Why do Athletes Choke?
What is performance anxiety and how does it affect athletes’ ability to perform under pressure? A new website at Sports Performance Anxiety Coach, created by sports psychology expert, Dr. Patrick Cohn, helps athletes learn mental strategies to overcome performance anxiety and choking in competition. The new website, “Sports Performance Anxiety Coach,” offers, articles, tips, and videos to improve athletes’ performance under pressure.
Professional athletes are human too and sometimes choke from the stress of competition and sports performance anxiety. Throughout history, you’ll find many examples of top athletes (and teams) who choked under the pressure of competition and lost; competitions that seemed to be in their grasp. For example, Rory McIlroy squandered a 4-stroke lead in the final round of the 2011 Masters. Billy Cundiff missed a 32-yard field goal in the AFC Championship that would have helped the Baltimore Ravens earn a spot in the 2012 Super Bowl. Jean Van de Velde had a three-stoke lead on the final hole of the 1999 British Open disappear with a triple-bogey. Many top-level athletes can unravel during crunch-time due to the pressure and expectations of winning.
What’s interesting about these historic chokes in sports is that these athletes missed a shot or kick that they’ve executed thousands of times in practice successfully. What causes top athletes to miss opportunities that are usually routine to execute?
Orlando Sports Psychology Expert Dr. Patrick Cohn says that athletes are not perfect and can feel the pressure to be great and win. “Choking and performance anxiety are often associated with a fear of failure for athletes. It’s ironic that athletes who want to win badly are the ones that worry the most about failing,” said Cohn, who has worked as a mental game coach for many top athletes including PGA Tour Pros, NASCAR drivers, and professional Motocross racers since 1991 and is the owner of a sports psychology educational firm Peak Performance Sports, LLC in Orlando, FL. “Choking in sports is a reaction to perceived pressure athletes feel about being successful or winning when they are think others expect them to be great.”
Visit Sports Performance Anxiety Coach for more details…
Related Sports Psychology Articles
- Overcoming Pressure and Anxiety in Matches
- How to Manage Anxiety in Competitions
- When Athletes Have Anxiety Before Games
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The Composed Athlete
“The Composed Athlete” is presented on 80-minute Audio Programs with a 70-page step-by-step workbook that guides you through the program each day. It’s a complete system for conditioning your mind to have maximum composure in competition.
“The Composed Athlete” was developed for any level coach, parent, or junior to professional athlete who wants to improve performance and gain a competitive edge. It does not matter if you are a fledgling junior athlete; or a seasoned professional, plagued with distractions; or you just wanting to learn how to improve your composure…
I definitely agree with Dr. Cohn’s opinion based on association with a fear of failure. It could also be assumed that athletes take themselves out of the game. Not physically, but mentally. Their mind can tend to wander. How does this happen? Well if an athlete is so into the game, but out of nowhere starts missing shots that are easily made in the past, or struggling with technique or whatever may be happening, they have started to lose focus. The anxiety level usually rises to a level that is not in line with their ability to control their focus. Now the game is on the line, but their anxiety level has been increased, and their focus has decrease and then the results are usually not where the athlete wants them. You must keep your focus and if you start to see the signs of being taken out of the game mentally, you must slow down and clear your mind. Mental preparation before games helps limit these situations. But as we are all human, losing focus and increasing anxiety is inevitable, but we can train and learn how to cope with it in all instances.