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Why Athletes Choke.

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Why Athletes Choke Under Pressure | Sports Psychology | Optimal Level of Arousal

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Fear of disappointing others (coaches, parents, fans)

Fear of feeling embarrassed if under-perform

Fear of losing their place on the team if they under-perform

Fear of not performing perfectly and of making mistakes

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BelievePerform - The UK's leading Sports Psychology Website

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"There is a lot of pressure put on me, but I don't put a lot of pressure on myself. I feel if I play my game, it will take care of itself"(LeBron James)

Pressure is a word that is often regularly misused in our vocabulary. Even sport psychologists and coaches regularly make the mistake of informing athletes about "managing pressure", when pressure is nothing more than a product of our imagination and a self-imposed experience that we create for ourselves (Beilock, 2010).

If an athlete is experiencing 'pressure', it is more than likely because we perceive that there are expectations placed upon us. However, similar to pressure, expectations are imaginary projections into the future. Athletes often begin to experience pressure when they begin imagining what may occur if the desired outcome is not achieved. Athletes are known for either choking or excelling under extreme pressurized circumstances. Often we see a fear of failure tied to pressure, which can either fuel or exhaust athletes' efforts. A few examples of how fear plays into an athletes' performance include:

Fear of disappointing others (coaches, parents, fans)

Fear of feeling embarrassed if under-perform

Fear of losing their place on the team if they under-perform

Fear of not performing perfectly and of making mistakes

Pressure as a Self-Concept
Typically, an athlete will hold the belief that their job is to win, attain titles and to secure sponsorship or prize money, when in reality, this is not the case. The job is to deliver the process and by aiming for a particular result or outcome, we are setting ourselves tasks that are often out of our own control (Bull, 1996).

Many athletes and nations feel an extreme pressure to perform well when competing for their home country (Gerrad, 2010), however, it is often the case that we see teams and individuals regularly under-performing in major world events. This was the case for the England football team in the 2010 FIFA world cup, who fell short of expectations. Fabio Capello regularly cited "fear" and "pressure" drawn upon expectations from the English media in the lead up to the event as being one of the main reasons for their lack of performance (Christenson, 2010). However, the media coverage and the hype will only be perceived as 'pressure' if the players then buy into this concept. In this case, it was the imaginations of the journalists, the public, The Football Association, the sponsors and possibly even the players and staff of Team England.

There are always levels of uncertainty during performance and we often see gaps between what we believe we can achieve and what we think we must achieve. It is this gap that manifests as the worry and anxiety that we associate with pressure. This is highlighted in Csikszentmihalyi's (2008) model of the balance between challenge and skill. If we create an expectation for ourselves (or take on board someone else's expectations), we post a target. If we are not unsure of whether we can achieve this target, we may start to doubt ourselves. Added to this, if we also give that target some meaning, this will magnify our doubts and worries.
What Affects Levels of 'Pressure'?
The athletes' level of experience, confidence and their self-belief will all play a pivotal role in how well they perform under perceived pressure. Many athletes will have to overcome beliefs that have been set upon them by parents who have high expectations of them. The athlete must overcome this mental pressure by challenging their own thinking about the expectations adopted from their parents; this can be done by developing their own set of internal values and motivators. The external pressures mixed with internal conflicts may cause an athlete to not only make errors during performance, but to also lose focus to the point that they lose interest in the sport altogether. By focusing heavily on the intricacies of particular skills, there is the potential that pressure-choking will come into play, whereby the athlete feels intimidated by the higher playing level of teammates or opponents.
'Deconstructing' Pressure: What Can be Done?
The easiest way to 'deconstruct' pressure is by not creating it in the first place. However, if an athlete is vulnerable to feeling pressure, there are many tactics that an athlete can employ to help them deal with this:

- Approach the situation with a more 'task-orientated' perspective - By 'staying present in the moment', as opposed to solely focusing on the outcome (Nicholls, 1980). For example, rather than attempting to win the Ryder Cup, the job is simply to execute a 3 foot putter.

