From the desk of Dr. Levin……..
Lots of crucial decisions get made during a bike race. Some help get you safely to the end of the race. When, to eat, when to drink, who to follow, when to hit the wind. Some are critical for getting you the end of the race first. Go left, go right, go NOW!!! The ability to make those decisions under pressure separates the riders with the speed and fitness to win from the guys with the same speed and fitness who actually do win. Crit sharks, of course, possess this ability instinctively. The definitive work on crit sharking has already been written in a previous blog post by one of the species, David “Rocket” Richter, and will not be repeated here. Rather, I’d like to focus on the psychological basis for successful decision making under stress. If you understand what underpins the ability to make clutch performances, you may be less likely to choke when the race is on the line. (On the other hand if you think too much…)
A number of studies have looked at factors present in athletes who deliver clutch performances, as compared to ones who choke. One study of pro golfers concluded that choking under pressure is a complex process involving the interplay of several cognitive, attentional, emotional, and situational factors. Sounds impressive, but not very helpful. (What do you expect from a study about golf? Besides, golf isn’t a sport, its a game, like Monopoly.)
More useful data comes from a some basketball studies. They focused on the role of anxiety in clutch performances. In general, anxiety can be a positive motivator. Fear of failure can lead you to push yourself beyond your comfort zone. So far so good. Anxiety becomes a problem, however, when it becomes overly self-focused. An Australian free-throw shooting study found that the biggest factor related to choking under pressure was self-conscious anxiety. That is, athletes who worried about how missing would be a personal failure were more likely to miss. In a study a little more analogous to bike racing, a study of rally car racers found that self-focus made driving performance significantly more difficult. On the other hand “perceived control” in clutch situations was more closely linked to clutch performances.
In summary, the ability to make clutch decisions under pressure has lots to do with the underlying psychology of the person making those decisions. Just knowing what to do (good coaching) and having the ability to do it (good training) aren’t enough. Add some confidence to the mix, lose a little of the self-focus, and you too can be a shark.
