Coaching Young Lacrosse Players through Game Day Anxiety

Daniel J. Mannix is the vice president of an international probate research firm and has been coaching lacrosse for over three decades. With experience coaching in 10 states, Daniel J. Mannix is currently a coach with the West Coast Starz program and the Under Armour American West team.

Lacrosse, like any spectator sport, can produce anxiety for players on game days. As a result, many coaches recognize how important it is to address pregame jitters beyond just a brief pep talk. To help players focus better, it helps to set process-oriented expectations beforehand. No player is going to perform perfectly throughout a match, but as long as key milestones in the player’s process are reached, it’s an opportunity for growth. Framing success in terms of a process helps remove some of the anxiety associated with winning and losing.

Also, coaches can encourage players to create rituals and routines that help them focus. Many professional athletes use simple rituals to get in the right mindset and clear their minds. The role of these rituals should be to exclude distractions and previous performances and focus on how to best help the team at the moment.