Being able to perform under pressure is a sought-after achievement. We all want to do and be our best on the big stage. So why is it that so many of us struggle to perform at our limits? And how can we get better at this?
Choking is a well-known phenomenon, we have seen it in many performance domains: Britain’s Got Talent, job interviews, conference talks, and most of all, in sport.
But what is choking? And why does it matter?
Choking is defined by Performance Psychology academics as performing a skill significantly less well because of being in a pressurised environment, as shown by the same skill being performed well when in a low-pressure environment.
Typically, those who have greater performance anxiety are more likely to focus on errors when their performance is being evaluated. And it’s the evaluation element that is most relevant here. As without it, it’s just practice. Evaluation means there are consequences to our actions, e.g., here, other people’s judgement of us.
If someone has a higher focus on self-presentation - a greater focus on how we attempt to monitor and control how we are evaluated and perceived by others – which is further exacerbated by self-consciousness and fear of being negatively evaluated – then research suggests they are more prone to choking under pressure.
But there is good news. We can change this and learn how to cope better with pressure. By and large, research tells us choking can be resolved through distraction – avoiding over-thinking – and self-conscious models – e.g., thinking about ‘what I can do’.
One study investigated the role of cardiology responses to pressure. Different cardiology states were found in elite cricketers. Those who entered a ‘threat state’, where their arteries constricted and reduced blood flow to muscles, their vision narrowed, and experienced a faster heart rate were more likely to choke and fail at the pressurised batting task they were set. In comparison, those who entered a ‘Challenge state’ (arteries dilate allowing blood flow, vision widens, with a more normal heart rate) performed better when doing a high-pressured batting test.
This research is focused on the biological impact of how an event is perceived (a mental appraisal). More good news: if our biology is influenced by how we perceive the situation, we can change our perception and encourage our biology to support our performance as a result.
There is no physical force on us. So, although a very real phenomenon, ‘pressure’ is all in our minds.
The natural, and most common response, to a pressurised situation is to quickly think about everything that can go wrong; to activate our Fight-Flight-Freeze response, and not be able to do our best. But, is this a helpful way of perceiving pressure?
How do you naturally perceive pressure?
We can change how we perceive things. Look at the image below.
You will likely see a practical, standard coat hanger. What if I was to tell you this was a drunk octopus. All of a sudden, it is funny, charming and innocent. Perception changes everything.
Billie Jean King, former world No.1 women’s tennis player, also challenges our perception of pressure by saying:
“Pressure is a privilege. It only comes to those who earn it”.
Our perception of pressure is also influenced by where we view the pressure to be coming from. Previous athletes have mentioned sources like, their parents, the fans in the stadium, the prospect of losing the medal or trophy, social media comments, not letting people down… the list goes on.
Ultimately, we do not need to let external sources of pressure translate into pressure on ourselves. It might be more helpful to think about your internal sources which drive you toward a goal, rather than driving you away from a failure.
Internal sources might include: How you perceive pressure; How strong your values are; How strong you perceive your strengths to be.
A final influence of perceiving pressure can come from how we define success.
Performance theories tell us, the best ways to define success include a multi-factored definition - so that if we don’t achieve one of them, we can still achieve the others – and to have success defined as somewhat within our control. Defining success solely on outcomes will lead to a unfulfilling and unsatisfying life.
Thankfully, this is like asking “Can I get better at dribbling?” – Yes, of course!
We are going to work through 4 mindset moves that will shift your thinking to a helpful and performance-driven mindset.
High pressure moments force us to focus on the outcome. “What will happen if I fail?” or “I need to be perfect to finish where I want to?”. But having something more concrete to focus on can be a good way to take the pressure off whilst still driving you forward.
To do this, we need to focus on the process. We do this naturally in physical and technical skills too.
E.g., To score a goal in hockey or football, we need to know where the target is, know where the goalie is, get your footing right, hit the ball with enough power and direction, as influenced by the swing. At no point do we say: “Just score”, because that’s not helpful. We have no concrete control over whether it goes in. There are defenders and goalkeepers who we do not control in the way.
Thinking about the process is asking yourself: “What do I need to do to complete the action?”
TRY IT: Think of a sporting (or not...) moment where you want to perform well. For each of the below sections, write as many as you can. To get you started, we’ve included a few examples. Try to be as specific as you can, really break down the game.
