Is anyone here good as sports but has the same problem as me

I play tennis and football(soccer). And I think I'm truly awesome at both these sports. Still, I'm average and sometimes bad. It's clearly because of this fucking shit I've been having for 4 years, I'm always anxious when I'm with anyone I didn't know when I started having real shyness/socialphobia. That's when I stopped having friends and girls too. I'm 18.
Now the reason I suck it's because I shake a lot when I'm doing these sports now, because I'm exposed when I have the ball and stuff. I think it really hinders my sports potential because I could be great and play at an almost professional level. Don't any of you have this too? If I'm practising alone I do great plays, and even when I'm playing with others, when they get used to the thought that I suck, I always surprise them 2 or 3 times with great plays, like when I run through everyone in the field (it happens when I somehow overcome it for a short amount of time, usually seconds). But overall I suck because of this.
Of course sports is just a part of my life it affects, because I'm actually so fucked up if I'm not over this when I turn 20 I'll kill myself because I have nothing to live for, I'm only myself inside my house.
 

theblank

Well-known member
When I was growing up I was good at baseball and ice hockey. Whenever I practiced at home by myself or in casual situations with my team I did excellent and was looked at as one of the best players. However, when I got into a game I tensed up and went from an A level player to a C level player. In baseball I'd get nervous trying to catch pop ups and up at the plate. In hockey I went from being a high scoring center in practice games to skating around aimlessly, making bad passes and missing easy shots I should have scored on in real games. I got decked a lot too which wasn't any fun. I think it all comes down to some sort of performance anxiety.

In regards to your last comment about killing yourself when you turn 20 if you're not over your issues all I can say is that's not a good idea. When I was your age I vowed to kill myself at 25 if things didn't get better. 25 came and went and I was still screwed up, but here I am at age 39, still hanging in there...and glad I did. None of our lives are perfect and things don't always go the way we want them to. You have to find something to live for. It may not be easy, but if you get out there and give yourself a chance, you can do it.
 

Richey

Well-known member
you know what?!...

its funny you should mention sports ..

when i'm on the court playing basketball i feel like ive crossed into another dimension, all my worries dissapear and i feel confident and strong on the court while i'm on a scoring frenzy, one thing i do have is quickness and the skills to shoot so fast that the defenders are phased by me ...

i grew up watching the NBA and one thing that the many people are not aware of in the sport right now unless they payed close attention was how quick you had to be on the court in terms of foot speed, you can't just stand still and move slow, you have to give and give and give your all in terms of defense and offence and the ability to sense your team members quirks and to predict each moment ..
 

footballfan

Well-known member
Yeah, thats what I'm like too. When we practice I play like fabergas, spreading the ball around with pinpoint accuracy, without thinking about it. But as soon as we play competetive matches, I panic as soon as I get the ball, and give possesion away, and it looks like I'm being paid by the other team to fix it. lol
The only advice I can give is, when you lose possession, just don't be afraid to recieve the ball again, and believe in your own talents. Maybe make up for it in other areas like I do, by doing extra work to win the ball back.
hope it works out soon :D
 

Agitprop

Active member
My shyness has also affected my sports ability since I never have enough confidence in my ability to play a team sport. Instead, I generally stick to individual sports like tennis and track and field. Oh well.
 

Thelema

Well-known member
You gotta play more. I'm a bowler and have been in tournaments all around the state, been on the all star team 4 years running...bla bla bla. I've been doing this so much that now I'm 20, I have the experience to beat people twice my age.

You gotta live for this shit. tiger Woods has played in so many tournaments that it's just something he does, he doesn't get nervous about it.

How do you know you're good enough to go pro when you can't even perform in a game? Sometimes you're taken out of your element and thats when some people rise to the occasion and others crumble.

How do you get good at a sport? You don't practice your strengths, you practice your weaknesses
 

lonely_life_55

New member
Sports & Anxiety

I've found that playing volleyball almost completely eliminates all my social anxiety/phobia, as well as helping alleviate many depression symptoms. I've been afraid of going to a store by myself because I was afraid I'd have to talk to the cashier, and I've avoided any social situation as much as I could, but when it comes to volleyball it's like I'm a completely different, outgoing person.

At the college I attended, there were many sand volleyball courts around the dorms. I'd play with a group of people I knew and when they stopped to go eat or do homework, I'd walk over to another group of people playing and ask them if I could play, even though I knew none of them... It's amazing because normally I wouldn't even walk up and initiate a conversation with someone I see and talk to in a class everyday. I also recently started playing on a co-ed volleyball league with people I didn't know at all, and I was fine with that. I was hardly anxious, and once I started playing the little fear I did have was gone.

