There Is No Such Thing As Choking

Choking and basketball are mentioned together quite often. In fact, choking can be mentioned with any sport. What is choking? Or what do people think choking is? Choking is roughly described as failing to perform at one's best while under pressure. We've all seen Reggie Miller's choke gesture when he scored 8 points in 9 seconds. So we all have a rough idea of what people refer to when they say someone choked. For me there's a huge implicit meaning when someone says another choked as well. To me, that meaning is that the person was scared. Allow me to redefine choking to solely be, bad concentration. Bad concentration definitely sounds less intimidating than choking right?

How do we lose our concentration? And... why do we struggle with concentration at the worst possible time?! Game-tying free throw anyone? Even with amateur basketball, there are crucial moments and concentration breakdowns. I see it all the time when I play in leagues or tournaments and I also myself have bad concentration in some moments.

What leads to bad concentration?

It could be many things. Here's a short list:

• Afraid of making a mistake, risk of embarrassment

• Thinking extra steps ahead of the current moment, what plays the other team will do, what your team will do, etc.,

• Thinking what others might think of you if you "screw up" this play

• High stress levels in general outside of basketball, e.g. work, family

• Afraid you'll get blasted by your teammates for making a "mistake"

There are probably even more reasons beyond the above. All of the above though have one thing in common... they are all concerned with the future. So if you are focusing on the above or ruminating on it, you'll definitely increase your chances of having bad concentration, which could lead to you not playing your best. Notice though that there's no real mention of being afraid of your opponent?

Why can't someone stay in the moment?

One reason could be that, they just care way too much about the current game they're playing or they care too much about what the teammates, fans etc., think. This high level of caring, can lead to loss of focus. If someone was so preoccupied with writing their name correctly, maybe they'd screw it up on the millionth time of writing it. The more you care, the higher the chances are, you'll stress about it.

Shouldn't you care about how you perform?

Yes you should. You have to ask yourself though, why do I care so much about this game? Or, why is it so important that I win today? What does it mean if I lose? What does it say about me as a person if I'm the "reason" we lost? I put "reason" in quotes because often times, we lose basketball games because of a culmination of mistakes not just by one or one person. Teams win games together and often times, they lose them together. That being said, trying to hard to win a game is like when you try too hard to pick up a girl at the club, she'll probably think you're not worth her time. Play it cool.

How can I have better concentration throughout the game?

Forget about the outcome. Keep the focus being to have fun and that you take good risks regardless of what your gut says. Don't play safe. Don't always listen to your thoughts, just because you think something, doesn't mean it's real or that it will occur. If it's a real struggle don't be afraid to reach out to a sports psychologist, lots of professional and amateur athletes do so. If you don't believe me, google "Michael Jordan and George Mumford".