Dear Coach,
I have an athlete who does everything great in practice but ina match is helpless and clueless. 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 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. I am not always successful but from my experience there is only one way to beat the nerves issue-keep putting yourself in those situations so you get used to it. Instead of “Oh no, not another tiebreaker!” Think “I love tie-breakers and I love pressure!”
One other thought on this. In rare cases 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 Psych person would explore.