05choking under pressure - and influence on athletes mental health

[A]What is choking under pressure?

Acute decrease in skill execution and performance under pressure.

Occurs when athletes cannot perform at their normal ability due to increased anxiety.

Prerequisites:

High skill level

High motivation

Performance below normal standards

[C] What are the typical high-pressure situations?

Competitions: decisive moments, e.g. penalty shoot-outs.

Audience & Media: spectators and public scrutiny.

Contingencies: financial rewards or career consequences.

Ego Relevance: threats to athletic identity and social standing.

[A]Why does choking occur?

Two cognitive Models of choking

1. Distraction Model

Anxiety shifts attention away from task-relevant cues.

Internal distractions: worries about failure.

External distractions: crowd noise or opponents.

2. Self-Focus Model

Anxiety causes conscious monitoring of movements.

Athletes focus too much on step-by-step mechanics.

This disrupts automatic skill execution.

[A]How can athletes prevent choking?

Distraction-Based:

Pre-performance routines (PPR)

Quiet Eye training

Deep breathing

Self-Focus-Based:

Left-hand dynamic contractions

Dual-tasking

Analogy learning

Acclimatisation:

Simulated pressure training

Video surveillance

Consequence drills

Key idea: Improve attentional focus, prevent conscious overthinking and help athletes adapt to pressure.

[C] Aim and methods of the study (Mesagno, Hammond and Goodyear, 2004)

Aim: Examine the negative consequences of choking and compare high- and low-performance athletes.

165 competitive athletes (102 men, 63 women).

32 different sports.

Online questionnaire about choking experiences and consequences.

[A]Key findings of the study

77% experienced choking.

Average: 18.25 episodes per year.

Reduced enjoyment of sport and negative emotions.

High-performance athletes showed more psychological problems and maladaptive behaviours.

They were also more likely to seek psychological support.

Main message: Choking can seriously affect both athletic performance and mental health.

[B]Mental Health impact of choking

High-Performance Vulnerability:

Fear of losing status and being judged.

Maladaptive coping (e.g. binge drinking or drugs).

Increased risk of depression and suicidal ideation.

Downward Psychological Spiral:

Fear of failure → avoidance of pressure situations.

Pre-match jitters and rumination → overthinking mistakes.

Loss of self-trust → pressure contributes to further failure.

[B]How to deal with mental health and pressure

Professional Therapy & Mental Health First-Aid: psychological support and trained coaches.

Self-Compassion: reduce self-criticism and recover emotionally after failure.

Write and Rip Your Worries: write down anxieties and tear up the paper.

Unorthodox Techniques: unusual individual strategies to block distractions (e.g. Gerwyn Price wearing ear defenders).

Example: Mindful chewing – close your eyes and concentrate fully on chewing to bring attention back to the present moment.