7 Biggest Fears That Fake You Out of The Zone - The Mental Game

Aug 21, 2026

Rob Polishook, a mental training coach from Inside the Zone Sports Performance Group, explains how athletes get pulled out of “the zone” through seven common fears. The discussion links fear-driven stress to nervous system overwhelm, leading to anxiety, tightness, and blocked performance, and emphasizes “bringing your whole self” as the hidden X factor that powers peak play. By recognizing specific fears during matches or setbacks, athletes can begin moving through them and returning to calm, concentration, and confidence.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

7 Biggest Fears That Fake You Out of The Zone

The meaning of “bring it” (more than an athlete)

How fear disrupts the nervous system

Seven fears that take you out of the zone

Fear of not being good enough

Fear of failure

Fear of the unknown

Fear of being judged

Fear of not meeting expectations

The Mental Game: More Than an Athlete: 7 Biggest Fears That Fake You Out of The Zone Welcome to The Mental Game, a feature with Rob Polishook, MA, CPC. Rob, a mental training coach who founded and directs Inside the Zone Sports Performance Group, helps athletes compete with confidence, calm, and concentration, often the difference between winning and losing. Rob is no stranger to tennis. He works directly with tennis players, coaches, parents and teams at all levels. He is a regular speaker for the USPTA and has spoken internationally in Israel and India. In this installment, Rob Polishook discusses seven of the biggest fears that take us out of the zone and how just by identifying your fear, you can begin to move through it. How many times have you heard kids cajole each other and say these two words, “bring it!”? The problem is that no one really knows what that “it” is! Whether you’re a parent, coach or player it’s actually worth knowing, so let me explain. Ultimately your “it” will be the key to sustained peak performance. Bring it! Means to bring your whole self, it’s really another way of saying “more than an athlete.” When we watch tennis or any sporting event, it’s clear what’s on the athlete’s outside: their talent, technique, and skills. But bringing your whole self means to bring what’s on the inside, too: spirit, inspirations, and story. By bringing your whole self, you are bringing your “it,” you are bringing your “more.” Think about Rafa. He brings his deep determination and grit. Serena brings her feisty spirit and never-say-die attitude. At the French Open, Jack Sock talked about bringing the inspiration of his brother’s bravery in the face of illness. All these players are bringing their “it.” This “it” is what people can’t see, but this “it” is what drives and motivates the performer. This “it” is the athletes X factor. In an ideal world everyone would be loose and relaxed enough to bring their whole self to the court and play inside the zone. But what gets in the way of bringing “it” to the court? Our fears. Every day experiences can throw us off balance when we least expect it. They can be emotional, physical, or both. We often say “everything is fine,” but carry the stress around from one activity to the next. Simulating dominos, the stress picks up steam. Then, when the nervous system is overwhelmed, we feel blocked. We can no longer bring “it” to the court because we are dealing with excess nervousness, anxiety, chokes, and tightness. One of my clients described it as “the body shuts down. It’s overwhelmed and says no more. The body knows and recognizes this internal state of extreme chaos (push pull), before your head and heart do.” So, how do you get back “home?” To bringing your whole self to the court? Your biggest tool is to be able to recognize, identify, and understand your fears. Below, I’ve listed seven of the biggest fears that take us out of the zone. When you are feeling blocked, you can come to this list, and just by identifying your fear, you can begin to move through it. 1. Fear of Not Being Good Enough: This fear rears its head all the time, both on and off the court; in fact just thinking about it may trigger an “ah-ha”moment. We all want to believe in ourselves and feel that we have the ability and intelligence to be successful, and anything short of that can be disheartening. In match play, players sometimes get discouraged and begin to fear that they are not good enough to compete with an opponent; they then lose their will and compete less than 100% . Sometimes in life and tennis setbacks may seem like validation of not being good enough – that we lacked what it takes to achieve. However, while we may have setbacks, what really determines our strength is how we respond to them. 2. Fear of Failure: This fear usually rears its head during a close match, especially when a player is perceived as being better than their opponent. The seemingly lesser player plays witho

FAQs

What does “Bring it!” mean in this mental training discussion?

It means bringing your whole self—your inside strengths like spirit, inspirations, and personal story—because that “it” drives and motivates performance in the zone.

How do fears lead to getting pulled out of the zone?

Daily experiences can accumulate stress until the nervous system feels overwhelmed, producing anxiety, chokes, tightness, and a blocked state where athletes struggle to bring their “it” to the court.

How can identifying a fear help athletes?

When blocked, athletes can return to a list of common fears and begin moving through the fear just by recognizing it, rather than being trapped by it during competition.

Aug 21, 2026

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