Anxiety Before Sports Training

Updated: June 2026.

Liana is 7 years old. She has been seriously involved in artistic gymnastics for 4 years. A month ago, she got a new coach. Now, when Liana gets ready for training, tears appear in her eyes and she tells her mom: “My stomach and head hurt.” Her mom reaches out to Animago, and Liana meets a psychologist in the form of a cheerful tiger cub named Tigi.

Before sessions begin, every Animago psychologist carefully reviews parents’ concerns to form hypotheses about the child’s difficulties. Based on these, the psychologist works with parents to create an action plan that includes:
1. Teaching the child techniques for identifying and regulating emotions.
2. Supporting parents and creating conditions for the most effective therapy possible.

The psychologist hypothesized that Liana’s poor physical symptoms might be caused by anxious thoughts that something bad or dangerous could happen at training. These thoughts lead to feelings of anxiety and unpleasant bodily sensations. The psychologist tested this hypothesis through 3 therapeutic sessions with Tigi and Liana. The hypothesis was confirmed!

First, the psychologist built rapport with Liana — thanks to Tigi, this happened within minutes.

The girl admitted that she once saw the new coach yelling loudly at older girls when they made mistakes. It frightened her so much that now, before every training session, she thinks: “The coach might scold me.” Nervousness arises along with unpleasant sensations in her body, but Liana, holding back tears, still goes to training. She suppresses her nervousness, which leaves her exhausted — and she makes mistakes during training. And her nervousness grows even stronger the next time.

Tigi told Liana about the nature of nervousness and taught her to cope with it constructively, without suppression. Liana came to appreciate the value of mistakes and began relating to them more calmly, which reduced the number of mistakes she made. She also learned to respond more calmly to the coach’s anger.

Now Liana gets ready for training without tension or anxiety. Her athletic confidence has increased and her performance has improved.

Animago psychologists help children develop self-confidence and a growth mindset that allows them not to fear mistakes and to learn faster and better.