Fitness: From choking to clutch in a few easy steps

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Performing under pressure is never easy. Whether you’re trying to put the puck in the net, win a point on the court, achieve a personal best or take on a tough opponent, nerves can get the better of you — especially as the pressure to perform ramps up.

We’ve all seen dramatic examples of pro athletes missing a field goal, kicking the ball over the net, dropping a pop fly and fanning on a shot. But it doesn’t take a stadium full of fans to amp up the pressure. If you compete — even with yourself — there’s always a chance nerves will get in the way of achieving your goals.

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In sport it’s called choking, and it’s a common enough occurrence that researchers have studied the underlying causes and the strategies used to keep it from happening. Several high-performance athletes work with sports psychologists to get a better handle on their nerves when the pressure heats up. But athletes competing at the amateur or recreational level rarely have the luxury of a performance coach, despite being every bit as invested in the outcome as someone whose paycheque is based on their athletic achievements. Whether it’s sinking a putt, competing in a pickleball tournament, trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon or winning in overtime in your local beer league, we can all use a few tips on how to succeed under pressure — especially if performing in stressful situations is a relatively new challenge.

How easy is to transform yourself from chocker to clutch performer? A group of Australian researchers reviewed 29 articles featuring 543 athletes (from recreational to elite), coaches and sport practitioners from a variety of sports, including soccer, golf, basketball, running and rugby. Their goal was to better understand what factors facilitate or inhibit performance under pressure and how best to turn those butterflies into an advantage.

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“There are several established theories underpinning choking, and interventions implemented to reduce the likelihood of choking in sport,” the researchers said.

Themes consistent with managing the stress of competition include the importance of focus, attention, effort and preparation. Focus is always essential in sport, but it becomes more challenging when the stress of the moment initiates a flood of emotions that take attention away from the task at hand. As soon as indecision and doubt start to fill your brain, choking isn’t far away.

Concentrating on executing the skill at hand versus the end result is part of keeping emotions in check. So is being prepared. Small things like running behind schedule, forgetting to pack something in your kitbag or taking a wrong turn on your way to the event can derail focus away from creating conditions that increase your chances of achieving your goals. Also part of preparation is practising ignoring distractions when the outcome is inconsequential. Add the pressure of time while putting. Rehearse closing out a tight match by finding a partnership that matches yours in skill and playing a series of matches to five points. Add speed intervals to the end of your runs to gain confidence in your ability to finish strong. The more you can make pressure situations feel mundane the less likely you are to let them rule your emotions.

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Having a pre-performance routine also improves focus. Repeating the same series of motions or cues as you prepare to serve, kick, shoot, hit, jump or sprint leaves little room for negative self-talk and doubt to invade your competition plan and/or the execution of the skills needed for success. This is also the time to utilize imagery or a mental rehearsal to visualize the technique needed to make it happen when it counts.

But even with these tools, emotions can still run high during periods of high stress, which is why it’s a good idea to reframe the anxiety that comes with performance into something positive. Viewing nervousness as an opportunity versus a distraction is something clutch players are known for. It’s also another step in increasing self-efficacy, perhaps the important aspect of success during periods of high stress.

“An athlete’s confidence in their ability to achieve their goal, the expectations they hold, and the level of perceived control they have over their actions and emotions were all reported to contribute to an athlete’s ability to perform under pressure,” the researchers said.

That type of confidence leads to mental toughness, which is another tool that increases the chances of turning a high-pressure situation into the desired ending. Admittedly, a clutch performance by the average Joe and Jill isn’t likely to make Sport Centre’s highlight reels, or will it lead to a seven-figure salary. But there’s nothing better than the joy of reaching your full potential in a competitive situation — even if you’re a weekend warrior on the north side of 40. It’s what fuels post-game celebrations and provides memories that can be joyfully recounted for years to come.

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