i have nice music playing behind the game...

Sometimes during casual racing i remember to check my position, and thats when i usually screw up if that position is 3rd 2nd or 1st.
Sometimes i even forget to pit.

During the official broadcasted STCC races (under the name Dan silva) when my back was less bad (hernia) i had to play the track countless times before, to the point of playing by heart. It was fun.
Now i cant do that. So i dont do official stuff.
But that way i didn't have to think about screwing up...so much. Because i eventually did lol just alot less than usual.

If you guys see me setting PB's or fastest laps during a casual race, its because i'm in the "zone". Or day dreaming while racing, as you may also call it.
anyways, play with music until you dont need to. Works for me, except i still need it

Again, thanks a lot for all the advice it really helped.

I have found it quite smoothing to listen to music, also as Spanks stated; I tend to follow instead of leading which makes it more difficult to race. Reason behind this is due to not being able to form a proper line; instead, I mimic the racer in front’s line. I feel I should also bring this point up, I will get a wheel sometime soon, and hopefully all this practicing will make a huge difference.

Again, thank you all for responding.

Quote from Loveless :

I was looking into getting a Driving Force Pro soon…
The game will probably have to wait for along time but I can still settle for demo seeing most of my friends still reside there.

Isn't this wheel for Play Station 2? Can it be used on PCs?

Quote from Indiana Jim :

Isn't this wheel for Play Station 2? Can it be used on PCs?

yes, and yes

It is USB, and its compatible

As for topic - Adrelin is fun

I had to have my teamates talk me down @ the start of the 24hr kyoto race. Heart pounding in my throat. Best thing to do is get as much experience as possible, so it becomes more routine. Breath deep smooth breaths, and focus on not being tense.

Pressure is a part of racing. However, if you do find yourself feeling anxious (and we all do, especially if on pole of a big race), the take a few deep breaths... slow in n out... you'll find you relax very quickly...

Nerves are a part of it, a problem comes when it becomes important to you not to make a mistake... we all make them, its how we learn. Best thing to do, is just shrug them off, work out what you did wrong (often it started on the previous bend if chicane), and get over it.

As everyone has allready said, its a game... treat it as such... its obvious, but its important when in events, or on a big grid. Just focus on hitting all your marks, and you'll be fine.

Venus

Well technically its a Simulation. I'm weary of everyone saying "its just a game." In pickup races, yes, its more-or-less a game.

In leagues and organized events (ctra included), it is important that everyone brings their "A-game". (this means best effort). Even if you haven't dedicated a lot of energy to the race, the drivers around you have, and shouldn't have to pay for your mistakes.

Obviously to you, myself, and everyone ever struck by the nerves, we understand the pressures of intense competition. I quickly learned to embrace my nerves to boost my performance. The plus is that its normal, healthy, and fun to compete at a high level (myself a former div-I athlete).

Understanding and regulating your nerves helps you perform at a higher level as has been mentioned.

Quote from srdsprinter :

div-I athlete

whats that?

I know the feeling.

I'm usually drifting, but I'm geting into the racing side as well. When I switched from a drift to a proper race server and no setup I was kinda nervous. Just practice

This year there was a program at school that got you up on the high ropes course. Up there I basically told my self "You're in a harness, even if you do fall it's not gonna metter"

Just remember it's a game. So you screw up, what's the worst that can happen?

when I again have a try on some of the big servers, I'm quite nervous before the start.
But in the race itself I keep surprisingly calme, and some pressure makes me even better. Once a guy wrote me "Wow, you are fast under pressure"

Quote from shiny_red_cobra :

PLAYLIFE please read my avatar, then go screw yourself. These situations are always caused by people like you. Just remember, we were all noobs at one point, and sometimes noobs need encouragement.

What "situations" ?

Today I was racing online at GFC and had great time. Won a race there

I wasn't the fastest and I was getting very nervous. I thought to myself that "everything is ok. Just stick to what you have been doing all along." Almost lost confidence to the F08, but I pulled it together by thinking "The only way I'm going to lose my 1st place is by screwing race by myself and not by anyone else."

