Typical Chocking. The best are the first to choke

Why do people choke and then perform at low levels despite their many sacrifices and actual skills? The word “choking” describes the inability to perform at the level that our skills and abilities would normally allow for.   

Said inability can manifest itself in different situations: a public speaker may suddenly forget what they are to say, a musician may not remember what notes they are to play during an audition, an athlete may not be able to breathe well or maintain a good heart rate and muscle tension, thereby failing to perform at the level they desire. These impasses arise in spite of the person’s ability to apply the competences they have acquired and shown during many hours of practice. 

When do we “choke”, then? Usually, when we are overly critical of ourselves and put our brain under excessive stress, thereby compromising our performance levels. However, the very context in which we are asked to perform a task may be what puts us under pressure. Expectations, namely what is “at stake” (whether it be a promotion, a game, the Olympics, a medal, an outcome, our very life), can influence the likelihood of us being able to perform a task in an optimal way, without making any mistakes.   

Emotions such as anger can lead to an increase in intensity, which does not necessarily translate to an improvement in performance levels. You need to take care of “one thing at a time” rather than the overall situation. Moreover, you should not be overly focused on the final result, but live in the moment. You choke when you make mistakes and fail to meet your expectations. A Mental and Performance coach can perfectly understand this mechanism and help you with powerful techniques www.performanceexpansion.com.

Which people are the most prone to impasses and mistakes? What characterises them? Research shows that the individuals who excel at focusing, show high levels of intelligence and possess good memorisation skills run the highest risk. In spite of the skills these people have, their high functioning brain renders them more aware of external pressures, which causes them to want to please others. Moreover, these people are more impasse-prone when under pressure because of their personality. Generally, they are perfectionists; they are often self-demanding, rigid and unwilling to make mistakes, which generates even more pressure. Being successful in life is very stressful, since maintaining the results one has achieved and constantly performing at high levels irrespective of the variables of life is a great challenge.

Aspects such as one’s family culture and background can also generate pressure. Moreover, data shows that stereotypes with regard to skilfulness or gender can also lead to increased pressure and impasses. Generally speaking, there are domains where a gender is considered as more skilled and better performing than the other: witness technology, where women are deemed inferior to men. This stereotype can cause great anxiety. Indeed, the situation becomes problematic when people start believing these stereotypes and more or less knowingly pass them on to others in the capacity of coaches, citizens or family members. These stereotypes are common in working, sporting and creative environments.

According to research, excessive support is one of the aspects that can increase the likelihood of impasses. As a matter of fact, excessive support on the part of family members can put young performers under immense pressure. Being true to oneself and performing tasks in the absence of expectations not only leads to better results, but also enables one to experience things in a more serene, positive manner.   

Normalising one’s mood, correctly interpreting bodily and emotional cues (as shown by the research), turning perceived dangers into resources and having a flexible mind improves performance levels.

The key to overcoming impasses lies in one’s ability to interpret bodily and emotional cues, plan functional responses, take stock of past experiences and relinquish disempowering thoughts in favour of a mindset aimed at understanding challenges as opportunities.   

Get your key, overcome impasses and keep expanding your performance potential.