Mindset Mondays: Dr. Sian Beilock — Choking Under Pressure & Explicit Monitoring
Do you ever perform worse when the moment matters most? Dr. Sian Beilock’s research helps explain why. We often assume choking happens because an athlete suddenly “loses confidence.” But Beilock’s research suggests something more specific can happen: we can interfere with skills we have already learned automatically. Think about a skilled golfer standing over a short putt. In practice, the stroke happens naturally. Under pressure, however, the athlete may start thinking: Keep your head down. Keep your elbow straight. Don’t miss. This is called explicit monitoring — consciously focusing on the individual steps of a skill that normally runs automatically. Research by Beilock and colleagues found that pressure can disrupt well-learned motor skills when performers begin consciously monitoring their execution. The leadership lesson is powerful: More thinking isn't always better thinking. Coaches should help athletes build skills through repetition, then teach them to trust their prepa...