How Successful Athletes Remain Successful Under Pressure
We’ve all seen it before. A successful athlete choke under pressure. So what’s the difference between successful athletes who perform normal under pressure and those who don’t?
Obviously, this is a loaded question that I’m not capable of answering in a single blog post. However, there is a simple truism about performance under pressure that is not as obvious as it should be.
The one factor that helps successful athletes remain successful under pressure is that they don’t change who they are because there is more pressure. Whereas successful athletes who choke tend to approach high pressure situations differently than normal.
To put it another way, successful athletes who don’t choke know how to be themselves under pressure. Successful athletes who do choke lose themselves and forget who they are under pressure.
The fact is that you are at your best when you are being yourself. Therefore, the best thing you can do to prepare for high pressure situations is to invest in truly knowing who you are, knowing your strengths, and be prepared to not let anyone change you.