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Authors: D. C. Gonzalez
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to it; even great
champions sometimes fall victim to it. In the end, even they will admit that,
at one time or another; they too have “choked.”
“So what causes it,” I asked,
“And what can be done to fight it? What about the guy in the tournament? Did
he just suddenly become afraid of losing?”
“In a way, but not exactly,
because a choking episode begins when a competitive situation threatens the
athlete’s ego,” said Leo-tai. “It’s a little like having a fear of failure –
but choking goes beyond the fear because choking is the actual physical
response that's triggered by the psychological threat to the ego. Choking is
more than just having a fear of failure – fear is in your head. Choking
happens when performance is actually affected by the nervousness, stress, and
worries about looking bad if things go wrong. It’s very different from the fear
of facing a dangerous or life-threatening situation. These are subtle
distinctions, but big differences.”
“Yes,” I admitted, “But I’m not
sure that I can tell the difference.”
“Perhaps that’s because the
physical symptoms brought on are so similar. But remember that their causes
are different. Nervousness and stress in either situation will affect an
athlete’s breathing pattern to the point where the delivery of oxygen to the
brain and muscles suffers, and he begins to feel anxiety. As an ineffective
breathing pattern kicks in, his performance begins to suffer just when he needs
his skills the most, just when the pressure’s really on. However, choking is
actually caused by an ego that’s worried about looking bad, not by any real or
perceived danger.”
“So what could that champion
have done?”
Leo-tai shook his head. “His
mistake was that he let his fear of looking bad take hold and gain momentum;
bringing on the nervousness and anxiety that caused the actual choking
reaction. What he needed to do was to start using focused breathing, thus
beginning to reduce anxiety on the spot. As one uses focused breathing one is
able to begin to relax. Oxygen fills the body, reanimating the muscles and causing
anxiety to subside. Suppleness returns, bringing renewed confidence with it.
Feel the relaxation as you exhale; as you begin to bring anxiety under control,
things begin to get better for you.”
Leo-tai switched off the TV.
“In these cases one must use
focused breathing to help bring you back into control, back into the present,
and to allow yourself to feel the pressure subside . . . But Danielsan,
remember: since choking springs from your ego, it’s not enough to address the
physical symptoms alone, although it’s OK to start with them. As soon as
focused breathing begins to help, you must also take control back from the
ego.”
“Go on,” I said.
“To do this, momentarily pick a
focus point in your immediate environment and fix your eyes on it as you continue
your focused breathing. This will help shift the focus away from yourself and
to refocus on the particular task at hand. The outside focus helps us to
reduce the ego focus—which is really what is causing all the problems in the
first place . . . Once an athlete really understands what causes choking he can
set out to shut it down so that he can immediately begin to refocus on the
challenge at hand, and keep it from getting worse. Once you see choking for
what it really is, you can avoid the experience happening to you by using this
strategy. Learn to leave your ego outside of your event, or it will always end
up getting in the way.”
Remember: Performance choking
is caused by an ego that is afraid of looking bad. You must learn to leave
your ego outside of your event.
The
Art of Mental Training
Chapter 15: Cool Under Pressure
I had been several years out of
the military—and I’d just been put through the mill. The Federal agents
questioning me reviewed their notes, exchanged glances with each other,
champions sometimes fall victim to it. In the end, even they will admit that,
at one time or another; they too have “choked.”
“So what causes it,” I asked,
“And what can be done to fight it? What about the guy in the tournament? Did
he just suddenly become afraid of losing?”
“In a way, but not exactly,
because a choking episode begins when a competitive situation threatens the
athlete’s ego,” said Leo-tai. “It’s a little like having a fear of failure –
but choking goes beyond the fear because choking is the actual physical
response that's triggered by the psychological threat to the ego. Choking is
more than just having a fear of failure – fear is in your head. Choking
happens when performance is actually affected by the nervousness, stress, and
worries about looking bad if things go wrong. It’s very different from the fear
of facing a dangerous or life-threatening situation. These are subtle
distinctions, but big differences.”
“Yes,” I admitted, “But I’m not
sure that I can tell the difference.”
“Perhaps that’s because the
physical symptoms brought on are so similar. But remember that their causes
are different. Nervousness and stress in either situation will affect an
athlete’s breathing pattern to the point where the delivery of oxygen to the
brain and muscles suffers, and he begins to feel anxiety. As an ineffective
breathing pattern kicks in, his performance begins to suffer just when he needs
his skills the most, just when the pressure’s really on. However, choking is
actually caused by an ego that’s worried about looking bad, not by any real or
perceived danger.”
“So what could that champion
have done?”
Leo-tai shook his head. “His
mistake was that he let his fear of looking bad take hold and gain momentum;
bringing on the nervousness and anxiety that caused the actual choking
reaction. What he needed to do was to start using focused breathing, thus
beginning to reduce anxiety on the spot. As one uses focused breathing one is
able to begin to relax. Oxygen fills the body, reanimating the muscles and causing
anxiety to subside. Suppleness returns, bringing renewed confidence with it.
Feel the relaxation as you exhale; as you begin to bring anxiety under control,
things begin to get better for you.”
Leo-tai switched off the TV.
“In these cases one must use
focused breathing to help bring you back into control, back into the present,
and to allow yourself to feel the pressure subside . . . But Danielsan,
remember: since choking springs from your ego, it’s not enough to address the
physical symptoms alone, although it’s OK to start with them. As soon as
focused breathing begins to help, you must also take control back from the
ego.”
“Go on,” I said.
“To do this, momentarily pick a
focus point in your immediate environment and fix your eyes on it as you continue
your focused breathing. This will help shift the focus away from yourself and
to refocus on the particular task at hand. The outside focus helps us to
reduce the ego focus—which is really what is causing all the problems in the
first place . . . Once an athlete really understands what causes choking he can
set out to shut it down so that he can immediately begin to refocus on the
challenge at hand, and keep it from getting worse. Once you see choking for
what it really is, you can avoid the experience happening to you by using this
strategy. Learn to leave your ego outside of your event, or it will always end
up getting in the way.”
Remember: Performance choking
is caused by an ego that is afraid of looking bad. You must learn to leave
your ego outside of your event.
The
Art of Mental Training
Chapter 15: Cool Under Pressure
I had been several years out of
the military—and I’d just been put through the mill. The Federal agents
questioning me reviewed their notes, exchanged glances with each other,
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