04/05/2026
Why you feel nervous before competing — and why that’s not a bad thing…
Before a comp match, most people feel it.
The shaky hands.
The tight chest.
The racing heart.
The dry mouth.
The weird feeling in your stomach.
The little voice in your head asking, “What if I’m not ready?”
A lot of athletes interpret that feeling as fear, weakness, or a sign that something is wrong.
But most of the time, it’s not.
It’s your body getting ready to perform.
When your brain recognises that something matters, it switches on your stress response. Your sympathetic nervous system kicks in. Your body releases adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol. Your heart rate increases. Blood gets pushed toward the big muscles. Your body starts preparing you to move, react, grip, scramble, defend, attack, and survive the moment.
That’s why you shake.
Your body is switched on, but you’re still standing still.
That’s why you feel sick.
Blood is being moved away from digestion and toward action.
That’s why your mind starts racing.
Your brain is trying to scan the situation, predict danger, and prepare you for what might happen.
This is not always a sign that you’re falling apart.
It can be a sign that your body understands the moment.
The trap is when we start judging the feeling.
“I’m nervous, so I must not be ready.”
“I’m shaking, so I must be weak.”
“I feel sick, so something is wrong.”
That second layer of panic is often worse than the original nerves.
The goal is not to feel nothing.
The goal is to recognise what is happening, accept it, and use it.
Before a match, your body might feel like it’s redlining in neutral. The engine is running hard, but the clutch hasn’t dropped yet. Once the match starts, that energy has somewhere to go. The nerves often disappear because your brain has a job to do. You move from waiting and worrying into action and problem solving.
That is why warm-ups matter.
That is why breathing matters.
That is why having a simple first task matters.
Breathe. Move. Get your grips. Find your posture. Win the first exchange. Stay present.
You don’t need to be perfectly calm to compete well.
You need to be prepared.
There’s a difference.
I want our competitors to understand this because nerves are part of the process. They don’t mean you don’t belong there. They don’t mean you’re not tough enough. They don’t mean you’re not ready.
They mean your body is awake.
They mean you care.
They mean the moment matters.
The skill is learning not to fight your own biology.
Notice it. Name it. Breathe through it. Then step on the mat and put that energy to work.
And if you don’t feel confident yet, that’s okay.
Borrow some of mine until you build your own.
John