I realized that the national coach was standing right behind me, that's when everything changed. In a matter of seconds I went from playing at the top to the bottom of my ability just knowing that I was being evaluated changed my performance and forever how I thought about the mental aspect of how we perform. All of a sudden the ball seems to go in slow motion and I was fixated at my every move, the next shot that came I staggered but thankfully it didn't land in the goal, the shot after that I wasn't so lucky. My team lost, the national coach walked away, I choked under the pressure of those evaluative eyes on me. Just about Everyone does it from time to time there's so many opportunities, whether it's taking a test, giving a talk, or that special form of torture I like to call the job interview.
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But the question is why, why do we sometimes fail to perform up to our potential under pressure. It is specially bewelthering in the case of athletes who spend so much time physically moulding their craft but what about their minds ? not as much. This is true off the plane field as well whether were taking a test or giving a talk it's easy to feel like we are ready at the top of our game and then perform at our worst when it matters the most. It turns out that rarely do we practice under the types of conditions we are going to perform under and as a result all eyes are on us and we sometimes mess up our performance. Of course the question is why is This the case.
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It may not be so surprising to hear that in stressful situation we worry, we worry about the situation, the consequences, what others will think about us but what is surprising is that we often get in our own way precisely because our worries prompt us to concentrate too much, we pay too much attention to what we are doing. When we are concerned about performing our best , we often try and control aspect of what we are doing that are best left on auto pilot outside conscious awareness and as a result we mess up. We as humans only have the ability to pay attention to so much at once which is why by the way it's not a good idea to drive and talk on the cell phone. Under pressure when we are concerned about performing at our best we can try and control aspect of what we are doing that should be left outside conscious control, The end result is that we mess up.
Closing the gap between the training and competition can help us get used to the feeling of all eyes on us, this is true as well whether its getting ready for an exam or preparing for a big talk one that might have a little pressure associated with it. Getting used to the types of situation you are going to perform under really matters. For example When your taking a test close the books practice retrieving the answers from memory under time situation and when your giving a talk practice in front of others and if you can't find anyone who will listen practice in front of a video camera or even on A mirror, the ability to get used to what it will feel like can make a difference whether we choke or strive.
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So up till now I have talked about what happens when we put limits on our selves and some tips we can use to help perform up to our potential. But it's important to remember that it's not just our own individual being that can put limits and that can perform poorly, our environment has an effect on whether we choke or strive, our parents, our teachers, our coaches, our bosses all influence whether or not we can put our best foot forward when it matters most.