Ask Dr. Nick
On today’s episode, Dr. Nick talks about enhancing athletic performance under pressure. The term ‘choking’ is used to describe athletes who do not perform to normal standards when they are under pressure to perform well. The pressure causes anxiety, which results in the conscious mind trying to control the motor movement in athletics. Athletes train for months or years for competition, so they have a form of automation in their specific skills. When anxiety builds and the mind tries to micromanage the task, it leads to poor performance. There are simple ways that athletes can turn off the conscious control to better perform under pressure. These include things like breathing and fist holds. Check out the video for more in depth information on how to enhance athletic performance under pressure!
Beckmann J, Fimpel L, Wergin VV. Preventing a loss of accuracy of the tennis serve under pressure. PLoS One. 2021;16(7):e0255060.
