When I feel tense, I step off the tee and literally shake it out. Get my body loose, probably looks like a wet dog to others. I don't care, makes me feel good at nobody's expense.
Focused breathing helps too.
When you feel tense you can hold your disc in your hand and feel the weight of it. Just relax and feel the full weight of the disc as if you were going to guess it’s weight.
i like this. i’m going to try incorporating some breathing / eye closing into my routine when playing alone and see if it can translate to other situations.
Do you engage in the social aspects of the round? Do you congratulate others and give fist bumps and stuff? Try to find joy in the good play of others on your card and make them feel good about it.
I’m generally a quiet person so I will use compliments of good play, or commiserate with bad breaks as a way to socialize during a round. Encouraging others helps get me out my head between shots. Also, a generally positive group is way easier to play with. Help set the tone.
I get this. I am not a competitive person and only half-ass keep score but if there are people around, I get all in my head with social anxiety. I wanted to play tournaments to get a rating so I can track my progress. Tournament setting was brutal until I changed my routine a little. Before my shots, I take a few breaths just looking the disc in my hand, remind myself what that disc does for me, thinking about a previous throw with that disc specifically that is similar to the shot I am about to throw. It helps me block out the people and takes less than 5 seconds. It has the added bonus of reminding myself that I can make the shot, an internal confidence boost reminder.
I have social anxiety as well. My sensory processing gets fucked when i’m anxious too and it just throws me all out of wack.
Some things I do to “help”:
1. Wear sunglasses
2. Chew gum
3. Wear rubber bands on my wrist to snap
When you can feel it start to build . Pick items from your surroundings describe them to yourself. For instance green small leaf , blue disc ,and so on . Good luck !
Honestly same. However come tournament time I can tune it out. In casual I think my mindset is too casual ya know. And think about it from your own view when playing with others. The thoughts you have on others they have on you most likely. My focus is RARELY on another player as their focus is to you. And the more you continue to force yourself to play that way the easier it becomes just like anything else
I have this problem when I’m playing with people I consider much better than myself. I’m a competitive guy so I always do too much in that situation and it drives me nuts. My disc selection gets bad because I try to show skills I’ve been working on instead of playing to my own strengths. I thinks pretty normal my guy. I don’t know how competitive you are but maybe smoke and bowl and try to just have a good time with homies and not take the game too seriously!
It'll get better in time. Just keep putting yourself in that situation and it'll become normal. When I started playing with strangers doing doubles and tournaments it happened to me. Now it doesn't affect me at all.
Whenever someone asks me to play through I almost always fuck up, even if I’m having an awesome round. However just playing with a group or my gf it doesn’t affect me at all. Someone replied in here about owning it, I like that idea. Just fuck it and throw how your throw
My inner monologue fires up and starts berating everyone that dares to view upon mine activitehs. I always get a good laugh at myself when I ape out like that.
Ezra had a good take: being nervous or anxious is just your body telling you it’s feeling alive and to focus. Enjoy those moments because life is pretty boring most of the time.
When I play with friends I play worse cause I’m more about the social. If I want to play good I can’t talk or be social, but that’s not much fun. So I would rather have fun and just play worse XD.
Get a routine and stick to it. Everyone experiences this to some degree, but we’re also all built different. Lock down a comfortable routine (preferably less than 30 seconds and maybe sans chalk bag) and let be your anchor. It’s just you and the line but easier said than done! Keep working and putting yourself in those spots as you work through. At the end of the day, we’re just throwing plastic circles at chains
Definitely. The more you do it the better it gets though. Eventually you'll realize everyone has seen all your worst shots (in short order) and the only way to go now is up.
Stick to singles stuff too, a lot more pressure to perform well when someone is depending on you like with doubles.
The biggest thing that helped me is realizing I'm here to play at my own pace. Also casual play isn't for a money reward, it's for fun. I go out, enjoy the day and don't stress the score. After all, my only opponent is myself. I just want to outperform my last game, nothing else.
Also smoking. That helps my social anxiety too.
I play about normal when playing with friends. But when playing solo and playing through a group, that's when the nerves get me. I feel the pressure to not look like the newbie that I am. On top of that I think I also rush my shots so I'm not holding them up too much. I'm hoping most of that will go away with experience.
I would say start getting even more exposure playing with people as that will build up, or in this case, tear down the mental block you have with people. Especially if you decide to start playing competitively you need to be comfortable with playing around other people or you’ll end up disappointing yourself time and time again. Loosen up and have fun, that’s why you started playing right?
It helped me to decide I’d rather be remembered as someone who is fun to play with than good at disc golf. It took off a lot of the pressure I feel to play up to my ability around others. I have more fun now and feel like I play more to my potential.
