Under pressure…
May 15, 2023
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in a few days I’m privileged to travel with athletes and coaches to world championships. The year prior to the Olympic Games in Paris start, these championships are definitely an important milestone. “Am I on a good way for qualifying for Paris?” “Will I reach my goal this time?” “Was all the time spent in training worth it?”
Such questions are going through the minds of many athletes in almost all sports – not only on the highest international level, but also below. It does not have to be Olympic Games athletes would like to qualify for. It can also be regional competitions that athletes are preparing for.
How do you prepare yourself (and athletes) for such high pressure situations?
There are various ideas out there regarding that topic and I’d like to see, how research can help us find some answers to them.
Let’s get better together.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
RESEARCH OF THE WEEK
We all know that it helps to prepare. Prepare for training. Prepare for competition. Prepare for obstacles, problems, challenges – or whichever term you like to use.
One way to prepare for pressure prior to or during competitions is to conduct pressure training with athletes. This has been shown to be effective when it comes to developing and improving individual abilities to cope with pressure.
In their research on pressure training, William Low and his colleagues (2023) focus on the who, what, when and why of pressure training, and then on several recommendations on how to do it. One important take away message here is, that pressure training is about creating PRESSURE and not difficulity! Thus, it’s not about adding demands to a task or environment (such as loud noise or cognitive tasks), but increasing the importance of a task for the athlete.
Obviously, coaches and sport psychology practitioners should be cautious with some of the recommendations in the article, as some are also able to negatively influence the motivational climate within a team. Thus, one should make a deliberate decision for or against certain negative consequences to increase pressure.
Nonetheless, what I really like about the article is that it truly offers some guidance on creating pressure, and does not only state that pressure training is important. I am not going through the recommendations here, that would be too much for a quick newsletter. But if you are interested in learning more about the do’s and don’ts of pressure training from an empirical perspective, I highly recommend reading Pressure Training: From Research to Applied Practice by Low et al. (2023).
…and to cite Ashleigh Barty again today: Pressure is a privilege.
It’s also part of my personal perspective on the topic. Not changing the pressure. But acknowledging it. Working with it. Not against it.
“How many athletes from my country or my sport would like to be in my shoes, standing on that court during this specific competition and would like to feel the pressure I feel in that very moment? I have worked so hard to be here now and feel that pressure. It is a privilege to feel that pressure in that moment.”
It’s not about feeling WELL in that situation. It’s about the ability to FEEL well.
Acknowledging the emotion. Coming back to the body. Engaging with whatever needs to be done next.
Pressure training. Acceptance. Present Moment Awareness.
All of this can help athletes cope better with pressure.
How do you help athletes cope with pressure?
CHUCK NORRIS JOKE OF THE WEEK
Chuck Norris can dribble a bowling ball.
