR.pdf