{"id":4795,"date":"2016-01-28T04:00:12","date_gmt":"2016-01-28T04:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports_psychology_blog\/?p=4795"},"modified":"2025-06-10T07:36:52","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T11:36:52","slug":"prevent-self-destruction-game-line","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/prevent-self-destruction-game-line\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Prevent Self-Destruction When The Game Is On The Line"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/poised-under-pressure.jpg\" alt=\"Poised Under Pressure\" class=\"wp-image-5580\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/poised-under-pressure.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/poised-under-pressure-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Poised_Under_Pressure\"><\/span>Poised Under Pressure<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Article Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #0769bf;color:#0769bf\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #0769bf;color:#0769bf\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/prevent-self-destruction-game-line\/#Poised_Under_Pressure\" >Poised Under Pressure<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/prevent-self-destruction-game-line\/#Ask_yourself_the_following_question\" >Ask yourself the following question:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/prevent-self-destruction-game-line\/#Related_Sports_Psychology_Articles\" >Related Sports Psychology Articles<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/prevent-self-destruction-game-line\/#The_Composed_Athlete\" >The Composed Athlete<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>A championship football team shared one common characteristic&#8230; they remained <strong>poised<\/strong> under pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Being poised and maintaining a sense of calm and control, minimize the negative effects of intense emotions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The more riding on a game, the more important it is to maintain your <strong>composure<\/strong> through the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, legendary former Cincinnati Bengal coach Paul Brown once said <em>&#8220;The key to winning is <strong>poise under stress<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>-Have there been times when you lost your cool during a game?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>-How do you react when the referee makes a bad call when the time is ticking down?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>-Can a trash-talking opponent take you out of your game?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sports and momentum is all about <strong>emotion<\/strong>&#8230; from the elevation of making a great play to the disappointment of giving up a big play&#8230; and every emotion in between.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you allow your emotions to dictate how you play, you are at the mercy of your emotions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Runaway negative emotions will eventually cause you to make huge mistakes that may very well cost you the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In their AFC wildcard game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cincinnati Bengals not only lost their <strong>composure<\/strong>, they fully self-destructed in the final minutes of the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Winning 16-15 with 1:36 left on the clock, the Bengals fumbled the ball on the Steelers nine yard line to give Pittsburgh a final chance to win the game&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The implosion continued when the Bengals were called for two 15-yard penalties called with 18 seconds (one a hit to the head on an incomplete pass and the other a dead ball unsportsmanlike call).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The pair of penalties put the Steelers in field goal position and Pittsburgh made the 35-yard field goal to win the game 18-16.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bengals Coach Marvin Lewis admitted that his team imploded under the pressure of the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>LEWIS<\/strong>: <em>\u201cIt&#8217;s disappointing. Our guys fought their tails off all year, fought their tail off today, got back and went ahead. And then we destructed on ourselves. Offense and defense together. That&#8217;s disappointing.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bengals Pro Bowl offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth emphasized the importance of being disciplined and in control during critical moments of games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>WHITWORTH<\/strong>: <em>&#8220;You&#8217;ve got to be disciplined to understand the ultimate goal. That&#8217;s always got to be important. It&#8217;s not about one guy&#8217;s mistake, or one guy that wasn&#8217;t or was. At all times, our team as a unit, everyone has got to understand the discipline of winning the football game, and that&#8217;s more important than anything else. It always has got to be No. 1. When you get those priorities out of control, that&#8217;s when bad things happen.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Tip for Remaining Poised Under Pressure<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Determine how you will choose to act prior you are playing in pressure moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Ask_yourself_the_following_question\"><\/span>Ask yourself the following question:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What things cause me to lose my composure?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How do I typically react under pressure?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What triggers occur right before I lose my cool?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Is it possible for me to react differently?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What will I choose to do differently in the future?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>By being aware of how you react, being aware of your triggers, consciously choosing to react in a different manner and training yourself to react differently in practice, you can develop the poise needed to win during pressure-packed games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"block-979ef383-5bc7-43ee-b8f9-249663ca1a6c\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_Sports_Psychology_Articles\"><\/span>Related Sports Psychology Articles<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul id=\"block-05642731-8752-4dbf-9c18-5cc4d276e821\" class=\"wp-block-list has-normal-font-size\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/coping-with-teammates-who-make-mistakes\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-compete-well-in-pressure-moments\/\"><strong>How to Compete Well in Pressure Moments<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-overcome-adversity-for-athletes\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-perform-big-in-pressure-moments\/\"><strong>How to Perform Big in Pressure Moments<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/3-ways-to-quickly-rebound-from-mistakes\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/is-pressure-your-friend-or-foe\/\"><strong>Is Pressure Your Friend or Foe?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-5726d13f-f715-4ca4-8813-2f8a9ebd8bc3\">*Subscribe to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/sports-psychology-podcast-by-peaksports-com\/id152566009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0on iTunes<br>*Subscribe to <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0ynyaalKxbnNmsoeL8gF5X?si=8224669de9b3435b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a> on Spotify<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-281f5afb-980b-4c71-9aa0-11d606b5f7c9\"><strong>Download a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/mental-toughness-report-athletes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">free sports psychology report<\/a>&nbsp;to improve your mental game!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-94138e75-d591-4645-bb1d-212cf57a8841\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sport-psychology-training-athletes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Learn more about our one-on-one mental game coaching.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Composed_Athlete\"><\/span>The Composed Athlete<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/composed-athlete-small-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4434\" style=\"width:200px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Composed Athlete\u201d is presented on<strong> 80-minute Audio Programs<\/strong> with a <strong>70-page step-by-step workbook<\/strong> that guides you through the program each day. It\u2019s a complete system for conditioning your mind to have <strong>maximum composure in competitio<\/strong>n.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<strong>The Composed Athlete<\/strong>\u201d was developed for <strong>any level coach, parent, or junior to professional athlete<\/strong> 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\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-8fee86ee\">\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-df6f9eb5 gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-composed-athlete-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GET DETAILS<\/a>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-9e238db0 gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/collections\/the-confident-athlete-series-digital-download\/products\/the-composed-athlete-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BUY NOW<\/a>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Poised Under Pressure A championship football team shared one common characteristic&#8230; they remained poised under pressure. Being poised and maintaining a sense of calm and control, minimize the negative effects of intense emotions. The more riding on a game, the more important it is to maintain your composure through the game. In fact, legendary former Cincinnati Bengal coach &#8230; <a title=\"How To Prevent Self-Destruction When The Game Is On The Line\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/prevent-self-destruction-game-line\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about How To Prevent Self-Destruction When The Game Is On The Line\">Sport Psychology Article&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5581,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,142],"tags":[1016,255,43],"class_list":["post-4795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-composure-in-sports","category-sports-psychology-tips","tag-cincinnati-bengals","tag-composure-in-sports","tag-pressure-in-sports"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro 4.9.6.2 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When you allow your emotions to dictate how you play, you are at the mercy of your emotions. 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