Choking in Sport

[Dinny Breen]

With the latest capitulation from the Dublin footballers and Arsenals end of season annual implosion following McIlroy's Masters melt down, the BBC have published an interesting article on choking..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/front_page/13185266.stm

The Champions League semi-finals are still a few days away, but the prospect of the dreaded penalty shoot-out is already looming.

Chelsea captain John Terry has admitted that it took months to come to terms with the spot-kick he missed in the Champions League final in 2008, when he slipped before making contact with the ball.

Former England defender Gareth Southgate will probably always be associated with his miss at the European Championship semi-final in 1996, when he shot with a woeful lack of conviction.

Both men have testified how treacherously difficult it is to score from 12 yards when you are shouldering the hopes of millions.

It is not the difficulty of the task - most top players invariably score during practice sessions - but the enormity of the moment. The problem is not ability but nerve. This, of course, is the essence of performance psychology.
John Terry slips while taking a penalty in the 2008 Champions League final Chelsea captain Terry slipped as he missed his penalty in 2008

The tendency to lose one's nerve - or "choke" - was seen in graphic fashion in the Masters at Augusta earlier this month. Rory McIlroy was within touching distance of the Green Jacket when he underwent a devastating implosion.

It was not just his woods and irons that deserted him, but his putting and chipping, too. For a while it was as if he had become a novice again.

Few of us have played international sport, but in a curious way we can all relate to the curse of choking. When we are interviewed for a job we don't care about, we are relaxed, confident and the answers flow.

But when we are interviewed for a job that means everything, that is when our mouth dries and our brain, all too often, stalls. We fluff our lines in precisely the same way McIlroy fluffed his drive on the 10th tee.

But why? Why are so many of us inclined to mess up at precisely the moment when messing up is most calamitous? Why are we so prone to fail when we most want to succeed?

For years the paradox of choking seemed incomprehensible to psychologists and sportsmen alike. It is only in recent years that neuroscientists have glimpsed the answers, and they are both intriguing and revelatory.

Consider what happens when you are learning a task, say driving a car. When you start out, you have to focus intently to move the gearstick while shifting the steering wheel and pushing the clutch. Indeed, at the beginning these tasks are so difficult to execute that the instructor starts you off in a car park.

But now consider what happens after hundreds of hours of practice. Now, you can perform these skills effortlessly, without any conscious control, so that you are able to arrive at your destination without even being aware of how you got there.

In effect, experts and novices use two completely different brain systems. Long practice enables experienced performers to encode a skill in implicit memory, and they perform almost without thinking about it.

This is called expert-induced amnesia. Novices, on the other hand, wield the explicit system, consciously monitoring what they are doing as they build the neural framework supporting the task.

But now suppose an expert were to suddenly find himself using the "wrong" system. It wouldn't matter how good he was because he would now be at the mercy of the explicit system.

The highly sophisticated skills encoded in the subconscious part of his brain would count for nothing. He would find himself striving for victory using neural pathways he last used as a novice.

This is the neurophysiology of choking. It is triggered when we get so anxious that we seize conscious control over a task that should be executed automatically.

That is why McIlroy's technique was so stilted - explicit monitoring was vying with implicit execution. The problem was not insufficient focus, but too much focus. Conscious monitoring had disrupted the smooth workings of the subconscious. He was, in a literal sense, a novice again.

This is why choking is so dramatic: it triggers a psychological metamorphosis. And this is why those slated to taken penalties in the semi-finals will be working as hard on their mental as their physical games.

There are many methods that can avert choking, but the ultimate objective can be summed up in one sentence. As the Nike ad puts it: "Just do it".

[Denn Forever]

Highly dangerous.  Patient may not survive or have severely debilitating long term effects.

[seafoid]

Mayo and Schalke 04 have distinguished choking histories. The patterns recur regardless of sport and country. It is a really interesting subject (if you're not from Mayo or Gelsenkirchen).   

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

Mayo and Schalke 04 have distinguished choking histories. The patterns recur regardless of sport and country. It is a really interesting subject (if you're not from Mayo or Gelsenkirchen).

Galway Hurlers.

[Blowitupref]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge84-ZWU4FY&feature=player_embedded

[SLIGONIAN]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge84-ZWU4FY&feature=player_embedded

One would think that match was over such were the celebrations, clowns got what they deserved. We have a history of choking in Connacht finals so thats a good read above, makes sense aswell tbh.. doesnt really go into solutions (Just do it isnt enough imo).

