How to Handle Pressure in Sport

charliemiall
Jun 11
2 min read

Updated: Jun 12

Picture this:

It’s five minutes before the whistle blows. Your stomach is in knots. Your thoughts are racing

What if I mess up? What if I let the team down? You’ve trained hard, you're ready physically, but mentally… it’s a different story.

If you’re an athlete (or a parent of one), you’ve probably seen this kind of pressure steal the spotlight on game day, turning potential into panic...confidence into hesitation.

Here’s the truth: Talent isn’t enough. Mental performance matters. And the good news? It’s something you can train, just like any other skill, you can learn to handle pressure in sport.

The Pressure Problem

Whether it’s a crucial penalty, a swim final, or stepping into a packed gym, pressure can either sharpen your focus or completely derail it. Most athletes aren’t taught how to handle that intensity.

What happens instead?

They freeze up or overthink
One mistake snowballs into a meltdown
Confidence crumbles before the real test even begins

And parents? You want to help, but it’s hard to know what to say or do in those big moments without adding more stress.

How to Handle Pressure in Sport: This is Where the Game-Day Mental Reset Comes In

I’ve created a free downloadable guide called:

The Game-Day Mental Reset: 4 Steps to Handle Pressure, Stay Focused and Perform with Confidence

Download your free guide to handle pressure

Inside, I walk you through a simple but powerful mental routine — the ABCD Process — that helps reset the mind in the moment, so performance can flow.

You’ll also get:

A bonus activity to uncover your unique “Pressure Patterns”
The exact mindset shift top performers use to bounce back after mistakes
A guide that’s easy to read, quick to apply, and designed specifically for youth and young elite athletes

Why It Works

The ABCD Process is based on evidence based Sport Psychology principles that I have used with elite performers at the top level, simplified into four clear steps that any athlete can use, even in the middle of a competition.