When you are a high-level performer, the anxiety can play a role in that. The initial role is that it gets you up and gets you ready, focused and excited. But if it's too high, too much anxiety can cause an arousal response measured by physiological change such as sweat, muscle tension, heart rate change and other behaviors.

Fred Newton

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What's good about this team is that they're able to play with all the tension and anxiety that goes along with being down or being tied.

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For athletes who have been recruited to a Division I school, we know their skill level is in the upper percentiles. The difference between one athlete in the 98th percentile and another in the 97th percentile is primarily mental.

— Fred Newton

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The more you worry, the more likely something will go wrong. Saying positive statements -- such as 'I'm prepared,' 'I'm strong,' 'I have control' -- help to trigger the right response in the body rather than the 'uh oh' responses.

— Fred Newton

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In basketball, you want the players to be at the right level of arousal. If they are pretty highly aroused, it is useful for doing certain things like jumping, running fast, playing intense defense. But when you step up to the foul line, you want to pull all of that down and get calm.

— Fred Newton

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