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How to encourage more people to participate by helping them overcome their injury worries. Could alleviating your participants’ injury fears grow your business and improve your bottom line? Read on to learn about the psychology of fear and get ideas to turn apprehension into action.
Fear of injury stops people from trying sports and adventure activities
We surveyed over 1,000 Australian adults to discover what keeps them from participating in sports and adventure activities. Here’s what we found.
Imagine a crowd of 100 adventure seekers lined up outside your business. Now, picture 44 of them turning around and heading home, their eagerness overshadowed by fear. This is the reality our research revealed.
Our survey showed that despite almost three quarters of respondents wanting more adventure in their lives, almost half of respondents said fear of injury holds them back, and over a quarter said concerns about injury costs hold them back.
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Imagine how powerful it could be to reassure potential participants that you could help overcome these factors for them? You could implement some of our ideas to give them the freedom to live life to the full without worrying about what might happen if they get injured.
But before we dive into our suggestions for overcoming your participants’ fear of injury, let’s first explore the concept of fear.
The psychology of fear
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, fear is an unpleasant emotion or thought that you have when you are frightened or worried by something dangerous, painful, or bad that is happening or might happen. The same feeling can happen from real or imagined threats. There is a physical reaction to danger - the fight or flight response - as well as an emotional response, which can be either positive or negative. The emotional response can differ dramatically between people. For instance, some adrenalin junkies thrive on the buzz of extreme sports, while others actively avoid fear-inducing situations.
Understanding the psychology behind fear is crucial in devising strategies to help people overcome their injury concerns. We spoke with sports psychologist Dr Jo Lukins, who shed some light on the multifaceted nature of fear.
What psychological factors contribute to fear of injury in sports or adventure activities?
People's risk-taking behaviours vary and are often influenced by their life stage. Younger people may give less thought and consideration to the risk of injury due to a lack of personal experiences with injury and less thought about potential consequences. In contrast, older individuals, having faced more instances of injury and recovery, are more aware of the impact injuries can have on their lives, and tend to be more cautious. Previous injury can deter future participation, especially as the recovery process takes longer as we age.
Apart from variances in risk-taking, what other factors come into play?
Self-efficacy, or belief in your ability to perform actions leading to desired outcomes, plays a significant role in how people might perceive and manage risk. This concept is particularly relevant when considering physical activities. For instance, someone who doubts their capability to engage in a sport safely due to fear of injury is less likely to participate. Enhancing the self-belief that they can participate safely can be a potent method to mitigate fear.
How fear of injury impacts me
Rachel's story is a poignant reminder of how fear of injury can reshape lives. Once an avid sportsperson, an ACL injury paused her sports activities and reshaped her vision of parenthood, altering the adventures she envisioned sharing with her son.
Before I was a mum, I water and snow skied when on holidays and played indoor soccer three times a week. While doing IVF in 2019, I tore my ACL playing soccer. It delayed IVF and ended my sporting hobbies. I have only attended Pilates since 2019. I hoped to rehab after my surgery reconstruction and return to soccer for my health and wellbeing from when my son was a baby. But I keep delaying and have completely axed the idea as my fear of reinjury and the associated costs have held me back. I wouldn’t be able to work (I’m a teacher) and wouldn’t be able to properly care for my son (I’m a solo parent). It has also changed the way we holiday. Before the injury, I went skiing every year. But I haven’t taken my son to the ski fields or shown him my water ski skills because I’m scared of injury. It has totally changed the way I am raising him in terms of the experiences I thought he’d have by now.
Stories like Rachel's show the profound impact fear can have on personal wellbeing and lifestyle choices. Your participants will have internal battles just like this. So, what can you do to help them overcome their worries?
Five ways to help your participants overcome their fears
You could deploy many strategies to alleviate your potential participants' fear of injury. Here are some general ideas.
- Safety education: Teach your prospects and participants about the safety measures in place for activities and the preparedness of staff to handle incidents. Knowledge can significantly reduce fear by demystifying the unknown.
- Skill development workshops: Offer workshops or training sessions to build skills gradually. Starting with basic levels and advancing allows individuals to gain confidence in their abilities, reducing the fear of injury.
- Success stories and testimonials: Share stories of participants who have overcome their fear of injury to inspire others. These real-life examples can boost morale, create an emotional connection and encourage tentative individuals to give activities a try.
- Consider insurance: Accidental injury insurance like Flip Insurance for businesses, groups and teams, and events delivers great benefits. By clearly communicating that through your regular communication channels, you could give participants more confidence to participate. Knowing there's a safety net that comes included in their fees could alleviate financial worries related to injuries, making participation less daunting.
- Try before you buy experiences: Allow potential participants to experience activities in a controlled, low-risk setting. This can help dispel myths and reduce fear by providing a positive first-hand experience.
If you would like to discuss these ideas further, please book a meeting with one of our partnership experts.
How Flip Group Active could help transform hesitant prospects into enthusiastic participants
Flip Group Active is group personal accidental injury insurance for event organisers, sporting organisations and sports and recreation providers.
Giving participants peace of mind against the financial impacts of injury could help to boost your participation rate. You can easily integrate Flip Group Active into your existing offers. It provides cover for your participants for eligible accidental injuries that happen while they’re at your location or event. Here’s how it works at The Rumble:
Other upsides of Flip Group Active
In addition to helping give your participants peace of mind and potentially raising your participation rates, here are some more benefits of partnering with Flip.
- Cost-effective: Pay for only what you need with pay-as-you-go flexibility.
- Protection: Participants get up to $50,000 cash payouts on approved claims.
- Value-add: Improved peace of mind for your participants at an affordable price.
- Reputation: Builds your brand reputation as a leader in athlete wellbeing.
- Simple: Easy to understand, set up, explain and integrate with your offer.
- Streamlined: All claims are handled online with nothing for you to do.
Get on the front foot
Being one step ahead shows your participants you care about their wellbeing. Don’t wait for a sticky situation to arise.
Contact us today to enquire how Flip Group Active could cover your participants for accidental injuries. We’ll also give you a quick read on the numbers for your unique circumstances.
