Performing at your best

when stakes are high

Xavier Sanchez
Purpose of the Session

• To discuss what we know (research findings) about

sport pressure-performance and self-regulation
(regulatory flexibility) to keep moving forward our
applied work in competitive sport

– Motivational
– Emotional
 6. Senior Professionals

5. Experienced Professionals

4. Novice Professionals

3. Advanced Students

2. Beginning Students

1. Lay Helpers
 Coaching
Facilities

Technical
Equipment skills
Access to Physical
quality skills

Emotional
What does it Tactical
skills

Psychological
skills take to get gold?
skills
Genetic
factors
Training
Competition Practice
Content Summary
• Introduction
– Pressure and choking
• Role of motivational self-regulatory strategies ?
– Introducing regulatory focus and regulatory fit framework
• Role of emotion regulation skills ?
– Is it all about having a thicker skin or better ER skills
• Applied Insights: Training and Coaching Implications
(Hands on task)
• Brainstorming and Final Discussion
Introduction: Pressure
• When stakes are high
– some may perform more poorly than expected
(underperform/choke)
– others may produce outstanding performances (excel/peak)

• Perceived pressure
– desire to perform as well as possible in situations with a high
degree of personally felt importance
(Baumeister, 1984; Hardy et al., 1996)
Introduction: Choking
• Performing more poorly than expected (less-than-optimal)
given one’s skill level, which occurs across diverse task
domains where incentives for optimal performance (to
perform at one’s best) are at a maximum
(Beilock & Carr, 2001; Lewis & Linder, 1997)

• A process whereby the individual perceives that their

resources are insufficient to meet the demands of the
situation, and concludes with a significant drop in performance
(Hill et al., 2009, p. 206)

8
Introduction: Theories
• Several determinants of the pressure-performance
relationship have been identified
– Drive theories
– Attentional theories
– Behavioural theories
Self-regulation (Higgins, 2012)
• Regulatory focus
– Motivational framework to study how to
facilitate/understand peak/best/optimal performances

• Two self-regulatory strategies to pursue given

goals are suggested
– Promotion and Prevention
 Promotion strategies Prevention strategies

individuals focus on aspirations, individuals focus on safety,

ambitions and accomplishments in an responsibilities and obligations in a
eager and enthusiastic manner vigilant and careful manner

Go for it – Watch out –

play it risky ! play it safely !
 Typical Framing Terminology

Promotion Prevention

Ideal Ought

Eager/Enthousiastic Vigilant/Careful

Aspiration/Ambition Responsibility/Obligation

Through yourself into Control what you do

Play it risky Play it safe

Self-regulation and Peak-performance
 Are you fit for purpose ?
à Peak-performing in achievement situations would require the
capacity of…
– Recognising, choosing, and ultimately applying the strategy
(either promotion or prevention) that is most likely to lead to
success for a particular task, in a particular situation, at a given
moment in time…

• Regulatory Fit would

– facilitate peak performance
– protect athletes from choking
– prevent distraction and explicit monitoring
 700

600

500

400
promotion pilot climbing
prevention pilot climbing
300
pressure pilot climbing

200

100

0
1
34
67
100
133
166
199
232
265
298
331
364
397
430
463
496
529
562
595
628
661
694
727
760
793
826
859
892
925
958
991
1024
1057
1090
1123
1156
1189
1222
1255
1288
1321
Pressure: stress/tension Prevention: I am vigilant not to fall
Promotion: I am eager to keep on climbing
 Applied Insights:

Training and coaching

Practical Implications
Hands on

Inventory of different promotion and prevention

strategies, and associated self-regulatory skills for
different pressure-performance scenarios (tasks,
situations, moments), tailored to the different
types of sports
 Performance pressure
situation

Ahead Behind
Strategy (Prevention (Promotion
best?) best?)

Promotion framing Mismatch Fit

Prevention framing Fit Mismatch

• When ahead, would athlete’s best strategy be to adopt prevention?

(e.g., careful to not make mistakes in order to keep that position)
• When behind, would athlete’s best strategy be to adopt promotion?
(e.g., eager to take risks in order to catch the opponent)
Hands on Task
Strategies (plans) and Techniques (behaviours)

Strategies Techniques

Promotion Promotion

Prevention Prevention

19
 Are you Fit for purpose?
• à Peak performing in achievement pressure situations

• Capacity of
– Recognising
– Choosing, and ultimately
– Applying

• the strategy (whether promotion or prevention) that is most

likely to lead to success for a particular task, in a particular
situation, at a given moment in time
Performing at your best
when stakes are high

Xavier Sanchez