I was watching the city championship game this week. It was the bottom of the seventh inning, bases loaded, full count on the batter, two outs. The team at bat was down two runs. If the third out could be made, the championship would be won. If the batter could get a hit, she could win the game for her team. You could feel the electricity in the air. It was awesome!
Sometimes the pressure of win or lose moments can either paralyze an athlete or bring out the best in them. Is the ability to be mentally tough and focus on the task at hand something that can only come with experience and confidence, or is it wired into some athletes? One of my favorite things is watching the faces of competitive young people as they rise to the occasion and perform under pressure.
The batter in the seventh inning had been up with a runner on third and two outs, two innings before. She had hit an easy ground ball to the pitcher and been thrown out. Her coach really let her have it. I cringe at the added pressure coaches sometimes put on athletes. There's a push to perform that at times seems to communicate more care for a run than for a player. In this instance, I wondered if she would hold on to that last at bat, or rise up to this new opportunity.
The pitch came and she ripped a line drive down the third base line that scored two runs and tied the game up. It was a great clutch hit that sent the game into an extra inning. Her ability to perform under pressure put her team in a position to win the championship, and they did just that getting three quick outs and then scoring in the bottom of the eighth inning.
It's a great sports moment when an athlete has a chance to redeem themselves in a game. It is a mirror of life. Many times we make mistakes and think the "game" is lost and we have failed. But really the only way to fail is to stop playing. If we will keep battling, keep working, keep believing, in due time we will have another chance to perform under pressure. And when we taste success, our confidence will grow and we will become clutch players. In a sense then, I think, mental toughness under pressure can be learned. The key is, never give up and long for the safety of the bench. It's time to get in the game and go for it!
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