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Steven W. Noles, Psy.D.
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CHOKE:SUDDEN PERFORMANCE FAILUREThere are times when all athletes fail to perform up to their potential or up to their typical level of performance. Usually this is nothing to worry about and often it happens without any particular attention being drawn to it. Unfortunately, this sudden performance failure sometimes happens when the game is on the line, when the pressure is the highest, when the focus of every participant, every spectator, everyone is on the player. Think of the basketball player on the free-throw line to shoot two free throws with no time left on the clock and her team trailing by one point. Think of the batter who comes to the plate with two outs, the bases loaded, and his team trailing by one run. Think about the golfer standing on the tee knowing a birdie will win the tournament. What do we say if the basketball player misses the free throws, or when the batter strikes out, or when the golfer pulls the tee shot into the woods? We might say the athlete experienced a “sudden performance failure.” What we usually say is that the athlete choked. “Choked” is one of the worst words in athletics. It is a word used to describe a time when the athlete wants to perform at his or her best and comes up woefully short. What causes a player to choke? Sometimes it is just meant to be and does not necessarily mean it will be a recurring problem. If she misses the free throws and learns from the experience, then it can be a positive motivator for future situations. It can be an excellent yet painful learning experience that will make her a better athlete in the future. If it seems to happen over and over, then it is probably a performance anxiety problem and a thinking problem. Several decades ago, a player stood on the free-throw line in the Virginia High School state championship game with the game tied and only a few seconds remaining. Before shooting the one-and-one, the opposing team called a time-out to “ice” the player who was an above average free-throw shooter. After the time-out, the player missed the first free throw, rushed into the lane, and inadvertently fouled an opposing player who had grabbed the rebound. With no time on the clock, the opposing player walked to the other end of the court and calmly made his free throw to win the state championship. What made the difference between the first player who “choked” and the second player who became a hero? Part of the answer lies in the cognitive state of both players. The first player had time, even extra time to think about the situation when the opposing team called a time-out. He was given ample time to think of the chance to be a hero, to win the state championship, to be the “big man on campus”, the headlines, the trophy, the attention, the girls... Notice that every thought dealt with something that was to occur in the future. Athletes must maintain their focus on the present, not the future. We never want athletes to be thinking about future outcomes during the competition. On the other hand, the opposing player, the one who made the free throw, had no time to think, no time to process the magnitude of the situation. He simply walked to the other end of the court and made the shot. What would have made a difference for the first player? Every athlete needs to have a strategy that will clear his mind of unwanted thoughts. She needs to develop some technique or procedure that will help her focus her attention on the task at hand. All athletes need to avoid thinking of the future. Don’t think of the end result; don’t think about the trophy. This is very hard to do and needs practice in order to master it. Think of it this way: an athlete spends a tremendous amount of time preparing for a goal and when the goal is within reach he must not dare to think about it. If he thinks about it, the chance of obtaining it nearly goes away. If this is an issue for you or for an athlete you know, try these techniques: 1. For isolated activities that allow for some thought, such as shooting free throws or hitting golf shots, develop a comfortable pre-activity routine. What you do is not nearly as important as doing the same thing every time. Usually I recommend that the pre-shot routine not involve a specific number (e.g., two practice swings or dribbling four times) but often athletes use numbers and it works well. I suggest you concentrate on a feeling you want to obtain and not the number of repetitions of an action. However, in some cases, such as shooting a free throw, there is a time limit so the pre-shot routine needs to be fairly short. 2. Focus on the technique and not the outcome. Do not think about winning the game, but rather concentrate on making sure you have enough arc on the shot or that you follow through with the swing. Always think about what you want to do and never think about what you do not want to do. Be positive. You want to hit the center of the green so this is what you focus on. Don’t think about the sand trap on the left or the pond in front of the green. 3. Think back to a similar situation, if there has been one, in which you were successful. Visualize yourself being successful again. This does not mean thinking about winning; it means thinking about hitting the shot the way you want to hit it. 4. Keep a proper perspective. Sports are not a matter of life and death. Sports are meant to be fun, challenging learning experiences. Keep everything in perspective. People who love you and support you will still love and support you no matter the outcome. 5. If after trying these techniques, you or someone you know continues to struggle with sudden performance failures, give me a call. |
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