Choke has become a very common part of our vocabulary. We often refer to the phenomenon of having the greatest opportunity in the world, only to fail at the final hurdle in sports, academics and even in events that occur during the course of our day-to-day lives. Baseball, golf and tennis players know well the phenomenon of the yips, a sudden and unexplainable loss of athletic ability.
Analysis paralysis, stage fright—we all experience the sensation of our bodies failing to respond when faced with pressure, even if it’s pressure that we feel like we’ve grown accustomed to. This is often attributed to a failure to mentally handle the stress.
Every serious athlete who has competed in their sport for several years has experienced a time of regression or an inability to perform to the level they have in the past.
Athletes such as Steve Blass, probably the most famous athlete to have the yips considering in baseball the condition is referred to as Steve Blass disease, and Tiger Woods have suffered from this sudden failure to execute athletically.
Woods was one of the few lucky ones to return from the yips when he went on to win the 2019 Masters Tournament after having failed to win it for fourteen years. On the other side of the coin, Blass was forced to retire in 1974 due to his loss of pitching ability.
I would suggest that there are hundreds of athletes every year who hit this kind of plateau or fall off, and we simply do not see it. As someone who has experienced a form of the yips or ‘choking,’ I understand the mental spiral it puts you in.
In sports, we put so much emphasis on pushing our bodies, battling them, and we often refer to sports as a battle of the mind as well. There are so many aspects to sports psychology, little lessons and bits of information we can carry with us into competition to give us an edge, clarity or just peace of mind.
When we do everything we can to win our battle with the mind, we forget that our brains are a gift from God. Our minds should be our greatest weapon in athletics. Sports psychologist and author of “Do Hard Things,” Steve Magness has many insights on how athletes should train and build their brains. “When it gets tough, don’t fight, relax … Fighting, trying too hard, often backfires.”
This is good advice for students and athletes. This doesn’t mean give up or underprepare; strike a balance, give yourself grace. Do not forget who your athletic or academic gifts come from, and walk, run, pitch, serve and study in the knowledge, peace and humility of that.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2 ESV.