I usually get my hands trembling and heart rate up. This time I was racing very cleanly

These people that say "just shrug it off" it aint that simple, trust me.

Even in a stupid mini-comp for drifting I get nervous as hell, in the last one, broke, was too busy watching the guy infront of me, and slid off the track.

I say practice practice practice and experience gets rid of them but I highly doubt the most practiced & experienced driver has shrugged these feelings at the beginning of an event or a long race.

Also: I've learned to enjoy this feeling, its quite the adrenaline rush and it can be fun.

the point is this. grow up and get over it, its a damn game, you aren't going to die or get hurt or any of your other stupid fears. Jesus, what i'm more worried about is having people like this drive on the same roads that i do. If someone gets nervous in their own home in front of their own comp, how are they going to react on the highway doing 75?

Quote from ans7812 :

Jesus, what i'm more worried about is having people like this drive on the same roads that i do. If someone gets nervous in their own home in front of their own comp, how are they going to react on the highway doing 75?

The thing is... people get more nervous playing live for speed than on roads because on live for speed you are driving at your limit and if you go slightly over it you are going to take somebody out and ruin their race, in real life you are driving way below your limit and there is very little chance you are going to crash ( although accidents do still happen)

so it is very unlikely you will get people as nervous on real roads

Quote from the e rocker :

The thing is... people get more nervous playing live for speed than on roads because on live for speed you are driving at your limit and if you go slightly over it you are going to take somebody out and ruin their race, in real life you are driving way below your limit and there is very little chance you are going to crash ( although accidents do still happen)

so it is very unlikely you will get people as nervous on real roads

you forgot about merging traffic, idiots that can't drive period. road hazards, blind spots, the list goes on. more could go wrong in real life than in a sim

edit: WHat i was directing my statements at was the fact that he said he "Froze up" and his hands wouldn't do what they wanted him to. FOR EXAMPLE: If he is on an entrance ramp merging into traffic moveing at 75 mph and he "freezes up" while i happen to be next to him, it isn't going to be pretty. What if there is an accident in front of him and he "Freezes up."

I know everyone is probably reading this saying, "What a jerk that guy is" but seriously, everyone needs to think about whats going on. This person is have anxiety attacks over a racing simulator. I don't know about nayone else but from my perspective, his reactions are childish, immature and unjustified.

one time i was playing N2003 online, and I remember I was having an amazing race, and I ended up in 1st or second place on the last lap. I started to get so nervous, the feeling was so intense that my muscles started to get so tense, and my leg couldnt even keep the gas pedal floored, it started to twitch so bad that my foot was moving up and down on the pedal. i was like, wtf, and i couldnt control it. its weird what the mind can do sometimes.

Quote from drinklime :

one time i was playing N2003 online, and I remember I was having an amazing race, and I ended up in 1st or second place on the last lap. I started to get so nervous, the feeling was so intense that my muscles started to get so tense, and my leg couldnt even keep the gas pedal floored, it started to twitch so bad that my foot was moving up and down on the pedal. i was like, wtf, and i couldnt control it. its weird what the mind can do sometimes.

.........i can understand getting nervous, losing concentration for a split second and making a dumb mistake but not being able to control your leg?

Quote from ans7812 :

you forgot about merging traffic, idiots that can't drive period. road hazards, blind spots, the list goes on. more could go wrong in real life than in a sim

edit: WHat i was directing my statements at was the fact that he said he "Froze up" and his hands wouldn't do what they wanted him to. FOR EXAMPLE: If he is on an entrance ramp merging into traffic moveing at 75 mph and he "freezes up" while i happen to be next to him, it isn't going to be pretty. What if there is an accident in front of him and he "Freezes up."

I know everyone is probably reading this saying, "What a jerk that guy is" but seriously, everyone needs to think about whats going on. This person is have anxiety attacks over a racing simulator. I don't know about nayone else but from my perspective, his reactions are childish, immature and unjustified.