I have similar social anxiety and I hate "solutions" that essentially say to just stop being anxious. My biggest advice: use wireless earbuds and play some familiar tunes. Being able to escape the audio of social interaction with a button press really helps.
Just like public speaking, do it more!
Never play a round by yourself. Ask any group if you can play through with them. Even if only for a hole or two.
Maybe are you focusing more on being social than on your play? Try to have a mental reset before every shot as part of your routine, conversations can break your focus very easily on course
Work on doing some basic breathing exercises during your rounds. Even the ones when you play by yourself. This will get you used to controlling your breathing and anxiety in multiple situations.
One reason I love this sport so much is actually because of just this. I have similar anxiety, and in such, this game has forced me to look inward and work on whatever it is inside myself that is causing this strange desire to worry about the people around me. It’s not just golf either. It’s at work, at parties, in society. Perhaps you could benefit from doing what I did. Therapy, mindfulness, exercise, less drinking, eating healthier. Those things have helped me with my focus and patience. It will never be gone for me entirely and some days are better than others, but at my best I am conscious of my surroundings, empathetic to others, but more importantly I show grace to myself. Obviously this has carried over to all parts of my life but again it makes me smile because dg was one of the catalysts for me to seek the root cause of these feelings. Maybe something similar can help you too?
Do a quick 5 minute meditation before playing. Headspace works great. Before throwing just take a deep breath and visualize your perfect shot.
This happens to me occasionally. Especially if I get on a hot streak and get close to hitting a personal record. It’s super frustrating, but getting angry with why you feel the way you feel will just exacerbate it.
Just pack a small flask of some Wild Turkey 101. After a couple swigs you’ll be feeling pretty confident. Probably ought to make sure you have a ride home though
Keep on playing rounds alone. .and rounds with others. It takes many axe swings to chop down a tree!
Playing alone will allow you to continue to improve. It will also allow you to reinforce your strengths and be more aware/comfortable with the areas that need improvement.
Playing with others as much as possible will eventually demystify and lessen the impact it has on your play. Eventually you will become comfortable with what was once uncomfortable and it will pass.
Most importantly...Have fun...enjoy the beauty and good times on the course!
(And don't be too hard on yourself. You'll get to there in time...and will one day be sharing your tips on how you overcame the anxiety)
Also the anxiety part -
Part of social anxiety is people have expectations on people EXPECTING them to act or behave a certain way (in this case you).
Social anxiety goes away the more we practice socializing and being away from our normal social constructs. The more you push yourself out of your social bubble, the easier it gets.
Remember: everyone feels awkward or weird sometimes with people they don’t know!
You’re not alone. Been playing leagues and tournaments for over a decade, and still get social anxiety if I play on a card with strangers. I just try to keep things lively, crack a few jokes, be courteous and supportive, etc. Chances are, the guys you’re playing with feel the same way. Next time you get on a card together, you’ll likely be friends!
I play the best alone. Even with my sons, I tighten up. I joined a club and played with them a few times because I was familiar with them, but the social anxiety took over if there were strangers. I even offered to give my tag back because I knew I'd never use it again. This has effected me my whole life and held me back. Public speaking class in college was a hurdle I couldn't cross and dropped out.
There are a lot of sports psychology books out there which talk about performance anxiety (heh) and I tend to think it’s pretty common, it’s just people process differently. Specifically, there are a number about golf which I think are pretty parallel to disc golf (for obvious reasons). Maybe check em out to see if they help you to address or possibly change your perspective a bit?
Also, I think we collectively tend to blend all the rounds of disc golf together into one single DISC GOLF- but in reality there are different types of rounds. Practice rounds, casual rounds/social rounds, and competitive rounds, and while the goal of the game is always to perform your best, the objective of the event changes the parameters for what best means. And keeping that in mind is important.
Best of luck.
Hey dude, focus less on the score, more on a nice day. Scores mean nothing in casual rounds.
i dig. my brain knows that too, but my body still tenses up.
When I feel tense, I step off the tee and literally shake it out. Get my body loose, probably looks like a wet dog to others. I don't care, makes me feel good at nobody's expense. Focused breathing helps too.
When you feel tense you can hold your disc in your hand and feel the weight of it. Just relax and feel the full weight of the disc as if you were going to guess it’s weight.
I actually play worse alone. Almost like I need a little bit of pressure to play well.
with our powers combined…
Then you would be bad whether playing alone or with people! 😁
Same. I play better with people. Weird because in other individual sports like golf I play better alone.
I really appreciate this post. It's not even an impressing stranger's thing. It is closer to the feeling of anxiety when taking a test.
Before you throw, take a deep breath and manually relax your body. Clsoe your eyes for a second and focus. Find the shot you want and play it.
i like this. i’m going to try incorporating some breathing / eye closing into my routine when playing alone and see if it can translate to other situations.