STEP 2: Having completed listing the factors, have a think about this: “Which ones are most helpful for you to focus on to get the best out of yourself?” Notice which categories they were in. TIP: None of the ones to focus on should have been in the ‘No Control’ section.
STEP 3: Doing this process allows us to separate what we have control and influence over and to acknowledge all the elements we cannot control or even influence. At this point, it can be helpful to select a moment before your performance (e.g., the team talk), or if this is new to you then find another moment that repeats throughout the performance (e.g., the ball going off the sideline). Your chosen moment can now be a trigger point for you to accept all the things in the ’No Control’ zone to fade away and for your focus to be pinned on those in the ‘Influence’ and ‘Can Control’ zones, especially the ones you highlighted as particularly helpful for you.
As we saw when discussing choking, part of the reason we choke is the overwhelm of over-thinking, and over-thinking irrationally or with a negative bias.
Sporting movements are automatic. You have practiced so many times, that no conscious effort is required for a lot of the game. But the problem comes when our thoughts get involved and make the movements conscious.
Over-thinking is inherently unhelpful in pressurised sporting situations.
This is natural and many studies have confirmed its prevalence in sport both mentally, and the devastating effects it can have on physical performance.
Golfers know this phenomenon all-too-well. Taking a golf shot is an isolated movement, and one which golfers have practiced in a variety of ways, locations, or conditions, many thousands of times in their careers. Yet, when there is ‘pressure’ added to the simple movement, this over-thinking phenomenon occurs. For golfers, this over-thinking, over-analysis of their movement was so commonly resulting in the tensing of their shoulders and topping the ball, it became known as the “Golfer’s Yip”.
Scientifically, the process of over-thinking a movement or moment has since been termed “Paralysis by Analysis”.
So how can we avoid this happening to us?
Research tells us that to lessen the perceived pressure and to encourage smooth thinking and performance, athletes should allow their bodies to relax and complete an action un-consciously.
To do this, research tells us we should limit the over-thinking, by having a select few focal points for the entire performance.
Some elite examples include Dan Carter, New Zealand rugby union player, who likes to write a few key things he wants to focus on in a notebook before each big match. One entry included: “Keep looking. Process. Process. Process. And Smile.”
Another example is Maddy Hinch, an Olympic Gold Medallist Team GB Hockey Goalkeeper, who writes on a piece of tape attached to her water bottle: “Relax. Stay Big. [Numbers of players she wants to watch out for].”
TRY IT:
Sport is creative and dynamic, as Sky sports rightly says: “It’s only live once”. This can be what makes sport so exciting to be a part of, whether you’re watching or playing. But this also means there are many things which can happen in sports which don’t go to plan. Whether it be a small mistake, a game-losing mistake, or an incident, or injury. We can never truly know when these moments are going to happen, what it is that will happen, or who it will happen to.
This can feel like a lot of uncertainty and might induce anxiety thinking about all the things that can go wrong.
What are you typically afraid of during sports? What would you NOT like to happen?
A simple way to prepare for this and reduce the uncertainty, is to plan for the negatives. This way, we acknowledge the negatives might happen but are ready to respond in the best way, as we have allowed ourselves to practice it and plan for it.
TRY IT: Use If-Then planning to address the negatives.
Michael Phelps, 23-time Olympic Champion, uses this process to prepare for all eventualities. Including slipping on the blocks, his goggles filling with water, or even forgetting his trunks!
Nerves can be a really powerful feeling before an important moment. And, here me out, this is great news! Nerves mean you care and show you are willing to do your best.
We often feel butterflies in our stomach. Psychologists like to think of handling nerves as not trying to get rid of butterflies but getting them to fly in formation.
A simple way to do this is to re-phrase the physical and biological symptoms you feel. Handily, nerves are a cousin to excitement. And our brains are easy to get on board with how we want to see something.
As Simon Sinek neatly puts, you can re-evaluate nerves into excitement but saying to yourself: “This is exciting!”. (For the best results: Say It Out Loud!)
Spot the difference: Imagine two athletes are about to line up to start a 100m Sprint Final...
TRY IT: Feeling nervous? Tell yourself it is EXCITING and explain WHY.
Still not sure you can handle the heat? That’s okay, it takes time and practice. There are more great articles about how to get the best our of yourself when it matters.
Here are some of my favourites:
Alternatively, get in touch for some more individualised support to boost your performance. emilyhillsmith@gmail.com