Idea here is performance, everyone is out racing to perform to their best. I know I don't get in my car to go to work and say to myself everytime, remember what I learned and I'll do my best, because it's casual driving, your not performing. In a race in LFS, your trying to be #1, your taking everything you learned and putting into one race to COMPETE and PERFORM to the best of your abilities among others doing the same, you don't do that on the highway at 75. It all goes back to competition and with my background in sports, everyone gets nervous before a big event, it's just how you handle it.

All in all, you can't compare LFS online racing to real world driving, it's two completely different concepts.

Quote from Loveless :

Any tips on how you guys get ready for these kinds of events or relieve yourself from this anxiety?

Option 1. Drink a bottle of Scotch Whisky before the event.

Option 2. Practice a lot so you become very good and your confidence will grow.

Option 3. Enter lots of events that way you will become used to them.

Option 4. Do not enter any events.

Option 5. As you are a demo user just go for it, in the event that you make a pillock of yourself just sign up again using a different name.

Option 5. Hire a sport psychologist.

Seriously though it is just a game. I get worried that I will ruin other peoples races, like most decent citizens would. A bit of adrenalin adds to the experience of multi-player online gaming, thats why we all do it I guess

i always get nervous when im gonna break a pb

Quote from Nine :

Idea here is performance, everyone is out racing to perform to their best. I know I don't get in my car to go to work and say to myself everytime, remember what I learned and I'll do my best, because it's casual driving, your not performing. In a race in LFS, your trying to be #1, your taking everything you learned and putting into one race to COMPETE and PERFORM to the best of your abilities among others doing the same, you don't do that on the highway at 75. It all goes back to competition and with my background in sports, everyone gets nervous before a big event, it's just how you handle it.

All in all, you can't compare LFS online racing to real world driving, it's two completely different concepts.

i understand your argument and i too get nervous before a sporting event that i'm participating in but i still can not seem to understand how a video game justifies anxiety attacks?

Quote from ans7812 :

...but i still can not seem to understand how a video game justifies anxiety attacks?

Hmm, has anyone said that he/she has had an anxiety attack? Speed readed thru the thread and found only that someone says that get a couple of beers to losen up, for not being so anxious.

But, anyways I haven't had anxiety attacks. Only been nervous on some situations and so on.
Like someone said that LFS and real life cannot be compared. Person who gets anxiety attacks while driving at motorway don't play LFS (well, at least I don't know anyone). Everything else which comes to my mind has been said earlier

Quote from simma :

Hmm, has anyone said that he/she has had an anxiety attack? Speed readed thru the thread and found only that someone says that get a couple of beers to losen up, for not being so anxious.

Quote from Loveless :

... it seems extremely difficult for me even stop freaking out. .... An immense amount of pressure just came over me, I race with a Mouse and Keyboard by the way, my hands would not move like i wanted it too....
Any tips on how you guys get ready for these kinds of events or relieve yourself from this anxiety?

it sounds like hes pretty anxious to me...

Quote from ans7812 :

it sounds like hes pretty anxious to me...

Missed that one.

It seems that he gets too much information and cannot focus at driving. He's thinking the curves, throttle, steering ratio, braking, speed and also ppl behind/front of him. That can be overwhelming when not as experienced as pro racer.
Information overload, so to say But that goes away by racing and with more experience. The brain adjusts to the situation and learns how to handle with all the information (what to keep, what to neglect)

Quote from simma :

Missed that one.

It seems that he gets too much information and cannot focus at driving. He's thinking the curves, throttle, steering ratio, braking, speed and also ppl behind/front of him. That can be overwhelming when not as experienced as pro racer.
Information overload, so to say But that goes away by racing and with more experience. The brain adjusts to the situation and learns how to handle with all the information (what to keep, what to neglect)

maybe there is somethign wrong with me then lol. i've never gotten that nervous while playing a video game