Under Pressure: How Athletes Face the Mental Challenges of Competition 

Who can forget the lyrics of David Bowie’s Under Pressure: “Pressure, pushing down on me, pressing down on you.” 

While the meaning of the song has been widely interpreted, many believe it is about the pressures of life. 

Competitive athletes experience years of continuous practice, effort, adversity and endless sacrifice which often culminates in a defining make it or break it moment, a shot, throw, catch, serve, volley, save, block, kick, drive, putt or race. All the training, learning and the muscle memory needed for perfection of their sport could crumble in mere moments. 

Sports are as much a mental game as a physical game. Athletes often face high expectations and scrutiny from family, friends, coaches, team-mates and the media.  The front pages of sports sections are regularly graced with the faces of disappointed athletes with headlines about how they “choked” under the pressure. These athletes are supposed to be immune from such human frailties and shortcomings. They are in peak physical form and many people expect as much from their mental form. 

Not a single person in this world is immune from the pressures of life, including those in competitive athletics. So how do athletes prepare for the pressure? What can be done for those who struggle? What can the rest of us learn from them? 

Inner Drive is a mindset coaching company based in the United Kingdom, with a focus on helping people reach their potential.  Below the company shares some common habits they teach in their sports psychology coaching sessions: 

Sometimes athletes get trapped in the mentality of playing to not lose instead of playing to win. Such fear can cause underperformance. The fear of failure is crippling in life, and in athletics. One strategy they teach is to question the fear: why worry about the worst-case scenario for no reason? “By questioning this irrationality and encouraging themselves to think clearly, athletes can protect themselves against fearing the worst,” according to the article. 

There are things you can control and things you cannot. Focus on what you can control. Accept the developments in the sport (and in life, at work) that you have no influence over and instead focus on “controlling the controllables,” which is something that cultivates confidence. 

The process matters and demands ultimate focus. It is necessary for athletes to block out any distractions and focus all efforts on the process that they have practised. “By focusing on the behaviours that lead to better outcomes, it makes these outcomes more likely to occur,” according to Inner Drive. Visualisation can come in handy in this effort. Imagine what you can and want to achieve. 

Learn and remember your strengths. This can help you figure out your game plan and can give you the necessary confidence to make it happen. Inner Drive’s theory: athletes spend way too much time trying to minimise shortcomings and not nearly enough time focusing and building upon abundant strengths. 

Have clear goals, but also remain flexible. Anxiety and stress can beleaguer athletes. Hope is not enough of a foundation to get through difficulties, it is best to have pre-prepared plans to help face negative feelings. “That said, athletes do need to bear in mind that NO game plan is fault-proof. All eventualities cannot be planned for and in some cases, they will need to be flexible to ensure that their approach best fits the needs of the situation,” according to the article. “There is a thin line between having a clear vision and sticking stubbornly to an idea that isn’t working.”

Focus, focus, focus on what it is you have to do. Control emotions and focus and do not get swept away with excitement. One strategy is to set realistic but challenging goals that the athlete needs to accomplish during the competition. 

Make mistakes in training so that you can learn from them. “Training in an environment in which failure is followed by support and positivity rather than embarrassment is a good way to ensure that each athlete feels comfortable experimenting and figuring out what works best for them when it really matters,” according to the article. 

Learning to perform under pressure is a key determining factor for all who strive to be their best in life, at work and in their athletic pursuits. It takes time and is often learnt best through continuous exposure (doing) and applying the learnings (life lessons) from those pressure filled moments.