Performing Under Pressure

Remember the scene in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves when Robin of Locksley (Kevin Costner) was teaching his new friends how to use a bow and arrow and asked, "can you perform under pressure?" He had been instructing them on how to accurately shoot an arrow at a fixed target.  When they demonstrated that they had mastered the skill, Robin tickled one of them on the ear with a feather causing him to lose concentration and send the arrow off into the surrounding woods.  He explained that in the heat of battle, there are distractions all around and performing a skill to perfection is useless unless it can be done under pressure.  Then Robin demonstrated the concentration necessary to block out all distractions as his students made as much noise as possible.  He had honed his skills so he could execute in all situations...except for the gentle distraction from Maid Marian.

As coaches, we must be able to teach athletes to perform skills at the most optimal time.  When your athlete is tired and in a pressure situation, can he or she execute the technique that you have focused on during practice?  Remember, in the moment of truth, it's not about perfectly executing technique; it's about delivering under pressure most efficiently and effectively.

We use a blueprint that includes seven levels of development in learning skills.  It's not enough to just show a technique to athletes and give them time to repeat it.  It must be learned and then tested in several ways to be done during competition.  Unfortunately, many coaches stop at the first or second level.  However, to be successful, we must practice the performance at the following seven levels:

Level 1 - Learn the Skill - create a positive learning environment where athletes want to learn and are engaged with the process.  This is when the technique is broken down mechanically.  It's the "how it's done stage."  Like the ABC's and 123's.

Level 2 - Master the Skill - repetition, regular practice and quality feedback are essential.  Muscle memory is the goal.  In order to repeat a skill, an athlete must first know and comprehend the skill from Level 1.

Level 3 - Perform the Skill at Competition Pace - athletes learn skills at a controlled speed, however, the pace is much greater in competition and development must account for this difference.  Proficiency from Levels 1 and 2 are essential.

Level 4 - Perform the Skill When Tired - the result of many contests is determined in the final seconds, so it's essential that athletes perform skills very well in the final 5% of the contest when they're tired, dehydrated, glycogen depleted with heavy legs and lead feet.  Fatigue impacts the quality of execution, so creating practice situations that demand excellence in execution when tired is critical if we hope to see athletes do it in competition.

Level 5 - Perform the Skill When it Matters - training with a sense of urgency and demonstrating technical excellence under pressure is a learned behavior.  Many athletes crumble under pressure because they haven't developed the capacity to handle it.  Practices should be challenging and demanding so athletes learn how to "find a way."

Level 6 - Battle Ready - athletes must be consistent in their training and development of skills.  Too many athletes have a separate training mentality and competition mentality.  The best carry with them a "no compromise" attitude while training that is similar to the competition mindset.

Level 7 - Battle Tested - when all the chips are on the table and the athlete is tired, his/her preparation, development, and training must give him/her an edge. Their skills must be consistent in competition conditions.

These seven levels must be carefully planned and implemented in order to get the most out of athletes and help them be prepared to succeed in competition.  The levels build on themselves.  Ask yourself if you're preparing athletes to only be great technicians or to use championship skills during high stakes competition.

The scene in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves mentioned above is an example of how the seven levels are implemented into development and training.  If athletes aim to perform their best at the most optimal time, they must consider everything and their coaches need to account for everything as they improve their skills.