This phenomenon is observed in many sports including basketball, hockey, football, and esports, but the phrase is most commonly used in baseball (e.g. clutch hitter).
A great deal of the academic literature shows that it is important for athletes to be able to control their anxiety if they are to produce peak performances[2] in clutch moments.
As a result, Sport psychologist, Yuri L. Hanin, developed the Zone of Optimal Functioning theory, which states, ″In order for an athlete to perform to their highest capability, they must experience their preferred level of anxiety.″ Hanin used a sport-specific version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory to measure the cognitive and somatic anxiety levels of each player before his or her performance.
On the opposite end of Optimal Functioning, there are non-optimal emotions that can lead to a waste of energy and skills, which causes negative performance and is commonly known as what was previously mentioned as "choking".
[5] Each athlete is different, which means that what one person may use to cope and deal with stress or honing in on their skills, might not work for another, that is the individual process for all players, even those who are on teams.
Hardy et al. (1996) researched the psychological preparation of elite athletes and found that "Cognitive-behavioral interventions are effective for the purposes of performance enhancement.
Miguel Humara explains that ″Imagery and mental rehearsal of tasks are beneficial for the individual seeking to improve athletic performance.
In team sports, the previous exposure to the situation at hand, even if only simulated, allows the group to understand the plan and act cohesively when executing.
On the individual level, mental visualization enables a player, before action even resumes, to focus on the mechanics and techniques necessary to achieve a favorable outcome.
In the 2016 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, the Texas A&M Aggies made an improbable comeback against the Northern Iowa Panthers.
The 14-2 scoring run tied the game at the end of regulation, although the Aggies had only about a 1-in-3,333 chance of winning[9] just 44 seconds of gameplay earlier.
The game extended into double overtime where Texas A&M claimed a 99-88 victory over Northern Iowa.Statistical analysis has vastly improved with the evolution of technology.
Today, computer software allows statisticians to track, analyze, and compare a broad range of statistics, even in terms of specific game situations.
Sport Science simulates in-game situations in a lab-like setting and analyzes, from a scientific perspective, individual aspects of the player's performance, probability of success given the circumstances, and additional influencing factors.