{"id":9098,"date":"2023-06-15T15:07:56","date_gmt":"2023-06-15T19:07:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=9098"},"modified":"2025-07-08T06:41:19","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T10:41:19","slug":"how-choking-hurts-athletes-performance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-choking-hurts-athletes-performance\/","title":{"rendered":"How Choking Hurts Athletes\u2019 Performance\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/youth-sports-mindset.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/youth-sports-mindset.jpg\" alt=\"How Choking Hurts Athletes\u2019 Performance\u00a0\" class=\"wp-image-9099\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/youth-sports-mindset.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/youth-sports-mindset-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_Choking\"><\/span>What is Choking? <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_83 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-choking-hurts-athletes-performance\/#What_is_Choking\" >What is Choking?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-choking-hurts-athletes-performance\/#Just_as_problematic_is_kids_%E2%80%9Clabeling%E2%80%9D_themselves_as_%E2%80%9Cchokers%E2%80%9D\" >Just as problematic is kids \u201clabeling\u201d themselves as \u201cchokers.\u201d<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-choking-hurts-athletes-performance\/#How_Choking_Can_Impact_Your_Mindset\" >How Choking Can Impact Your Mindset<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-choking-hurts-athletes-performance\/#Related_Articles_on_Kids_Mental_Game\" >Related Articles on Kids&#8217; Mental Game:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-choking-hurts-athletes-performance\/#Improve_Your_Mental_Game_From_Anywhere_In_The_World\" >Improve Your Mental Game From Anywhere In The World<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Some examples of <strong>chokers<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A basketball player who misses two free throws with seconds left in the game, with her team down by one point.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The baseball closer who melts down in the 9th inning and gives up four runs to blow the save.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The football kicker who shanks the extra point to tie the game in the fourth quarter.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Choking<\/strong> is under performing during pressure moments of a game or competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The problem is not about kids\u2019 ability to perform. It\u2019s about performing under pressure. For chokers, pressure becomes overwhelming and interferes with performing in the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Just_as_problematic_is_kids_%E2%80%9Clabeling%E2%80%9D_themselves_as_%E2%80%9Cchokers%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>Just as problematic is kids \u201clabeling\u201d themselves as \u201c<strong>chokers<\/strong>.\u201d<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Truth is, even the best basketball players have missed free throws late in a game. Most baseball pitchers have had innings when everything seemed to unravel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even Hall of Fame kickers have missed extra points late in games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, when young athletes label themselves as <strong>chokers<\/strong>, they accept the label as truth and create that expectation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s go back to our basketball example. \u201c<strong>I am a choker<\/strong>\u201d means \u201cI will probably miss these free throws.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those thoughts create anxiety and bring about images of past missed attempts. When sports kids are anxious, their forearms tighten, which throws off their technique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Conversely, if they have no expectations going to the free throw line, they can focus on each shot separately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kids may still feel jitters, but not so much that their mechanics are affected. In this scenario, young athletes don\u2019t learn to shoot better; they just need to improve their ability to manage pressure, focus and stay physically relaxed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The key for sports kids is managing nerves or preventing \u201cnerves\u201d from building to &nbsp;anxiety that hurts their performance. &nbsp;Learning to reel in nerves is a valuable mental skill worth developing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>World No. 3 tennis player Jessica Pegula dislikes the word \u201cchoking.\u201d Pegula believes that the choker label hurts an athlete\u2019s identity and performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Choking_Can_Impact_Your_Mindset\"><\/span>How Choking Can Impact Your Mindset<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Pegula views tough losses as an inability to manage nerves when the momentum shifts in a competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<strong>Choking<\/strong>? It\u2019s a harsh word,\u201d Pegula said. \u201cI think everyone kind of does to some extent. I think it\u2019s just because you get nervous\u2026I think it\u2019s more of a momentum shift and maybe more nerves and just how you\u2019re kind of handling those nerves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When kids\u2019 nerves get out of hand, they panic and lose focus. Athletes perform best when they can stay calm and maintain a sense of objectivity as they compete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Some days, there\u2019s no rhyme or reason,\u201d said Pegula. \u201cSome days you can feel like you\u2019re a little tense, and for some reason, you can feel like maybe the momentum is shifting in a match, and you\u2019re just putting a lot of pressure on yourself to do the right thing. I think maybe instead of thinking clearly, you&#8217;re panicking a little bit instead of trying to think of the big picture.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From Pegula\u2019s perspective, all athletes can learn to manage their nerves and perform at their peak under pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When sports kids know they can manage their nerves in any scenario, they will feel empowered and confident under challenging situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since all athletes experience nerves during a competition, it\u2019s important to know how to perform at a high level when they feel pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When your sports kids perform their best, what helps them manage their nerves? Are they focused on the moment? Are they fully confident in their skills? Do they play intuitively, trusting in what they\u2019ve learned?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Young athletes should use past positive performances to help them find the ideal mindset for managing nerves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"related-articles-on-hockey-mental-game\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_Articles_on_Kids_Mental_Game\"><\/span>Related Articles on Kids&#8217; Mental Game:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-to-overcome-choking-under-pressure\/\"><strong>Why Kids Choke Under Pressure<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/is-your-sports-kid-a-gamer-or-choker\/\"><strong>Is Your Sports Kid a Gamer or Choker?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/why-do-athletes-choke-under-pressure-peaksports-video\/\"><strong>Why Do Athletes Choke Under Pressure?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-f49818fa-7c7a-4ee3-b5ee-66581aad2c71\">*Subscribe to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/sports-psychology-podcast-by-peaksports-com\/id152566009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0on iTunes<br>*Subscribe to <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0ynyaalKxbnNmsoeL8gF5X?si=8224669de9b3435b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a> on Spotify<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Improve_Your_Mental_Game_From_Anywhere_In_The_World\"><\/span><strong>Improve Your Mental Game From Anywhere In The World<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/mental-training-for-young-athletes.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6868\" style=\"width:138px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>We\u2019re certain that, as a parent,&nbsp;you want to help your child develop confidence and discipline in sports and life.&nbsp;And as a sports parent, you\u2019d love for your children to reach their potential in sports.&nbsp;But encouraging your child to <strong>strive for greatness without pressuring them<\/strong> can be a challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can get expert mental coaching with us from anywhere. Meet with us via Zoom, Skype, FaceTime or phone call. With today\u2019s video technology, we are able to connect with athletes and coaches all over the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Call Us Today to Schedule Your Free 15-Minute Session.<\/strong><br><strong>Find Out How Your Athlete Can Benefit From One-on-One Mental Coaching<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is Choking? Some examples of chokers: Choking is under performing during pressure moments of a game or competition. The problem is not about kids\u2019 ability to perform. It\u2019s about performing under pressure. For chokers, pressure becomes overwhelming and interferes with performing in the moment. Just as problematic is kids &#8230; <a title=\"How Choking Hurts Athletes\u2019 Performance\u00a0\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-choking-hurts-athletes-performance\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about How Choking Hurts Athletes\u2019 Performance\u00a0\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9100,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[309,301],"class_list":["post-9098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-confidence-in-youth-sports","tag-pressure-in-youth-sports","resize-featured-image"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9098","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9098"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9098\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9098"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9098"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9098"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}