Anyone who’s ever stood on a start line knows that competition brings more than a physical challenge – it brings pressure. And at elite levels, that pressure only intensifies. Performances becomes about more than personal achievement; it’s often tied to national pride, sponsorship expectations, and public perception.
In environments like these, success isn’t determined by physical preparation alone. An athlete’s psychological state before competition can be the deciding factor in how much of their physical potential they’re able to realize on the day.
A recent article, Competitive pressure, psychological resilience, and coping strategies in athletes’ pre-competition anxiety (October 2025), explores how pressure, resilience, and coping mechanisms interact to shape athletes’ mental states before competition. Drawing on survey data from more than 2,000 athletes, the study highlights the pivotal role of mindset and psychological strategies in optimizing performance and unlocking full athletic potential.
Every athlete experiences anxiety – especially as competition levels rise. But the good news is that there are research-backed strategies we can all use to help turn that anxiety into focus, energy, and confidence when it matters most.
Four Strategies to Optimize Your Physiology and Mindset
1. Pre-Race Grounding Breathing
Also known as diaphragmatic breathing, this technique helps calm the nervous system, release tension, and sharpen concentration. The goal is to shift from the shallow chest breathing that often happens when we’re anxious to deeper, more controlled abdominal breathing.
By slowing and deepening each breath, you help the body relax and restore nervous system balance – a shift you can feel almost instantly. And the benefits aren’t just psychological; they’re physiological. This simple adjustment literally changes how your body shows up on the start line, leaving you calmer, more focused, and better primed for performance.
2. Positive Inner Self-Talk
Negative self-talk, sometimes known as the “inner critic,” can quietly chip away at confidence and performance. Thoughts like “I can’t do this” or “This isn’t going to plan” elevate stress and distract you from executing your race. Over time, these patterns can pull focus away from the process and toward fear of failure.
Instead, aim to be your own best ally on race day. Practice ahead of time the words and phrases that help you stay grounded, confident, and proud of how you’re showing up – as the kind of athlete who responds well to challenges and stays committed to the process (which in turn drives great performances).
What works best will vary from athlete to athlete, but process-focused self-talk tends to be most effective. Try reinforcing statements like “Nice job closing that gap,” or “You’re staying smooth and steady – keep it up!” This kind of supportive inner dialogue builds focus, resilience, and motivation, helping you stay in the optimal mental space to perform at your best.
3. Mental Rehearsal (Visualization)
Mental rehearsal, or visualization, is one of the most powerful tools for shaping how you’ll perform under pressure. When you repeatedly imagine yourself executing skills, transitions, or race moments with confidence and control, you’re actually training your brain to create the same neural patterns used during physical performance. Over time, these mental “reps” become automatic – part of your internal toolkit when it matters most.
How you visualize yourself on race day often becomes how you show up. Visualization helps calm anxiety by making the environment, sensations, and challenges feel familiar before you even arrive at the start line. It also allows you to ground yourself in the best version of yourself – focused, composed, and ready to respond well to whatever the race brings.
The more vividly you can imagine, the stronger the effect. Picture the sights, sounds, and feel of the course. Run through key moments – the start, the middle push, the final kick – and visualize how you’ll respond physically and emotionally. You can even anchor your visualization in a personal theme or intention, something that grounds you emotionally and helps you return to centre when the race gets tough.
4. Setting Goals (Including Micro-Goals!)
We often think of goals as big, long-term outcomes – a finish time, a podium spot, or a qualification standard. But on race day, the most effective goals are often much smaller. Setting micro-goals helps keep your mind centered on the immediate task at hand, reducing overwhelm and creating a steady sense of progress.
In the swim, a micro-goal might be how you’ll start, breathe, or position yourself. On the bike, it could be about staying within your power or heart rate range, or nailing your fuelling plan. On the run, maybe it’s simply holding form for the next kilometre or staying mentally engaged through each aid station.
Thinking of the entire race at once can feel daunting and increase anxiety. Breaking it into focused, achievable segments helps you stay present and composed, even when things get tough. And each micro-goal you accomplish reinforces confidence and momentum – small wins that build into a performance you can be proud of when you cross the finish line.
These four techniques have been used for years by elite athletes – and even by military training programs such as the Navy SEALs – to enhance performance under extreme pressure. Just as the body can be conditioned to perform physically, the mind can be trained to respond with calm, control, and confidence when it matters most.
At the highest levels, what separates good performances from great ones isn’t just the hours of physical training – it’s the psychological preparation behind them. The best athletes understand that mental mastery begins long before race day and often determines how it ends.
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