- Design a training program that mimics performance conditions - Practice is most effective if you can mimic the conditions that you will potentially be faced with in competition. Coaches can also help or hinder an athlete's ability to overcome choking during competition. Coaches often inadvertently reinforce a pattern of choking when trying to encourage, by giving comments such as "the next shot is critical". Such talk only increases the pressure an athlete feels to perform.

- Stop and breathe - If you find yourself thinking negative thoughts or negative self-talk, take a moment to stop and focus on your breathing. By focusing on your breathing rhythm, you will automatically pull yourself back into the present

- Force a smile - Sometimes the best option is to force a smile. If you can't break out of the cycle of negative thoughts, by forcing yourself to smile, this action will instantly change your attitude, even for a split second. Perhaps this is all the time you need to relax back into your performance

- It's not the end of the world - Remember that the outcome is not the most important thing in your life. Relax and enjoy the event, it is simply just another day in your life.

Pressure will always be a word that we will use within the sporting context; however, it is important from an athlete's points of view to understand that pressure is more than likely a fear of failure. By approaching performance in a more positive manner and not focusing too heavily on expectations placed upon them by staying in the present and developing your own set of internal values and motivators, successful performance is more than likely to come as a result.

"Pressure is nothing more than the shadow of a great opportunity" (Michael Johnson)

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Pressure in sport: How real is it? - BelievePerform - The UK's leading Sports Psychology Website

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"There is a lot of pressure put on me, but I don't put a lot of pressure on myself. I feel if I play my game, it will take care of itself"(LeBron James) Pressure is a word that is often regularly misused in our vocabulary.

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"Worrying about results, game conditions, and the opposing team can increase the sense of pressure experienced by athletes." "When pressure becomes excessive, athletes either freeze up in competition or overthink their next action. According to text to me I feel like that's the same way I feel when all athletes go through different types of pressure just like I list above in the quote.

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Sports Psychology Articles | Sport Psychology Articles for Athletes, Coaches, and Sports Parents

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Overcome Pressure in Sports

When Minnesota Vikings punter Jeff Locke learned how to control his attention, he learned how to cope better with pressure and improved his performance in games.

Pressure can get to any athlete, that is, if the athlete lets it happen.

Pressure is the perception of threat by the athlete.

Worrying about results, game conditions, and the opposing team can increase the sense of pressure experienced by athletes.

But these situations or conditions are only triggers for pressure. How athletes view these trigger are what leads to pressure in sports.

When pressure becomes excessive, athletes either freeze up in competition or overthink their next action.

I notice that athletes will play tentatively, cautiously, or afraid to make mistakes when they are anxious or worried about outcomes.

Excessive pressure can cause you to lose focus on what really matters, which is focusing on the process or what you need to do in the present to play optimally.

Focusing on what makes you feel pressure tends to turn performance into a life-or-death proposition.

For example, a football placekicker is faced with a 20-yard field goal with one minute remaining and the game on the line...

The kicker can focus on his routine for the kick: lining up the kick, measuring his steps behind the ball, visualizing the kick, seeing the ball, approaching the ball and kicking the ball...

When the kicker can focus on his routine this can help him cope better with the pressure.

Why?

The kicker's routine helps him focus on the process of kicking the ball instead of worrying about the outcome of missing or disappointing teammates.

Or the kicker can focus on the wrong things that lead to pressure:

-The last kick he missed
-The importance of the present kick
-How teammates or coaches will respond if he misses the kick
-A poor snap or place
-Poor conditions, such as the wind
-The kick being blocked
-Worrying about losing his spot on the team with a failed attempt...

There is a myriad of negative things to worry about for many athletes in sports and most are outside of your direct control.

When you focus on the "triggers for worry" the pressure becomes unbearable.

Minnesota Vikings punter Jeff Locke is learning the benefits of a proper focus.

Locke averaged a career-low 37.8 net yards per punt last year. After a season of under-performing, Locke sought advice from a mental performance coach to help him improve his mental approach to kicking.

With the help of his mental performance coach, Locke takes each kick one punt at a time which has drastically reduced the pressure he experienced last year when he constantly tried to have 'the perfect game.'

