rtunities for success in the professional leagues. To demonstrate how widespread performance anxiety is among those in high levels of sports, take the case of Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid's star soccer player. According to his coach, Jorge Voldano, Ronaldo suffers from performance anxiety, despite his talent, success and prestige (Virgo 1). Ronaldo, however, copes with it.
Thus, one reason why amateur athletes do not develop into professional athletes is that they do not develop substantial coping skills to mitigate the struggles of fear of failure (perfectionism) and performance anxiety, as Ronaldo clearly has to perform at his elite level. The ability to manipulate one's mood both while playing a sport and in day-to-day situations is a predictor of sporting success. In a 1979 study, researchers studying Olympic wrestlers found that, compared t
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