You’re in a big moment, you want to come up clutch, be the hero, win the game for your team…but you choke. What happened?
Why is it that some athletes choke under pressure while others thrive under pressure?
What is the difference in mindsets between these two types of athletes? And most importantly, how can you become a clutch player and stop choking in big moments?
As a mental performance coach, I’ve worked with many athletes from around the world on strengthening their mental game. Some already perform well under pressure, while others tend to choke and we have worked on getting them to perform better in these moments.
Through this work, I have come to understand a few key factors that go into choking, along with principles all athletes who perform well under pressure apply.
What I have done below is outlined the main causes of choking in sports, along with three tips you can use to prevent choking during games.
What Does it Really Mean to Choke in Games
Choking…what a terrible word to have used to describe your play.
No athlete wants to be known as a player who chokes under pressure. It’s painful and embarrassing. Something I know all too well.
Before becoming a mental performance coach, I was a baseball player and had my fair share of choking moments.
While playing, I struggled with a lot of fear and anxiety. Both of which led me to study sports psychology and begin work in the field.
Anyway, when I think back to the times I choked, I always think of big moments. Those times during games when I could have won the game for my team.
One vivid memory I have is from the state semi-final game my senior year in high school.
It was the last inning and the game was close. We were down by one or two runs. Bases were loaded, there were two outs, and I was up to bat. I’d had a great season up to that point and was the one my team wanted up to bat at that moment.
Only, I came up short. I hit a weak ground ball to the shortstop, he threw me out, and our season was over.
I choked.
The pressure got to me, I tried to do too much, and I did not allow myself to swing freely and have a nice and relaxed at bat.
Have you ever experienced something similar? Where the moment itself led to tension, stress, or fear and resulted in you coming up short. You failing to perform up to the level you know you’re capable of. You getting the label of having choked.
It’s a terrible feeling, but one many athletes experience. When we take a closer look into what causes us to choke, a few key reasons are revealed.
What Causes Athletes to Choke
For the label of choker to be used, the situation in which the athlete fails needs to be seen as different from other situations.
Many failures are experienced throughout a game and season. But very few of those failures can be classified as moments when an athlete choked.
Choking comes in big moments. Those pivotal times during games where you can feel the pressure and know this moment matters more than the rest.
It is that very feeling of importance that can cause athletes to choke in the first place.
Due to the situation being more important, it’s easy for players to try too hard to succeed, feel fear surrounding failing, and become distracted by potential outcomes. All of which are the main factors that play into athletes choking in big moments.
Trying to Force a Good Result
I can still remember how desperately I wanted to get a hit in that at bat my senior year. Every fiber of my being wanted to hit those runners in. I needed to hit those runners in.
But it was that very thought of wanting to hit them in that led to my downfall.
I tried to force. And success at the plate, just as with success in all sports, does not come from trying to force.
When we force, we get tense. We take ourselves out of the natural flow and rhythm of the game.
Forcing occurs for many reasons, but mainly it stems from an anxious mind that is trying to control the future.
I wanted to control the outcome of the at bat, and so I tried to will myself to get a hit. Instead of simply focusing on finding a good pitch, putting a good swing on it, and letting it happen.
When we try to force the result we want in big moments, we play tense and underperform. This is one of the main reasons athletes will choke under pressure.
Feeling Afraid to Fail
The fear of failure is a common mental game challenge athletes face. It involves being afraid of making mistakes due to the perceived consequences of the mistake.
This fear is strong in big moments. Since the consequences are magnified compared to similar situations in games.
For myself, any other at bat that season was just the same as the at bat at the end of the state semi-final game. The only difference was what the consequence would be.
If I got out, our season was over. That was the first and only time I was faced with such a severe consequence that season. And when faced with that negative of an outcome, it’s natural to grow afraid of having it happen.
This fear can feed into trying to force the result you want, like I discussed in the previous reason. But it can also lead to timid play.
When we play with fear, it’s easy to fixate on the negative outcome we’re afraid of. As we think about this negative outcome, avoidance will take hold within our minds. We will play to avoid the negative outcome instead of playing to succeed.
There are many ways this avoidance can manifest itself in games, but some of the most common ways involve not calling for the ball, taking good pitches, babying the ball, passing up shots, and so on.
When we play with fear, we hold ourselves back. In big moments, holding ourselves back does nothing but increase the chances of us choking.
Becoming Distracted by the Outcome
In pressure moments, the result matters more (or at least it feels like it matters more) than in other moments during the game.
Since it is a big moment, a moment of pressure, all the possible outcomes will flash into your mind.
This type of outcome thinking can lead to forcing and fear as discussed above. But it’s also simply distracting.
To perform your best, you need to be present. You want your mind fully focused on what you’re doing.
When you think about what the result will be, how badly you want to come up clutch, or how much you don’t want to choke, your mind is no longer present.
It has drifted into the future. As your mind drifts into the future, you become distracted.
When you become distracted during big moments, this takes attention away from what you need to be doing at that moment in order to perform your best.