LOCKE: "There was almost too much pressure to try to have a perfect game, which just puts pressure on you in general. It just causes too much stress. So, I've learned to change that approach to have a great first punt and then clear it and then have a great second punt and clear it and then just move on from there. That's really helped me kind of string games together."

Locke's focus on the process has helped him let go of the pressure and perform his best on each attempt.

LOCKE: "We call it, 'One punt at a time. You control what you can control... If I mess up, learn from it, move on, next punt. So, I can control how I set up, how I catch the ball, how I drop the ball and how I swing, and that's it. So everything else around me doesn't matter."

By focusing on what he can control and his routine, Locke has a career-best net average of 39.7 this year and is tied for second in the NFL with 21 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line.

Tips for overcoming pressure:

Understand that pressure is something you create for yourself, not the situation you are in when competing.

What's under your direct control in competition? Be specific and consider elements of effort, the process of the performing an action, mental focus and your reactions to circumstances during competition.

Focus on what you can control for your role, not the outcome that leads you to worry and feel pressure.

If you start to focus on your triggers for pressure, stop and remind yourself to focus on your routine and what you can control. You can't control the outcome, so no need to fret about it.
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How Pros Deal With Pressure | Sports Psychology Articles

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When Minnesota Vikings punter Jeff Locke learned how to control his attention, he learned how to cope better with pressure and improved his performance in games. Pressure can get to any athlete, that is, if the athlete lets it happen. Pressure is the perception of threat by the athlete.

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According to fitness trainer Simon Boulter. "We face pressure in our daily lives at work, in school, from family members and friends, but it’s in competition that athletes can experience incredibly high amounts of pressure. When performing under pressure some athletes are crushed, while others crush the competition, why is that? Every athlete feels some pressure when performing, the less prepared you are, the more pressure you’re going to feel. No athlete is immune to pressure, their heart rate rises, they breathe quicker, depending on how well prepared and confident they are pressure can make them perform better or worse." For me i think pressure in sports helps you learn more about sports helps you find your strengths and weaknesses and weather you like pressure or not.

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Performing Under Pressure — 9 Ways Great Athletes Make It Count, When It Counts Most

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One of the most important things you’ll need to develop as an athlete is the ability to remain calm and perform well under pressure, even…

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Athletes experience more pressure and anxiety before big games because there is higher significance attached to their performance. It is important that athletes maintain a balanced level of anxiety when preparing for and during an important event. Too much anxiety will limit athletes’ ability to reach peak performance and no anxiety can lower athletes’ motivation to prepare efficiently.

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Sports Psychology Today - Sports Psychology | Provided by Mental Edge Athletics

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Keep Big Games in Perspective

Athletes experience more pressure and anxiety before big games because there is higher significance attached to their performance. It is important that athletes maintain a balanced level of anxiety when preparing for and during an important event. Too much anxiety will limit athletes' ability to reach peak performance and no anxiety can lower athletes' motivation to prepare efficiently.

It is natural for athletes to experience some anxiety, nerves, or butterflies before a big event. This is a sign of intensity that can be used to enhance athletic performance. I refer to this as a sign of intensity because it heightens athletes' level of awareness and excitement to compete. A balance between high anxiety and low intensity is what athletes need to achieve in order to perform their best.

One way to balance intensity and manage anxiety before big games is by keeping the game in perspective. For example in baseball a players should remind themselves that although it is a big game, it is still the same game with nine innings, 27 outs, and diamond dust. The same eight players in the line-up ready to go to battle with you, and no matter what the result is, life will go on and the game will stay the same.

Putting the game in perspective help athletes reduce the significant of the event so it's more manageable and easier to cope with performance anxiety. However, like I mentioned earlier athletes should experience some level of nervousness or anxiety with isn't a bad thing.

Butterflies and jitters are the result of the mind communicating to the body that it is time to compete. Athletes should embrace this as a sign of intensity and respond with high levels of confidence, focus, and composure.

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Keep Big Games in Perspective | Sports Psychology Today - Sports Psychology

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One way to balance intensity and manage anxiety before big games is by keeping the game in perspective. For example in baseball a players should remind themselves that although it is a big game, it is still the same game with nine innings, 27 outs, and diamond dust.