Choke (Beilock 2010)
What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal About Getting It Right When You Have To
We've all experienced the ironic frustrating failure. We trained and prepared. Through hard work and deliberate practice, we brought our skill to the highest level. But just when it was our moment to shine, to really show our stuff, when the stakes were highest, our skill failed us. We bombed the test, missed the putt, performed at our worst.
Are some people cursed to choke and other blessed to excel when the
pressure is on? A fundamental aspect of zZense Technology revolves
around the Growth Mindset Foundational Skill. This skill gives us
confidence that, while of course genetics and early childhood
determines some of our abilities, our abilities and skills are
malleable. They can be grown and improved through deliberate
practice. The skills to excel under pressure are no exception. They
are among the zZense Self-Mastery Skills, and this book
Choke: What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal About Getting It Right When You Have To
Who better to help us understand than Sian Beilock PhD and researchers in her Human Performance Lab at the University of Chicago? They interviewed numerous exceptional performers and chokers alike. They conducted objective scientific experiments. And they have written many of the leading technical papers in this field in skill failure. That is the term used when an individual "chokes", ie, fails to perform a skill at a level of mastery because the pressure is on.
Much of this work focuses on fundamental processes of the human brain, attention, working memory and other kinds of memory, and the part these processes play in skill failure. Dr Beilock describes multiple likely mechanisms by which skill failure occurs. Based on this understanding, and relating extensively to techniques in sports psychology and academic test taking, she describes things people can do to perform at their best when the stakes are high.
[GEG comment] In my opinion, the primary focus of this book is to present a lay reader with an understanding of how and why skill failure does or does not occur according to the latest research. It isn't so much a cookbook of recipes to avoid skill failure. Receiving this understanding is key to developing the confidence to grow our own skill to perform at our best.
If you're interested in peak performance, buy
Choke
-g