Volleyball has been a great release for me in many ways. It's been a great way for me to meet people and socialize in a way that is comfortable for me. I love volleyball and it has been my life. I've been playing for over ten years now and feel pretty confident when I play.

I had surgery on my shoulder last December. I hadn't been able to play for awhile before that because of the pain and of course couldn't play afterwards. My depression felt a lot worse then and I felt like I couldn't do anything else to feel better. I'm very happy that my shoulder is much better now and I am starting to play volleyball again.

I'm very thankful that I have something that helps with my social anxiety/phobia. Even though it doesn't cure it, and the anxiety is back after I am done playing, at least I get a temporary release to be free and happy like so many others seem to be.
 
Thelema said:
You gotta play more. I'm a bowler and have been in tournaments all around the state, been on the all star team 4 years running...bla bla bla. I've been doing this so much that now I'm 20, I have the experience to beat people twice my age.

You gotta live for this shit. tiger Woods has played in so many tournaments that it's just something he does, he doesn't get nervous about it.

How do you know you're good enough to go pro when you can't even perform in a game? Sometimes you're taken out of your element and thats when some people rise to the occasion and others crumble.

How do you get good at a sport? You don't practice your strengths, you practice your weaknesses

but you play a shit sport called bowling, that's barely a sport. i know im good enough when even nervous i score about twice every 10 minutes and when i run through the whole pitch feinting everyone and the keeper too. oh but twice every 10 minutes in a small field with friends, of course. never played in a big pitch, it should be much better because there's lots of space and i'm fast.
 

chris87

Well-known member
I had to quit baseball, because I couldn't play in front of other people. I would be fine when I was with my Dad. As soon as I was at the game, I would freeze when a ball was hit to me. I would stay nervous the whole time and worry about having to make a play.
 

PhantomPod

Well-known member
I am naturally very athletic and was very good at all sports when I was younger. Soccer, baseball, basketball, gymnastics. But I quit them all.

Quit gymnastics in second grade because my friend I was doing it with quit and I didn't want to have to go there by myself (even though there were other kids in the class)

Quit baseball, basketball, and soccer due to shyness in not feeling comfortable being so boyish, since I would get made fun of for being a tomboy.
 

Thelema

Well-known member
jesuszavala13 said:
Thelema said:
You gotta play more. I'm a bowler and have been in tournaments all around the state, been on the all star team 4 years running...bla bla bla. I've been doing this so much that now I'm 20, I have the experience to beat people twice my age.

You gotta live for this shit. tiger Woods has played in so many tournaments that it's just something he does, he doesn't get nervous about it.

How do you know you're good enough to go pro when you can't even perform in a game? Sometimes you're taken out of your element and thats when some people rise to the occasion and others crumble.

How do you get good at a sport? You don't practice your strengths, you practice your weaknesses

but you play a shit sport called bowling, that's barely a sport. i know im good enough when even nervous i score about twice every 10 minutes and when i run through the whole pitch feinting everyone and the keeper too. oh but twice every 10 minutes in a small field with friends, of course. never played in a big pitch, it should be much better because there's lots of space and i'm fast.

Excuse me? Did you just insult my sport? I could beat you at any sport with an arm tied behind my back and a peg leg. If you're ever in my town, we can bowl for some money and I'll take you for all you have.
 
ok hehe. anyways im playing a soccer tournament soon and my team consists of really big losers, even worse than me, although im like half a loser only, and it makes me feel like ill have to carry the team on my back hehe. ill let you know if i can finally exhale my true talent now or if i still suck. havent played in some months...
 
confirmation: i suck. it's frustating that deep down there i always believe in myself, but in reality i'm shit. i am utter shit at everything. fuck my "intelectual capabilities", i never valued them.
 

Thelema

Well-known member
jesuszavala13 said:
confirmation: i suck. it's frustating that deep down there i always believe in myself, but in reality i'm shit. i am utter shit at everything. fuck my "intelectual capabilities", i never valued them.

If you believe in yourself you wouldnt keep choking like an asshole....Experience is what gives you confidence...you can't just sit on the couch thinking about how talented you are...
 

jcsmit

New member
I have also had similar sports problems as with you. At the begining of every season i play terrible because im concentrating on what the crowd thinks of how im playing.

However after 2 or 3 games i relax and get back to playing the game. I think the things that have helped me most are

1. Ignoring the crowd
2. Concentrating on being part of a team and not an individual
3. Enjoying myself

The worst thing you can do is start thinking about what the crowd thinks of you when you have the ball that's when your gonna blow it.
 
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