Choking in sports is nothing new.  It happens all the time.

When a player under pressure doesn't perform at the level they do in practice, it is known as choking.

Sometimes, we say, "the stage was too big for them" or "he's not clutch."

There are players who don't tend to choke.  When they are in a pressure situation, when their team needs a score, or needs a stop, they step up and deliver.  Often over and over.

Players like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird, Reggie Jackson, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods.
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​These players had it.  Whatever "It" is. They repeatedly performed well under high-pressure situations. 
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​They longed for such occasions. They didn't shy away. They wanted the last shot, the pressure putt, the batting attempt.
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​So, why then are others not like that? 

Why do others become timid?

Why shy away from the last shot?

Why do some choke?
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​As stated above, choking can occur in any sport. Pickleball is no exception. 
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​What leads to choking?
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​There are various studies that have looked at the reasons people choke.  Here are some of the reasons:

1.  Fear of failure - Some players are fearful.  They fear missing the shot, letting down teammates, letting down spectators, not succeeding when needed.  And they fear being thought of as a loser. 

This fear creates their own diminished play.  They tend to over think and over analyze situations during a game. That over thinking leads them to try to exert more conscious control over their muscles, their actions, and their performance. 

They stop acting and reacting instinctively.  Then, their performance decreases. As their performance decreases, they get more uptight and anxious. They start pressing.  Again, their conscious effort to control their performance makes them perform much worse. 

2.  Taking themselves off of auto-pilot - It has been shown that athletes perform much better on auto-pilot.  When their actions lack any conscious control, they perform much better.  Concentrating too much in such situations is not helpful. 

When players pay too much attention to their performance, their performance decreases.  

When players are overly concerned about doing their best, they often try to control aspects of their game that actually function better on auto-pilot. 

Letting themselves play freely rather than forcing their own play is what is needed. 

3.  Negative self talk - Some players leading up to tournaments begin engaging in negative self talk. They question their abilities to themselves. They tell themselves they will be lucky if they succeed.  They worry about failing.  They think more about failing rather than succeeding. They question why they even let themselves agree to play. They think about all the people they will let down. 

Negative self talk is so harmful.  Many players who do so are defeated before they ever step on the court.  

It leads to a lack of confidence. That leads to more fear and more efforts to over control their performance.  

And it all goes downhill quickly.

And rarely are any of the things you are saying to yourself actually true. 

4.  Not practicing under pressure - Many players practice with varying degrees of effort.  Many don't give their all.

They practice for fun. They don't mind if they lose.  After all, it's just practice. 

If you don't practice performing well under pressure, you won't do well in a tournament. 

If you don't hate to lose, you likely won't perform as well under pressure. The pressure of the situation is because of the reality of losing when it matters.  Someone will lose.  If it doesn't matter to you when you lose, you will not be able to perform as well as other players who hate to lose. 

If you don't want to be that someone, practice under pressure, and don't be "okay" with losing. Put pressure on yourself.  Get used to it. Then, a tournament will not be so stressful or anxiety producing because you have faced it all before. 

No one wants the reputation of choking. However, it can happen to anyone. 

Knowing why it happens can help you prepare better, deal with the pressure more effectively, and be more successful.  

Good luck!!
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