Choking

When Athletes Stumble

How often have we witnessed elite athletes smashing it during practice but not during a game? This would be the simplest way to explain choking. In sports, choking is defined as ‘ an acute decrease in skill execution and performance when self-expected standards are normally achievable, which is the result of increased anxiety under perceived pressure or it can also be stated as ‘ the occurrence of inferior performance despite striving and incentives for superior performance.

Occurrence

This could occur due to various factors such as stress, anxiety, and pressure. Pressure is either created by implicit or explicit competition. Explicit pressure is when participants are told their performance is going to be compared, and implicit pressure is a form of motivation that is driven by the internal desires of an individual such as fear of judgment and failure.

These damaging effects may have short-term or long-term consequences. In the short term, the athlete's performance may immediately decline, which as a result in the longer run may decrease their confidence during games, feel increased pressure to perform to the best of their abilities, and increase vulnerability to distraction.

A few other consequences could be lowered enjoyment and emotional distress. They could be affected due to a single event of choking or multiple events. In the short term, the experience was perceived to hurt all of the participant's performance in one of the studies, which may often affect them for the rest of the game. However, there is an opportunity to recover during a longer duration game. If the same persists a few athletes reported negative consequences in the longer term. Therefore, it is important to equip athletes with strategies to cope with choking more effectively. 

Avoidance is one aspect of individual factors, where the individual is consciously trying to avoid mistakes and increase in responsibility for a team sport like a penalty shootout, in this case, findings have suggested that choking may have occurred due to a threat to the individual's ego which in turn may bring greater distress especially if their self-worth is tied to the winning aspect. 

Hence, this self-focus may increase, which in turn can result in choking. As aforementioned, the athlete may often be concerned about how they would be perceived if they didn’t put up a successful performance.  Perfectionism has also been identified as another predictor for choking, where the individual may try to look perfect for the audience. 

A few ways to overcome this issue would be by reframing your narrative through self-talk, addressing the concerns in advance, and practicing under high-tension conditions to reduce choking incidents. To tackle choking, various other techniques such as pre-performance routines have been shown to maintain focus and execute tasks more effectively under pressure 

While a few athletes may learn how to deal with it positively and perform better under pressure the rest may be affected to perform under pressure. It’s important to assess and help the athletes deal with the same at the initial stages rather than addressing it after multiple chokes. Delays in the process may lead to some athletes dropping out and a reduction in their self-worth.

In conclusion, the phenomenon of choking in sports, where elite athletes underperform in critical moments despite their capabilities, is a complex interplay of psychological factors such as stress, anxiety, and pressure. Whether it's explicit pressure from external expectations or implicit pressure driven by internal fears of judgment and failure, the effects can be detrimental to both short-term and long-term performance.

The consequences of choking extend beyond the immediate game, affecting athletes' confidence, enjoyment, and emotional well-being. While some may recover from isolated incidents, repeated experiences of choking can have lasting effects, potentially leading to decreased self-worth and even dropout from the sport.

Early intervention and support are essential in mitigating the impact of choking on athletes' performance and well-being. By identifying and addressing choking tendencies early on, coaches and sports psychologists can help athletes build resilience and confidence, ultimately enhancing their ability to thrive in competitive environments.