Well, in this Blog I usually address technical subjects that would help readers develop their volleyball skills regardless of where they are at in their journey …
This article will be quite different. This will be more of a self-help kind of content that will, hopefully, help you be at the right mindset before and during volleyball games.
The X-factor here is “Composure” and how calm you can be during actual volleyball games regardless of how much stakes there is!
Without further ado, let’s dive in.
7 Tips to fix anxiety before volleyball games
Healthy routine
Routine plays a major role in shaping your mind. Waking up early, having a healthy breakfast, a good warmup session are essential ingredients of a healthy routine.
List 5 things that you think will make a up a great routine for you and try to adopt them within 5 weeks. Each week add up a new element from your list and you will notice the difference.
Breathe
It’s proven by science that proper deep breathing increases the amount of oxygen in the body and further calms a person down …
If you are someone who’s under a lot of anxiety and losing breathe, then just get yourself a calm place and meditate for 5 minutes. Breathe deep and gather as much positive energy as possible.
Gear Up!
If you are playing in a position that requires you to dive a lot for the ball, then it would be better to put on your protection gear. This will make you more calm and less anxious or worried about getting injured …
This Protection Gear is a good example if you want to get started!
Visualization
I won’t consider myself a visualization master or anything like that! There are a ton of visualization techniques that can help (Internet is full of them) …
However, the technique that seems to work great for me, is by visualizing 4 to 5 bad situations that can happen during the game (example: me doing a mistake that can cost my team a very important point) then visualizing myself being able to thrive through that and be victorious.
Indeed, if such a situation actually happens, it will feel familiar and you will be much less stressed dealing with it.
Again, I am not a visualization master, so you can learn more about that by checking this wonderful resource.
Think of past achievements
Thinking of what you have achieved in your past is a great way to remove insecurities. If you feel low before a match and losing motivation, then think of what you have achieved in the past.
Any achievement, big or small, can help out your confidence. The latter is important for the upcoming game.
Proper warmup
A good warmup session is crucial. Start your session with cardio, let the muscles get ready for the intensive work…
Cardio should be followed by good stretching. It will give you more flexibility in the game.
After you finish with the basic warmup, go for match specific drills. If you play as an offence for the team, smash the ball. On the other hand, if you play as defence, then try to block or defend the smash.
Avoid focusing on the competition
There are times in a tournament when you are about to face the best team out there!
If you focus too much on that, you will get too nervous and won’t be as calm as you should be during the game.
Instead, focus on what the coach has to say and try to execute the best way you can.
5 Tips to regain your composure during the game
Now, let’s tackle some tips that would help you regain your calm even if you are dealing with bad moments in any volleyball game.
Have faith in yourself and your team
This might sound useless or obvious, yet this is usually what makes or breaks a team!
No matter how much chaotic the game gets, having faith in yourself and your teammates can do wonders.
Spreading positivity across the team and cheering the team can be a great way to gain back control.
Of course, you can talk and communicate with your teammates by opting for a timeout and discuss what is going wrong and what you need to do about it.
Drink water
Drinking a sip of water can be very helpful in situations full of anxiety. Water will calm down your body as a whole and make you feel fresh.
Don’t drink too much water though!
Talk to your coach
Words of a coach can be very motivating for a player!
So, if you don’t feel as calm as you should be, don’t wait until the coach talks to you; instead try to talk to your coach in the break.
Be open and honest about how you feel, this will help your coach understand and guide you to what you probably should be doing.
Don’t think about the future
Thinking of the future will bring in unnecessary winning pressure. So rather than thinking of the future just live in moment.
Enjoy the process
Understand that winning and losing is a part of the game. No matter how bad the game gets, just enjoy the process and give in your best.
Volleyball positions that need to stay calm the most
Although volleyball is a team sport and everyone needs to be at the same level of positive mindset, there are some positions that seem to need being calm more because of how critical is their role in the team.
Setter
He’s the leader of the team. Holding the centre position, this person acts as the backbone of the team.
May it be countering the offence by defending the shots, or setting a smash for the teammates, he does it all. Hence it becomes very crucial that the setter is always in a calm state of mind.
Libero
The individual playing at this position can be spotted easily. He wears a different coloured jersey when compared to other teammates.
His main work is to handle the ball and maintain good passing within the team. Hence this person has to stay calm to give out good offence and also to take care of the defence.
Is volleyball considered a stressful game?
Volleyball is indeed a challenging game. There is a reason why more and more people are engaging with this game nowadays.
It actually tests the individual at all possible aspects. Coordinating and building up synergy in the team is a tough task. Volleyball being a team game becomes all the way more stressful.
On a side note, I invite you to check those spiking drills you can execute without a net!
Final Thoughts …
Some people might consider this topic as being less of a priority as they rather focus more on the fundamental volleyball skills. While there is nothing wrong with that for beginners, you need to understand that at a certain point there won’t be that much of a difference when it comes to the skills …
So, if your mind is in the right place and know how to be as calm as you should be, then this will make all the difference for you and your team.