Athletes "Choke"--and How to Avoid It
Putting too much conscious thought into an automatic action can derail it
Choking” is a term that has seeped into the vernacular to describe those big moments when athletes—or any individuals in a stressful situation—are unable to perform well under pressure.
walking down a flight of stairs. “[If] I asked you to think about what you were doing with your knee,” she says, “you’d likely fall on your face.”
This shift originates in the brain: The cerebellum, the area below and behind the cerebrum responsible for motor control, coordinates complex actions when we are on autopilot. But as soon as we start focusing on the individual steps, the cerebral cortex, which controls higher-order conscious thought, takes over and we stumble into trouble.
“Something that takes your mind off the mechanics of what you're doing.”
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