Three Key Steps to Conquer Post-Season Pressure in Track

Pressure in Track

by Spencer Wood - Icebox Athlete

Here is a sobering thought....In the entire history of high school and collegiate track, the most important individual and team championship skill is often the skill that is practiced the least...namely the ability to perform extremely well under pressure. Of all the sweat, effort, energy and time that is invested in strength training and conditioning, individual skill development, and pre-race preparation; a relatively small amount of time and emphasis (if any) is placed on this all important athletic trait. Few would argue that the ability to perform under pressure is a critical skill that is often responsible for bringing all of these components together, and a skill that will be the deciding factor in so many meets/competitions this season. This sobering thought is even more of a reality in the pressure filled crucible of the post-season. In my experience, those teams who invest the most time and effort on performing well under pressure, are often among the best equipped to handle the intense heat and pressure of the post-season.

Unfortunately, many athletes and coaches approach the development of great pressure performance with the mantra 'we'll just continue to practice the play or skill 'till its automatic under pressure.' And while there is a small element of truth to this strategy, continuously practicing a skill in a 'practice' environment, i.e., outside of the intense heat of a championship meet, only ensures greater proficiency of that skill in that 'practice' environment and only marginal to decent improvements in 'pressure' situations. A more direct approach takes us directly to the source – training the 3 ½ pounds of electrical energy between our ears....our mind. However, through many years of speaking, traveling and working with teams, I have come to learn that we usually only coach and teach those things that we are comfortable, confident and proficient in teaching. With that in mind, the following 3 steps outline a strong, fundamental yet simple approach to teaching pressure performance. Coaches and athletes wishing to learn more and further develop each of the components are welcome to further explore my training materials.

Step 1. Develop a Great Clutch Attitude
Developing an elite attitude in 'clutch' or pressure situations involves 3 resolutions that every athlete should reinforce EVERY TIME they are in a clutch or pressure situation. The athlete should use their own innervoice to reinforce the following beliefs.

I WANT to be at this meet and in this race, and LOVE being in these situations
I have worked HARD to be in this situation and DESERVE to be at my best
I KNOW I have the ability to bring it – right here, right now

There is a saying that is one of the greatest 'truisms' in all of sports; "YOU WILL NEVER OUTPERFORM YOUR OWN SELF-BELIEF." These statements are all about creating and improving a powerful self-belief. If an athlete never sees himself/herself as an all-conference performer and does not TRULY believe he/she is an all-conference performer; they never will be. If athletes never see themselves as a clutch runner, they will never consistently perform well in pressure situations – period.

Step 2. Know your optimal arousal or 'Hype' number
Some athletes perform extremely well when they are on an emotional high, while others are at their best with relatively low emotions. On an emotional arousal or 'hype' scale of 1-10 (with a 1 equal to an almost comatose pre-race state and a 10 equal to the athlete that regularly high fives teammates so hard their hands sting for 10 minutes) and a performance scale of 1-10 (with a 1 equal to a lifetime worst performance and a 10 equal to a lifetime best performance), I have competed with athletes who needed to have an emotional arousal level around 2-4 (very low) in order to consistently perform at an 8-10 (very high). I have also competed with athletes who needed to have an emotional arousal level around an 8-10 in order to consistently perform at an 8-10 level. One of the biggest mistakes that inexperienced coaches and players make is believing the entire team should be at the same emotional arousal level. Note that emotional arousal level has NOTHING to do with intensity. Athletes do not always have to be 'jacked up,' 'hyped' or highly emotionally aroused to perform at 100% intensity. Yet many coaches and athletes push themselves and many of their players out of their optimal arousal level/hype #, and onto a knife edge of heightened emotions, poor mechanics, tight/labored running, and mistakes under pressure. Athletes and coaches should know their own optimal arousal level and stay at the level that brings out their very best performance.

The take home message here is that a controlled level of heightened emotion is a great thing – it sharpens our reactions, increases our intensity and sustains our energy levels. However, there is a law of diminishing returns, and too much emotion impairs judgment, decision making and poise. Great emotion and great intensity should not always be linked. Each athlete should begin to recognize the best emotional state for them that will result in controlled, channeled aggression.

Step 3. Practice and Prepare
It has been said that "sometimes things don't go according to plan because that plan didn't exist in the first place." Consistently performing well under pressure takes practice. Coaches and athletes should develop strong practice habits with steps 1 and 2, and also develop a practice schedule that allows for some special 'pressure' situations in practice. The coach could play taped crowd noise over the loud speakers during a short 'pressure' portion of the practice and use game uniforms, race official starting sequence orders/instructions, and race starting guns/signals to simulate race conditions. The coach can also simulate a pre-game message and create some fun rewards if the players make good on certain pre-practice goals (to simulate some added pressure). Through these steps, athletes see and hear race condition triggers, feel the flow of competition, and feel the pressure of having 'something on the line' for every race. In a pressure packed competitive situation, players will develop greater composure, concentration and confidence because they feel as if they have 'been there, done that before.' This is especially valuable for the underclassman on any team, but can also be valuable to the upperclassman to help ensure they will be at their best when it counts the most.

These simple steps take work from both the athletes and coaching staff. Yet an important truism in sports is that the pain of not achieving your goals will always be greater than the pain it takes to achieve them. Here's wishing you tremendous success in your pursuit of these goals and great post season pressure performance!

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