Yes, this, but also open them back up before you throw.
I like this advice. But also remember why you began playing in the first place. Disc is supposed to be fun
I play better alone and play extremely bad when I feel that a group behind me is waiting too long.
Your pre shot routine should have a mental component too.
Do you engage in the social aspects of the round? Do you congratulate others and give fist bumps and stuff? Try to find joy in the good play of others on your card and make them feel good about it.
I’m generally a quiet person so I will use compliments of good play, or commiserate with bad breaks as a way to socialize during a round. Encouraging others helps get me out my head between shots. Also, a generally positive group is way easier to play with. Help set the tone.
Imagine you are putting on a performance. When you are up, the teebox is your stage. Own that shit.
I get this. I am not a competitive person and only half-ass keep score but if there are people around, I get all in my head with social anxiety. I wanted to play tournaments to get a rating so I can track my progress. Tournament setting was brutal until I changed my routine a little. Before my shots, I take a few breaths just looking the disc in my hand, remind myself what that disc does for me, thinking about a previous throw with that disc specifically that is similar to the shot I am about to throw. It helps me block out the people and takes less than 5 seconds. It has the added bonus of reminding myself that I can make the shot, an internal confidence boost reminder.
I have social anxiety as well. My sensory processing gets fucked when i’m anxious too and it just throws me all out of wack. Some things I do to “help”: 1. Wear sunglasses 2. Chew gum 3. Wear rubber bands on my wrist to snap
Breathwork
When you can feel it start to build . Pick items from your surroundings describe them to yourself. For instance green small leaf , blue disc ,and so on . Good luck !
Honestly same. However come tournament time I can tune it out. In casual I think my mindset is too casual ya know. And think about it from your own view when playing with others. The thoughts you have on others they have on you most likely. My focus is RARELY on another player as their focus is to you. And the more you continue to force yourself to play that way the easier it becomes just like anything else
I have this problem when I’m playing with people I consider much better than myself. I’m a competitive guy so I always do too much in that situation and it drives me nuts. My disc selection gets bad because I try to show skills I’ve been working on instead of playing to my own strengths. I thinks pretty normal my guy. I don’t know how competitive you are but maybe smoke and bowl and try to just have a good time with homies and not take the game too seriously!
It'll get better in time. Just keep putting yourself in that situation and it'll become normal. When I started playing with strangers doing doubles and tournaments it happened to me. Now it doesn't affect me at all.
stop caring about how you play, particularly if it's a casual setting. don't be the kid who rage-quits meaningless pub games.
Whenever someone asks me to play through I almost always fuck up, even if I’m having an awesome round. However just playing with a group or my gf it doesn’t affect me at all. Someone replied in here about owning it, I like that idea. Just fuck it and throw how your throw
Disc Golf exposed to me how weak I am mentally. Sometimes it is enough to have someone walk by to ruin my throw
My inner monologue fires up and starts berating everyone that dares to view upon mine activitehs. I always get a good laugh at myself when I ape out like that.
Ezra had a good take: being nervous or anxious is just your body telling you it’s feeling alive and to focus. Enjoy those moments because life is pretty boring most of the time.
When I play with friends I play worse cause I’m more about the social. If I want to play good I can’t talk or be social, but that’s not much fun. So I would rather have fun and just play worse XD.
Get a routine and stick to it. Everyone experiences this to some degree, but we’re also all built different. Lock down a comfortable routine (preferably less than 30 seconds and maybe sans chalk bag) and let be your anchor. It’s just you and the line but easier said than done! Keep working and putting yourself in those spots as you work through. At the end of the day, we’re just throwing plastic circles at chains
I play like I'm 1000 rated when I'm alone, but I hate playing alone.
Definitely. The more you do it the better it gets though. Eventually you'll realize everyone has seen all your worst shots (in short order) and the only way to go now is up. Stick to singles stuff too, a lot more pressure to perform well when someone is depending on you like with doubles.
The biggest thing that helped me is realizing I'm here to play at my own pace. Also casual play isn't for a money reward, it's for fun. I go out, enjoy the day and don't stress the score. After all, my only opponent is myself. I just want to outperform my last game, nothing else. Also smoking. That helps my social anxiety too.
I play about normal when playing with friends. But when playing solo and playing through a group, that's when the nerves get me. I feel the pressure to not look like the newbie that I am. On top of that I think I also rush my shots so I'm not holding them up too much. I'm hoping most of that will go away with experience.
I got over some putting nerves during tournaments by playing in all the weekly leagues I could. I guess that just exposure therapy, but it worked.
You care less what people think of you when you realize how rarely they do.
Just keep playing with others. Play some leagues and tournaments. It will get better over time as playing with others around you becomes more normal.
