It’s common for new competitors to feel nervous when they step into the ring for the first time. For some this becomes a downhill spiral – they start worrying because they’re “too nervous”, which makes them more nervous, which makes them worry more …
When you’re about to run a course, your body will prepare by releasing adrenaline. Adrenaline enables you to run faster and also heightens your awareness of what is going on around you. These are very useful things when you’re trying to steer your dog around the course!
This effect is achieved by reducing blood flow to your less important body areas (such as your intestines) and sending it to your muscles instead. You may notice this as butterflies in the stomach. You’ll also lose your appetite and some people feel a bit nauseous.
Don’t Get Nervous, Get Excited!
Our bodies also release adrenaline when we are facing mental rather than physical challenges. I have three job interviews later this week, and I’m already getting the butterflies every time I think about them.
Adrenalins is a powerful tool for dealing with life-threatening situations which require physical prowess, such as fighting or fleeing from a tiger. It’s not so useful for dealing with “imaginary tigers”, where we need to use our brains rather than our brawn. In my case, it seems to impair my mental filter and make me prone to foot-in-mouth syndrome – very unhelpful in a job interview!
Many people think of nervousness as being “bad” because there are many times in our lives when it is unhelpful. This is the type of thinking that leads into the spiral of increasing nervousness that I described above.
If this is you, it can be useful to choose a new word to describe how you feel before you go into the ring. Instead of getting “nervous” about your run, you are getting “excited” and ready for your run. Remind yourself that this is a useful boost that your body gives you to improve your physical performance.
Nobody Cares If You Stuff Up
When you’re new at agility, you might feel like you stand out and everything is staring at you and thinking mean thoughts while you’re running. This isn’t true for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, most people have better things to do! The group of friends you see gathered under the gazebo will be busy chatting, and not paying a lot of attention to your run. The person sitting on their own staring at the course might be mentally rehearsing their upcoming run, rather than thinking about how uncoordinated you look.
Secondly, everyone at agility has had their share of embarrassing moments. They’ve forgotten where the course went. Their dog has run away and refused to come back. They’ve tripped over their dog and face-planted. Their dog has peed or pooed in the ring, maybe even on the agility gear …
Nobody is going to look down on you if something goes wrong in your run. We’ve all been there, and it happens more often than you think. If you do happen to find a really creative way to stuff up, we’ll be laughing with you and not at you. Just smile and tell your dog how clever he is, then mentally move on to your next run.
Do you have any tips for dealing with ring nerves? What’s the funniest thing that’s ever happened to you in the agility ring?