The thoughts about how you want the situation to go can be distracting and one of the very reasons you choke in big moments.
How to Prevent Choking in Games
All three reasons outlined above as to why athletes choke in big moments had to do with seeing the situation as more important, and as a result, having your play affected by such thinking.
Whether you try to force success, become afraid of failing, become distracted by the outcome, or a combination of all three, as you see the situation as more important, your play tends to drop.
So what does that mean? Do you have to see the situation just like any other during a game? Is our goal to completely eliminate the pressure altogether? That would be nice…but it’s also not very realistic.
Instead, we are going to accept the fact that the pressure is there and that the situation is seen as more important. When we prepare for this we can then utilize strategies to perform our best in spite of the pressure, instead of only being able to perform our best if the pressure isn’t there.
Preventing choking during games boils down to three simple tips: be prepared, stick to your routines, and let go and just play.
Be Prepared
Being prepared is one of the best ways to play with confidence. When you know you are fully prepared for a game or a moment within a game, it’s easier to let go and trust. Trust that will allow you to play freely.
So what does it actually mean to be prepared and what does preparation involve?
Being prepared means you have taken all the controllable steps you need to in order to be ready to compete. This doesn’t mean you did everything perfectly or that your mechanics and technique feel perfect.
It means you know all the different actions you need to take throughout the week and before the game begins to get yourself prepared to play.
What preparation involves is a tougher question to answer, because it will differ from player to player.
In general, though, there are two key areas you want to focus on when it comes to being prepared:
- Mental preparation
- Physical preparation
You want to be mentally prepared to play. This means you are confident, focused, relaxed mentally, and have researched your opponent as needed. In short, you have gotten your mind to its peak state to perform.
Physical preparation involves everything you need to do in order to be physically ready to compete.
This includes weight training, nutrition, rest, sport specific training, and so on.
The more prepared you are, the more confident you will be. Confidence that allows you to relax into big moments and trust in yourself and your skills.
Stick to Your Routines
Something that can happen when you are in big moments during games, as discussed above, is that you try to force a good result.
Since you want to perform well and come up clutch, every ounce of your being can start to wish for and try to will the outcome you want. However, this usually does nothing but lead to stiff and tense play and cause you to underperform.
Instead of trying to force a good result, our goal needs to be approaching the situation just like any other during a game. A great way to do so is by sticking to your routines.
Earlier I gave the example of the state semi final game my senior year of high school and how I grounded out to end the game. I can remember failing to stick to my pre at bat routine because I was so nervous.
Instead of approaching the at bat just as I had done throughout the season, I was caught up thinking about how great it would be if I got a hit while in the on deck circle. I wasn’t focused on timing up the pitcher or following my normal routine.
This is something I see a lot in the athletes I work with, as well.
When pressure grows and fear forms and we really want to perform well, it’s easy to forget the little things we normally do. But those little things are our routines. They are what set us up for success.
If you want to come up clutch and stop choking in big moments, stick to your routines. Don’t try to do anything new or special. Stay consistent with how you normally approach the situation.
Let Go & Just Play
Alright, now I know this last tip is much easier said than done. Letting go and playing freely is a difficult thing to do to say the very least. Especially when you feel a tremendous amount of pressure.
But just think about all those times when you’ve choked during games. Were you relaxed? Were you playing freely and naturally? Or were you playing scared, stiff, or tense?
As the moment becomes more important, tension will grow. Tension that keeps you from playing the way you normally play and the way you want to play.
Think of your best games…were you playing scared and uptight? Probably not.
Peak performance comes from letting go of fear and worry and allowing yourself to just play.
Why is it, then, that in moments when you want to play your best, you typically play in a way that limits success?
Well, as we discussed earlier, because of the fear and the feeling of really wanting to play well. Since the outcome is more important, it’s natural to have yourself either play too tight or too timidly.
What you must remind yourself, though, is that what you’re after in these big moments is success. And success is only possible if we accept the possibility of failure.
Yes, there will be times when you choke. But if you allow yourself to let go of this fear and simply play naturally and freely in these moments, there will be many more times when you’re successful.
So in big moments, those crunch time, pressure-filled situations, just let go. Don’t try to force the outcome you want and don’t be afraid to fail. Play aggressively and play freely. That will give you the greatest chance of success and being a clutch player.
Final Thoughts
Every athlete wants to be a clutch player. Especially if you’ve experienced choking before.
I have had my fair share of choking during games and worked with many athletes who’ve experienced it as well.
But I’ve also worked with many athletes who’ve come up clutch in big moments.
The key difference involves how you approach these moments and what you focus on and think about.
If you focus solely on the result, this will lead to fear and forcing. It will take you out of the moment and keep you from doing your best.
However, if you can stick to your routines and simply let go of the outcome and allow yourself to just play, you will minimize the chances of you choking and increase your odds of being the clutch player you want to be.
Thank you for reading and I wish you the best of success in all that you do.
