Abstract
INTRODUCTION Allen Fox identified fear of failure as the key psychological culprit that interferes with athletes’ abilities to remain focused when competing in sport. I agree that fear of failure can be devastating to athletes for all the reasons that Dr. Fox suggests, as we have all witnessed (and even personally experienced) the severe performance decrements that can occur when this fear rears its ugly head (e.g., Greg Norman’s meltdown in the 1996 US Masters or Jana Novotna’s 1993 championship match choke at Wimbledon). However, I believe that fear of failure, as an inherent part of sport competition, can be harnessed and used as an important motivator for training and as a useful energy source (which requires some mental rewiring) during competition. My metaphor was intentional – fear of failure is a huge obstacle to overcome when it “rears its ugly head” – but systematic training of productive responses in pressure situations enables most athletes to manage this fear effectively. The “ugly head” is only revealed when athletes lack training and experience, or forsake their mental plans and focus strategies because they are not completely routinized or trusted. Peter Vidmar, U.S. Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics, describes his learned response to fear of failure:
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