Dear Coach, I have an athlete who does everything great in practice but in a match is helpless. Do you have any advice for this athlete?
Signed Coach of Choker!
Dear Coach of Choker,
This may quite simply a case of not being under enough pressure in practice. The more pressure you practice under, the harder you compete. This is why pros play for five dollars in practice or why golfers bet on each hole. This athlete must put themselves under pressure to deal with pressure. In practice-try to win games with perfect passes or kills, not safe shots. I would have this athlete play more tournaments to get tournament tough. I would also observe the athlete closely.
One other thought on this. There are athletes who need counseling. Growing up and hearing you are not worthy makes one want to fulfill that prophesy. Of course that is real amateur psych and there are many more issues that a good Sports Psychologist-person would explore.
One of my favorite questions is, “What are you thinking in this rally?” I ask that question when I sense a hesitation on a shot or a negative thought passing through the athlete’s mind. My goal is to get the athlete to focus on the process; not the outcome.
Ramp up the mental pressure of practice and take a lesson from the little kid with the basket up in the drive way who yells, “5-4-3-2-1” and shoots the perfect winning shot. We can do the same in our practices!
Onward and upward and Go Get’em Tiger!
Coach W