Choking in sport: a review

Hill, Denise M.; Hanton, Sheldon; Matthews, Nic; Fleming, Scott

doi:10.1080/17509840903301199

Cited by 170 publications

(184 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…They have been shown to achieve this, in part, by helping individuals perceive that they have the resources to be able to cope and perform well on a particular task (Hill, Hanton, Matthews, & Fleming, 2010, 2011Moran, 2009). The importance of such resource appraisals are explicitly considered in a recent model derived from Lazarus's appraisal theory (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984), the biopsychosocial model of challenge and threat (BPSM; Blascovich, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quiet eye training promotes challenge appraisals and aids performance under elevated anxiety

Moore

Vine

Freeman

et al. 2013

International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quiet eye training promotes challenge appraisals and aids performance under elevated anxiety

Moore

Vine

Freeman

et al. 2013

International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology

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“…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.…”

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Alleviation of Choking Under Pressure in Elite Golf: An Action Research Study

Hill

Hanton

Matthews

et al. 2011

The Sport Psychologist

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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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“…Recently, Hill, Hanton, Fleming, and Matthews (2009) provided a contemporary definition of choking on the basis of the opinion of expert applied sport psychologists: ''Choking in sport is a process whereby the individual perceives that their resources are insufficient to meet the demands of the situation, and concludes with a significant drop in performance Á a choke' ' (p. 206;cf. Beilock & Gray, 2007;Gucciardi, Longbottom, Jackson, & Dimmock, 2010;Hill, Hanton, Matthews, & Fleming, 2010). To be able to prevent choking, it is important to understand the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, Beilock and Gray (2007) concluded that there is compelling evidence that in the perceptual-motor domain choking is caused by explicit monitoring or conscious control of the execution of the skill. Nonetheless, in the studies in question, attentional focus was always experimentally manipulated (see also Hill et al, 2010). Participants were instructed, either directly or indirectly, to focus on skill execution while performing the task, making it impossible to draw definite conclusions about the mechanisms responsible for choking in a natural setting.…”

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confidence: 99%