No abstract

This study explores the antecedents, mechanisms, influencing variables, and consequences of choking in sport and identifies interventions that may alleviate choking. Through the use of qualitative methods, the experiences of six elite golfers who choked frequently under pressure were examined and compared with five elite golfers who excelled frequently under pressure. The perspectives of four coaches who had worked extensively with elite golfers who had choked and excelled, were also considered. The study indicated that the participants choked as a result of distraction, which was caused by various stressors. Self-confidence, preparation, and perfectionism were identified as key influencing variables of the participants’ choking episodes, and the consequence of choking was a significant drop in performance that affected negatively future performances. Process goals, cognitive restructuring, imagery, simulated training, and a pre/postshot routine were perceived as interventions that may possibly prevent choking.

The purpose of this study was to re-examine choking in sport. Using a grounded theory approach (Glaser & Strauss, 1967), qualitative data were gathered from four ''experts'' of applied sport psychology, who had published within the stress and anxiety literature, and worked extensively with athletes who had performed in highly stressful situations. The experts perceived that the contemporary definitions of choking in sport fail to reflect fully the experiences of ''chokers'', and created a more detailed definition in response. They considered the choking process to consist of a stress response that culminates in a significant drop in performance Á a choke, which psychologically damages the performer. It was also suggested that the choking process and its consequences were moderated by individual differences and type of sport. Accordingly, they recommended interventions that may alleviate choking and, importantly, generated characteristics that can be used to identify a choker. Such findings offer an extended understanding of choking in sport and provide a framework for future ecologically valid research.

The study examined the effect of an evidence-based intervention on choking in golf. It is informed by the work of Hill, Hanton, Matthews and Fleming (2010a) that explored the experiences of elite golfers who either choked or excelled under pressure. The perceptions of elite golf coaches who worked with both 'chokers' and those who excelled, were also considered. It revealed that choking may be alleviated through the use of process goals, cognitive restructuring, imagery, simulated training and a pre/postshot routine. The present study incorporated each strategy into an intervention that was introduced to two professional golfers (aged 22) who choked under pressure regularly. Through an action research framework the impact of the intervention was evaluated over a ten month period via qualitative methods. The results indicated the intervention alleviated the participants' choking episodes and so provides information that can be of use to practitioners working with golfers who choke.Choking in sport is a term used to describe an acute performance breakdown (Clark, Tofler, & Lardon, 2005), such as that experienced by Greg Norman in the 1996 Masters golf event, when he inextricably lost by five shots despite leading the final round by six. Or that endured by Jana Novotna, whose performance in the 1993 Wimbledon final deteriorated to such an extent that she became, "unrecognisable… [as] an elite tennis player" (Gladwell, 2000, p. 84). However, despite its prevalence and detrimental impact on performance, choking has been subjected to limited research attention until recently (see Beilock & Gray, 2007). Hill, Hanton, Fleming, and Matthews (2009) define choking as, "a process whereby the individual perceives their resources are insufficient to meet the demands of the situation, and concludes with a significant drop in performance -a choke" (p. 206). However, Mesagno and Mullane-Grant (2010) proposed an alternative definition that they claim provides a more appropriate foundation for future choking research. It states that choking is a, "critical deterioration in skill execution, leading to substandard performance that is caused by an elevation in anxiety levels under perceived pressure, at a time when successful outcome is normally attainable by the athlete" (p. 343). Yet, it remains unclear whether this definition is suitable, as the choke differs from a substandard performance (Gucciardi, Longbottom, Jackson, & Dimmock, 2010;Hill, Hanton, Matthews, & Fleming, 2010b) and appears to be initiated by the athlete's negative interpretation of their anxiety, rather than its elevated levels per se (Gucciardi et al., 2010;Otton, 2009). As such, the definition of choking presented by Hill et al. (2009) may provide currently the most fitting framework for researchers and practitioners to work within.Despite on-going debate regarding the definition, it is agreed that choking is the result of attentional disturbances caused by self-focus and/or 'distraction' (see Beilock & Gray, 2007). Self-focus theories suggest that choking occ...

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