Coaches Tip: Clutch Moments

What research says about helping athletes perform in clutch moments through challenge mindsets, routines, and preparation.

By Scott K. Wilder · For Coaches

Subject: What the research says about performing in clutch moments

Hey team,

I came across a study looking at what actually helps athletes perform well under pressure — soccer, golf, tennis, jiu-jitsu, and more. A few things stood out that line up with what we talk about. One thing I want to stress upfront: these aren't one-off pep talks. They work best when we treat them as a system — something we build into practice all season, not just bring up before a big game.

• How you see pressure matters. Athletes who treated pressure as a challenge (not a threat) performed better. Same moment, different mindset — different outcome. Coach tip: Listen to how your players talk about the next game. If they're using fear-based language ("don't mess up," "I hope I don't blow it"), work with them to rephrase it into challenge-based language ("I get to show what I've got").

• Being okay with the worst case helps you play free. One athlete's line stuck with me: "Once I'm okay with that, I can let myself be free in that moment." Accepting a bad outcome before it happens takes the grip off. Coach tip: Remind players of times they've bounced back before. One bad play isn't the end of the game — or the season.

• Preparation builds real confidence. Not hype — actual reps. One golfer said he practiced his putting stroke 10-15 minutes before a round just to feel it again, and that carried into pressure putts. Coach tip: Encourage players to visualize or physically practice specific moments they expect to face in a game. This is work they can do on their own, outside of practice.

• Pre-shot/pre-play routines work. They give you something to focus on besides the nerves. As one golfer put it, the routine becomes "a bit of a distraction" from the pressure itself. This is often called an anchor — think of Messi tying his shoes before a penalty kick, a baseball player adjusting his batting gloves before stepping in, or a volleyball player bouncing the ball the same number of times before every serve. Coach tip: Work with your team to define and practice their own anchors, so they're second nature by the time it matters.

• Self-talk under pressure is a real tool, not a gimmick. A javelin thrower described using a single cue word ("foot contact") to pull herself out of panic — and set a personal record doing it. Coach tip: Help each player find one or two simple cue words that bring them back to the task, not the outcome. Practice using them in training, not just in your head — so they're already a habit before a big moment.

• Imagery/visualization helps too, especially when athletes picture themselves handling a tough outcome calmly, not just picture success. Coach tip: Ask players to spend a few minutes before big games picturing themselves staying calm through a mistake or a bad break — not just picturing the win. That rehearsal makes the real thing easier to handle.

Bottom line: clutch isn't about being fearless — it's about how the athlete manages the moment. And that's really the point behind what we're building with Game Ready Mindset — these mental skills shouldn't just be advice we give once and hope sticks. They should be tracked over the season, the same way we track batting average or shots on goal, so we can actually see if a player's mindset is improving and connect that to how they're performing on the field.

Scott

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