I spoke with a pole vaulter the other day who has graduated.  Just some background here, this athlete was a very good jumper, top 5 in the NCAA, and two years in a row he no height-ed in the first round of the NCAA championships, (no height means, he did not make the height) He was ranked so high and was so talented that all he had to do in the first round was make one height and he would advance.  I asked him what was going through his mind during both of these competitions.  He told me that he was fixating on “all I have to do is make one bar, I have to make one height.” When he focused on these words his anxiety went through the roof and he said that he did not make good decisions. There is a direct relationship between anxiety, confidence, focus, and decision making, as anxiety rises, confidence, focus and decision making all decline.  The same happens in reverse, as anxiety declines, confidence, focus and decision making all rise, which results in a great performance.  This particular athlete was focused so much on the outcome of the event, that he almost forgot how to jump, he stopped executing specific skills that help him make the height.

The way that you can avoid choking in pressure situations is to reduce anxiety, by focusing on specific skills that will allow you to be successful, for pole vaulting it could be have a tall take off or run relaxed. Focusing on skills takes your mind away from focusing on the outcome.  In tennis if you focus on playing the entire match hitting the ball out front, and executing that skill on every shot will give you the best chance for success.  So again just to reaffirm what will help you avoid choking under pressure is, focusing on specific skills will and not the outcome will lower anxiety, thus raising confidence, focus, and decision making, allowing for a great performance.

There is one more key component here, it helps a great deal to ad a reassuring phrase to your game.  One that is popular is “I can do this!” or “I got this!” I have also heard “Today is my day!” These phrase when said just before performing really help to build confidence, concentration, and decision making.

I recommend that when you are doing mental skills training you use a performance journal, or a mental skills journal, to log the skills you will focus on and to write down your reassuring phrase.  When you write it down it becomes more powerful and real.

I must tell you about Nick as you watch this video, I have had the chance to compete against for 3 years and he is a fierce competitor.  He exhibits many metal skills that most top level athletes have.  And I must say that Nick has a fearless mind, to be an extreme sports athlete you need to be fearless, but I will say that after having something like this happen to you and then want to get back on a pole to compete again is brave, But that is how Nick is and if you ask him about the event he will probably be more excited about how he made 17 feet 1 inches running from 10 steps, that is a pretty remarkable achievement.  Again the sign of a high performing athlete is they always focus on the successes and the positives and work on things they can improve, in Nick’s case it could be getting out of the way of the pole.  But when you jump that high it is an inherent risk that most jumpers take.