Handling Pressure in Big Games: Turn Nerves into Fuel

By Spectator Sport | Athlete Development Series: Mindset & Mental Toughness

Your heart’s racing, your hands are shaking, and everything you’ve trained for comes down to the next few moments. This is the moment every athlete dreams of but also the moment that separates the prepared from the panicked.

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Pressure doesn’t break you, it reveals you.

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At Spectator Sport, we teach athletes how to rise when it counts. Here’s how to stay calm, confident, and locked in even when everything’s on the line.

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Step 1: Embrace the Pressure, Don’t Fight It

Nerves are not a weakness, it’s a sign you care.

The best athletes feel nerves, but they know this:

Nerves mean you’re ready.

So when the butterflies hit:

• Don’t try to “not be nervous”

• Instead, reframe it: This is adrenaline. This is fuel.

• Remind yourself: You’ve been here before, in practice, in training, in your mind.

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Step 2: Control the Controllable

You can’t control:

• The weather

• The refs

• The crowd

• Your opponent’s game

You can control:

• Your breath

• Your effort

• Your preparation

• Your response

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Step 3: Master Your Breath

When the moment gets loud, go silent inside.

Try this: Box Breathing (4x4x4x4)

• Breathe in for 4 seconds

• Hold for 4 seconds

• Breathe out for 4 seconds

• Hold for 4 seconds, Repeat 2–3 times.

This resets your nervous system, clears your mind, and brings you back to the now.

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Step 4: Focus on the Next Play, Not the Outcome

Don’t think about the scoreboard and don’t think about the future.

Think about:

• The next route

• The next rep

• The next pitch

• The next serve

• The next decision

Pressure becomes panic when you fast-forward, keep your focus on what's right in front of you.

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Step 5: Use a Power Phrase

Every elite athlete has a trigger phrase, a mental reset that dials them in.

Examples:

• “Next play.”

• “I was built for this.”

• “One breath. One move.”

• “Let’s go to work.”

Pick one that means something to you. Use it every time your mind starts to drift.

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Step 6: Visualize Before You Step Out

Elite athletes don’t wait until game time to perform, they’ve already played it out in their mind.

Before the big game:

• Close your eyes

• See yourself executing perfectly

• Hear the crowd, feel your breath, taste the moment

• Remember pressure is a privilege

Final Word: Big Moments Don’t Shrink Great Athletes.

They activate them.

You don’t rise to the occasion:

You rise to the level of your preparation.

So breathe, lock in, and go take what you’ve earned.

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At Spectator Sport, we don’t just cover the wins.

We help athletes win the battle in their head first.

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