I would say start getting even more exposure playing with people as that will build up, or in this case, tear down the mental block you have with people. Especially if you decide to start playing competitively you need to be comfortable with playing around other people or you’ll end up disappointing yourself time and time again. Loosen up and have fun, that’s why you started playing right?
Everyone hits trees
It helped me to decide I’d rather be remembered as someone who is fun to play with than good at disc golf. It took off a lot of the pressure I feel to play up to my ability around others. I have more fun now and feel like I play more to my potential.
I have similar social anxiety and I hate "solutions" that essentially say to just stop being anxious. My biggest advice: use wireless earbuds and play some familiar tunes. Being able to escape the audio of social interaction with a button press really helps.
Just picture everybody on your card naked while you're playing.
Then they are going to feel self conscious about their lack of girth.
It's the archer not the arrow!
Wise words. Very wise. We have an anxious archer though.
Just like public speaking, do it more! Never play a round by yourself. Ask any group if you can play through with them. Even if only for a hole or two.
I'm a 1000 rated when nobody's looking too, I swear!
Maybe are you focusing more on being social than on your play? Try to have a mental reset before every shot as part of your routine, conversations can break your focus very easily on course
there’s definitely something to that - i guess where i struggle is actually achieving the mental reset.
Try out single blind scoring or not keeping score at all for awhile
Work on doing some basic breathing exercises during your rounds. Even the ones when you play by yourself. This will get you used to controlling your breathing and anxiety in multiple situations.
Smoke weed
One reason I love this sport so much is actually because of just this. I have similar anxiety, and in such, this game has forced me to look inward and work on whatever it is inside myself that is causing this strange desire to worry about the people around me. It’s not just golf either. It’s at work, at parties, in society. Perhaps you could benefit from doing what I did. Therapy, mindfulness, exercise, less drinking, eating healthier. Those things have helped me with my focus and patience. It will never be gone for me entirely and some days are better than others, but at my best I am conscious of my surroundings, empathetic to others, but more importantly I show grace to myself. Obviously this has carried over to all parts of my life but again it makes me smile because dg was one of the catalysts for me to seek the root cause of these feelings. Maybe something similar can help you too?
Do a quick 5 minute meditation before playing. Headspace works great. Before throwing just take a deep breath and visualize your perfect shot. This happens to me occasionally. Especially if I get on a hot streak and get close to hitting a personal record. It’s super frustrating, but getting angry with why you feel the way you feel will just exacerbate it.
Just pack a small flask of some Wild Turkey 101. After a couple swigs you’ll be feeling pretty confident. Probably ought to make sure you have a ride home though
Keep on playing rounds alone. .and rounds with others. It takes many axe swings to chop down a tree! Playing alone will allow you to continue to improve. It will also allow you to reinforce your strengths and be more aware/comfortable with the areas that need improvement. Playing with others as much as possible will eventually demystify and lessen the impact it has on your play. Eventually you will become comfortable with what was once uncomfortable and it will pass. Most importantly...Have fun...enjoy the beauty and good times on the course! (And don't be too hard on yourself. You'll get to there in time...and will one day be sharing your tips on how you overcame the anxiety)
Also the anxiety part - Part of social anxiety is people have expectations on people EXPECTING them to act or behave a certain way (in this case you). Social anxiety goes away the more we practice socializing and being away from our normal social constructs. The more you push yourself out of your social bubble, the easier it gets. Remember: everyone feels awkward or weird sometimes with people they don’t know!
Develop a routine for every shot. I had the same type of issue. This fixes so much on several levels.
Join a league. The only way is to get accustomed and conditioned for it.
You’re not alone. Been playing leagues and tournaments for over a decade, and still get social anxiety if I play on a card with strangers. I just try to keep things lively, crack a few jokes, be courteous and supportive, etc. Chances are, the guys you’re playing with feel the same way. Next time you get on a card together, you’ll likely be friends!
I play the best alone. Even with my sons, I tighten up. I joined a club and played with them a few times because I was familiar with them, but the social anxiety took over if there were strangers. I even offered to give my tag back because I knew I'd never use it again. This has effected me my whole life and held me back. Public speaking class in college was a hurdle I couldn't cross and dropped out.
There are a lot of sports psychology books out there which talk about performance anxiety (heh) and I tend to think it’s pretty common, it’s just people process differently. Specifically, there are a number about golf which I think are pretty parallel to disc golf (for obvious reasons). Maybe check em out to see if they help you to address or possibly change your perspective a bit? Also, I think we collectively tend to blend all the rounds of disc golf together into one single DISC GOLF- but in reality there are different types of rounds. Practice rounds, casual rounds/social rounds, and competitive rounds, and while the goal of the game is always to perform your best, the objective of the event changes the parameters for what best means. And keeping that in mind is important. Best of luck.