Mastering Your Choking Response

by Jim Loehr

“Choking.” Probably the most dreaded word in tennis. There was a time when players and coaches didn't even say the word, for fear they could spread the choking response like a virus.

Choking is a biochemical event, not a character flaw.

Today, we know enough to say that, without doubt, choking is not a character flaw or some permanent disability that isn't possible to overcome. There is hope, even if you've been prone to choking throughout your tennis life, you can overcome it.

The fact is that even the greatest players in the world occasionally choke. The difference is really one of degree. They just do it far less frequently.

Below the highest levels in tennis, however, choking is probably the norm in pressure situations. This is why watching pro tennis is deceptive. The average player sees that the great players rarely choke and expects to perform in the same way. But what you are seeing is the exception, not the rule.

One of the most common questions every teaching pro is asked is “why do I always miss easy shots?” But a better question is, if those shots are so easy, why do so many players miss them so much of the time?

Again, the great players are the exception. One of the things that makes them great is that they have, for the most part, mastered their own choking response.

But what exactly is the choking response? More importantly, how do you learn to master it yourself? Research in sports science shows us that choking is not a character weakness, but rather a highly specific physiological, biochemical state in your body.

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