Brionna “Breezy” Jones knows how to handle pressure. Playing for the Connecticut Sun, Jones has played professionally in the WNBA and overseas for eight seasons. Her performances on the court have made her a 3x WNBA All-Star, the 2021 WNBA Most Improved Player of the Year, and the 2022 WNBA Sixth Player of the Year. Performing at her caliber has put her in difficult games, and despite her nickname, it’s not always easy breezy to keep a level head. We spoke to Jones to learn how to manage anxiety, move on after missteps, and turn mistakes into lessons.
Managing Anxiety Before Games
In the days leading up to competition, our nerves can get the better of us. Instead of listening to pre-game jitters, Jones soothes her anxiety with thorough training. “Mentally, I prepare by being the most prepared that I can be,” Jones says. By studying strategy and training her skills, she pushes back against unhelpful worries.
“Feeling prepared kind of takes away anxiety going into the game because I know…I’m ready for it and I’m as prepared as I can possibly be going into those games,” Jones says. For Jones, this looks like “getting game reps up of the shots that I want to take in the game,” but the key is finding what works for our training. Maximizing prep work can help us minimize our uncertainty when it matters.
Clearing Our Heads
Even with preparation, athletes are human, and mistakes happen. Even the pros can get shaken up: “It can definitely be hard to get past [mistakes] sometimes, especially depending on what mistake I make. But I find myself taking deep breaths in games, just taking a moment when there’s time,” Jones says. Deep breathing is a quick, simple way to ground ourselves and take a beat before moving on. Making a mistake is never easy, but there are ways to rebound and recover.
“Mistakes are a part of growth and you can’t be afraid to fail or make mistakes. That’s how you learn.”
“If I get to a time-out, I take a break, take a deep breath, try to know that I made a mistake, and try to move on to the next play because there are so many plays that can be made that you can’t stay on one mistake,” Jones says. In the heat of the moment, dwelling on mistakes doesn’t lead to better performance, but acknowledgment and acceptance do.
Navigating Self Criticism
As a power forward, Jones has a lot of roles. Shooting, rebounding, and rim protecting are important tasks in basketball, so self doubt and criticism after a mistake can be an unproductive slippery slope. “Being critical of yourself as far as like ‘Oh, why did I do that? Why did I make that mistake,’ and now I’m thinking about it play after play after play— I think that just adds onto the way you’re thinking on the next play,” Jones says. What’s important to overcoming this mental barrier is staying present. Athletes are not defined by their mistakes, but rather by their ability to move past them.
“Mistakes are a part of growth and you can’t be afraid to fail or make mistakes. That’s how you learn,” Jones says. Naturally, this is easier said than done. While self-criticism can be useful in “knowing the mistakes you made and trying to figure out what you need to do to fix it,” there is a healthy limit, according to Jones. Recognizing and learning are helpful, but crippling self-doubt and negativity are not. Jones’ advice: “Control what you can control.” We should learn from our mistakes while recognizing that we cannot change them, only improve in the future.
When experiencing anxiety and uncertainty, preparation and patience can go a long way. These are great coping strategies, and, with time, healthy habits. So, let’s take a page out of Brionna “Breezy” Jones’ playbook and accept, learn from, and move past our mistakes.
