Psychology Of Sports

Athletes “choke” or make mistakes for a number of reasons which include but should not be limited to; improper or lack of off the field preparation, not playing enough, and attempting to go beyond their abilities. If we use baseball as an example, if a player does not watch baseball games he will miss invaluable information.

Master commentary in addition to the players’ own ability to absorb what is going on is crucial to the players’ ability to intuit what is going to happen when he steps on the field. So for example, by watching thousands of pitch counts both the pitcher and hitter are able to immediately calculate the most efficient-predictable outcome for them. Batters should be able to automatically understand what the demand of the game situation is—so they will be able to execute.  For a fielder, he too should immediately be able to understand where to throw the ball after it has been hit to him by watching thousands of game situations.

Next, players need to understand their own abilities and play within those abilities. That comes through constant practice and playing. So for example an outfielder who cannot throw out a runner at home plate on a fly ball to the outfield with runners on second and third should not be attempting to do so (I see this all the time).

Players need to be able to avoid getting caught up in the emotion of the moment. That is–if the player gets too excited he will lose focus of the information he has which will cause him to make mistakes. Most players should be able to control being overwhelmed by anxiety by being prepared.

Finally, players who look to play as many games as they can will learn through exposure and in game practice, so the two (watching games and playing go together). Visualization which is one of the tolls that players employ can only be used if a player has actually seen, or done what he is supposed to do, otherwise he is just imagining what he should do!  Likewise drawing up plays would only be guesswork, if you do not know how to execute them.

So “choking” and errors really stem from a lack of preparation. The players who are most preparted generally make the least amount of mistakes–simple as that.

The thinking that young children should only play or master one position is not in the child’s best interests –it is also outdated thinking. This also applies to high school and college players as well. First, for the young athlete the idea that they should master one position does not take into account changes in their overall development. It also deprives them of seeing the field from another perspective and getting a better overall view of the game, as well as perhaps finding a position they might like. All you have to do is look at the professional ranks to see players who have changed positions. The best example of course is baseball where changing positions is very common. Most youth won’t go on to play pro sports, might as well let them play where they can and enjoy themselves. For the advanced athlete the more positions he/she can play the more valuable they are to the team. Simple as that.