The Sport Psych Show #333 Dr Robin Owen and Prof Shuge Zhang - The Impact of Anxiety on Performance
Dec 8, 2025
Dr. Robin Owen, a sport psychology lecturer at Liverpool Hope University, and Prof. Shuge Zhang, a research professor at Hunan University of Technology, dive into the complex interplay of anxiety and performance in athletes. They discuss how distraction and self-focus can either harm or help performance, revealing insights from regional netball players about their lived experiences with anxiety. The duo emphasizes the importance of tailored interventions to help athletes control attention and navigate pressure, providing practical strategies for sports practitioners.
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Two Opposing Attention Mechanisms
- Anxiety can produce two opposing attentional effects: external distraction or excessive self-focus.
- Robin Owen and Shuge Zhang suggest these mechanisms may interact rather than be mutually exclusive.
Athletes Report Both Worry And Overthinking
- Dan Abrahams and the researchers note athletes often report both worry and conscious control simultaneously.
- Players described worrying thoughts and then consciously thinking about technique, matching common practitioner experience.
Bidirectional Contamination
- Distraction and self-focus can be bidirectionally linked and contaminate each other.
- Self-focus can fail when distraction drains resources, and self-focus itself can become a distraction.