[mannix]

team sport ease the blow because there are others involved but golf or tennis mean you are on your own, boxing too. savage to lose like that basketball team did in the clip, even if they have a team to cry with. savage.

[galwayman]

It amuses me to hear all the talk about Mayo footballers being chokers.
They have in my memory been beaten in AI senior football finals in 1989,1996,1997,2004 and 2006.
Only once (1996) could it be said that they blew it as I agree they probably should have beaten Meath that year.
On each of the other years they simply were not good enough and were beaten by better teams so I don't see how that can be classed as choking.
Kerry annihilated them in 04 & 06 and anyone who watches the 97 final again would surely agree that they were blessed to get within 3 points of Kerry that day. Cork in 89 were simply a better team also.
Being beaten by a superior team is very different to choking under pressure

[imtommygunn]

On the topic - what is the biggest "choke" we have seen in sport?

- Jean VanderVelde?
- Would Limerick hurlers capitulatiion against Offaly in 96?? be classed as choking?
- Loughgiel in antrim choked big time in a few hurling finals over this last few years however got over the final hurdle this time.
- Bayern Munich in the 1999 champions league final

[HowAreYeGettinOn]

It amuses me to hear all the talk about Mayo footballers being chokers.
They have in my memory been beaten in AI senior football finals in 1989,1996,1997,2004 and 2006.
Only once (1996) could it be said that they blew it as I agree they probably should have beaten Meath that year.
On each of the other years they simply were not good enough and were beaten by better teams so I don't see how that can be classed as choking.
Kerry annihilated them in 04 & 06 and anyone who watches the 97 final again would surely agree that they were blessed to get within 3 points of Kerry that day. Cork in 89 were simply a better team also.
Being beaten by a superior team is very different to choking under pressure

With respect galwayman, I'd throw the 1997 final in there too. I was at that game, and as bad as Mayo were, they rallied after the penalty, drew within a point of Kerry and had them on the rack. Had Mayo had the guts to push on, as they did against the same opposition a year before, not even Maurice Fitz himself would have stopped them.

But when the game was there for them to take, they choked. Kerry eventually nailed another score and as soon as that went over, Mayo were gone. The rest was window-dressing for Maurice.

You're right about '04 and '06 - Kerry were miles better. But imho, Mayo were shameful on those two days. When you wear the county jersey, you have to stand up like a man and fight. Mayo might as well have rolled out the red carpet for Star and the Gooch.

Until they win the Sam, the 'chokers' tag is going to stay with Mayo.

[seafoid]

It amuses me to hear all the talk about Mayo footballers being chokers.
They have in my memory been beaten in AI senior football finals in 1989,1996,1997,2004 and 2006.
Only once (1996) could it be said that they blew it as I agree they probably should have beaten Meath that year.
On each of the other years they simply were not good enough and were beaten by better teams so I don't see how that can be classed as choking.
Kerry annihilated them in 04 & 06 and anyone who watches the 97 final again would surely agree that they were blessed to get within 3 points of Kerry that day. Cork in 89 were simply a better team also.
Being beaten by a superior team is very different to choking under pressure

You have to look at the minors and u21s to get the full picture.

[Farrandeelin]

What about Knockmore footballers? We've managed to lose our last 4 county finals. We used to be feared, but now everyone thinks they can beat us. Especially at u-16s and minor htis year.

Mayo won the U-21 AI in 06 against Cork don't forget seafoid.

[seafoid]

DB lost something like 11 All-Ireland finals before the Stephenites eventually landed the club championship.
That's Mayo fuball.

Someone was on about the great Mayo minors of recent years. They got to 2 all-Ireland finals and lost the 2 of them.
Some counties win more finals than they lose. And Mayo lose more than 90% of them. 

               All Ireland finals since 1991     Won

Minors                   6                              0
u 21s                    5                              1
Seniors                  4                              0

[ballinaman]

DB lost something like 11 All-Ireland finals before the Stephenites eventually landed the club championship.
That's Mayo fuball.

Someone was on about the great Mayo minors of recent years. They got to 2 all-Ireland finals and lost the 2 of them.
Some counties win more finals than they lose. And Mayo lose more than 90% of them. 

               All Ireland finals since 1991     Won

Minors                   6                              0
u 21s                    5                              1
Seniors                  4                              0

Ah but sure we'll keep coming back for more until the day comes.

[ross4life]

If you don't succeed at first try try again.