Stress is a feeling that’s created when you react to certain events. It’s the body’s way of rising to a challenge and preparing to meet a tough situation.

What can happen if you’re over-stressed?

Stress becomes a problem when you become over-stressed and it starts to affect how you think, how you communicate, how clearly you make decisions on the day.

If you become over-stressed it may have unwanted consequences for your health and in particular, carries over to your players and your support team.

This can become an enormous problem, when players run onto the arena they too are stressed out.

Players and staff are well aware, how the coach is feeling, calm / tense / stressed out

Emotional feelings such as;

• feeling hostile, angry, or irritable
• feeling anxious
• avoiding certain players
• moodiness, feeling frustrated with things that normally don’t bother you
• creates low self-esteem or lack of confidence (within the playing group)
• anxiety attacks, yelling/shouting instead of controlled authority in your voice

Managing Stress

Taking some deep breaths – Deep breathing can help to relax the body and hence calm you down.

Taking deep breaths before the game

Before you address the players prior to entering the ground

Focus on what it is you are about to do and say.

Remember it is not all about the coach it’s about your players how relaxed they are and how they perform win lose or draw.

It’s about your support staff and how they team together prior to and during the game

Stress out after the game

1. This won’t happen
2. You will be happy in victory, (positives and negatives) looking forward to the next contest
3. After defeat you will be focusing on improvement (positives and negatives) both on the training track and the next game