Understanding Pressure
S
ome players feel
little pressure in
difficult situations, some
feel pressure but it
doesn’t b other them and
some feel it and
crumble. The difference
is in how people relate
to pressure, and
therefore, how they
perform with or without
it, depends on their
understanding of it.
If we have a clearer
understanding of
pressure, we are less
likely to be tricked by
our own thinking and
less inhibited by feeling
pressure.
Where does pressure
come from?
It looks as if the
situation – the level,
difficulty or importance
– is the cause of our
feelings and emotions
(eg pressure). However,
this is a trick of the
mind. There is nothing
outside of us creating a
feeling and implanting it
into our heads.
There is no situation
where two people feel
exactly the same and
when we think about it,
when we’re faced by the
same situation more
than once, we don’t
feel the same about it
every time.
For example, sometimes
we are nervous walking
out to bat and
sometimes we aren’t.
Some people get road
rage when they are cut
up on the road and
others don’t.
While it looks as if the
cricket match causes
the feeling of pressure,
it can’t.
Pressure is only one
thing; a feeling. A
normal, natural, transient
feeling that every
person on the planet
experiences.
The more thinking we
have on our minds (eg
What happens if I fail?
What does everyone
else think? Am I good
enough?), the more
pressure we feel . The
less we have on our
minds, the less pressure
we feel.
The more we believe
that what happens in
the game –
performances, results,
trophies, money –
determines how we feel,
the more unnecessary
thinking we will do
about the game, and
therefore the more
pressure we will feel.
When people realise
that pressure comes
from inside, not outside,
it looks logical to fix,
change or fight their
thinking so that they feel
less pressure. However,
all attempts to change
our thinking only create
more thinking!
Feeling pressure is an
important part of being
human; it reminds us
that we’re overthinking
the situation and should
instead trust our
instincts; it reminds us
that we only appreciate
the feeling of freedom in
comparison to the
feeling of pressure (just
as most of us enjoy the
sunny days of the
summer having
experienced so many
cold, windy days
preceding it!).
How can players deal
with pressure?
To help players deal with
the difficulties they
encounter in the game,
set up challenging
scenarios for them in
sessions. Players get
used to adapting,
surviving and
overcoming challenging
situations through
practice.
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