Chris Mance II - Mental Skills Coach

It’s a sad phenomenon. A successful athlete who performs exceptionally 90% of the time, but somehow finds a way to choke under pressure. It’s sad to see it happen. But it’s even more sad because intuitively everyone knows the athlete could have done something during their preparation to prevent choking from happening.

So, this is the question I will answer today. What can an athlete do to prepare to be at their best under pressure?

To answer this question, there are two things we must agree upon.

1. Success under pressure is a skill all unto itself that has little to do with the actual domain of the performance.
2. Those who find ways to deliberately practice performing under pressure perform better than those who don’t.

If you agree with these two statements, then it follows that past success when not under pressure does not dictate how one performs under pressure. Moreover, talent is not the biggest factor that dictates success under pressure. Therefore, it’s possible for an athlete with less talent to perform better under pressure than a more talented competitor.

How to Prepare to Perform at One’s Best Under Pressure

First, let me state the obvious. If you want to get better at anything you must do that thing over and over. So, the only way to prepare to perform at one’s best under pressure is to perform under pressure. However, you don’t just jump in the deep water on your first day learning how to swim. Instead, there is a progression.

There are about 10 steps to going from a non-swimmer to jumping in deep water.

1. Breathing
2. Bobbing
3. Floating
4. Treading water
5. Gliding
6. Kicking
7. Arm cycling
8. Freestyle swimming
9. Freestyle swimming with breathing
10. Jumping in the deep water

Learning to perform at a high level under pressure requires a remarkably similar approach.

Athletes who perform well under pressure practice performing in pressure filled situations that are just above where they’re comfortable. In those situations, they work on mental skills to help them control their anxiety and focus on what matters. These mental skills include:

1. Rhythmic breathing
2. Reframing
3. Visualization
4. Managing the three zones of focus
5. Mindfulness
6. Neutral Thinking
7. Inhibitory Control
8. Goal Orientation

Once these mental skills are successfully applied at one level, then the amount of pressure is increased in the next situation faced. The key is to find the right balance between the pressure challenge and the skills one has to cope with the pressure. Then progressively increase both over time.