On The Tee with Hank Johnson

I've had the privilege of working with many students who play tournament golf at the highest level. In doing so, they are forced to deal with the pressure that is a normal part of any competitive sports arena. I know from my own tournament experience that having an effective way to deal with that anxious, uncertain feeling that all competitors experience from time to time is critical to competing successfully. Following are some of the thoughts and concepts I have used with these players to help them handle pressure situations successfully.

First of all, you need to understand the difference between pressure and stress. Many times, pressure is an ally, while stress is almost always an enemy. Pressure in and of itself is neutral. It is how you choose to view it that determines whether it is good or bad. If you use it to your advantage, it is good pressure. Let it control you and it becomes bad pressure or stress. Pressure itself is not the enemy. “Stress is the enemy.”

Stress usually appears when you are not fully prepared for or not completely focused on the task at hand. It always shows up when you have been cutting corners, and looking for shortcuts in your preparation. Stress occurs when you are asking yourself to do something you are not fully prepared to do. Stress also lessens your confidence. When stress becomes a factor, you make bad decisions. You do not perform well. You feel anxious! Frankly, when stress comes into play….You Choke.

Let’s use the example of being poorly prepared to take a big test. That’s really all competitive sports is anyway. Because you know you’re poorly prepared, it’s impossible to have confidence in your ability to do well on the test. Why should you have confidence? You can’t fool that person you look at in the mirror every morning. You know you’re not prepared. You know you have no reason to feel confident. Enter Stress. Stress causes doubt. Doubt makes you expect failure.

Now when you know you have done everything you can to prepare for the challenge, pressure can become a motivating force. Good pressure heightens your senses and provides the climate for you to perform better than you have in the past. Thorough preparation allows you to use good pressure as an ally, Good pressure makes you more focused and often creates the environment for great performance.

The more you thoroughly prepare the more qualified you are to handle pressurized situations. Good pressure often brings out extraordinary results. If you learn how to embrace pressure and make it work for you. It can be a fertile climate in which accomplishments can grow.

So it’s really very simple: The better prepared you are for any situation, the more you will honestly believe you can succeed . And……the more you will succeed . When nothing is a stake, extra-ordinary efforts rarely occur. When everything is at stake they often do. Pressure is always present in competitive sports situations. There is really no effective way to eliminate it. You can, however determine whether it is an ally or an enemy. It all depends on how thoroughly prepared you really feel like you are.

I've had the privilege of working with many students who play tournament golf at the highest level. In doing so, they are forced to deal with the pressure that is a normal part of any competitive sports arena. I know from my own tournament experience that having an effective way to deal with that anxious, uncertain feeling that all competitors experience from time to time is critical to competing successfully. Following are some of the thoughts and concepts I have used with these players to help them handle pressure situations successfully.

First of all, you need to understand the difference between pressure and stress. Many times, pressure is an ally, while stress is almost always an enemy. Pressure in and of itself is neutral. It is how you choose to view it that determines whether it is good or bad. If you use it to your advantage, it is good pressure. Let it control you and it becomes bad pressure or stress. Pressure itself is not the enemy. “Stress is the enemy.”

Stress usually appears when you are not fully prepared for or not completely focused on the task at hand. It always shows up when you have been cutting corners, and looking for shortcuts in your preparation. Stress occurs when you are asking yourself to do something you are not fully prepared to do. Stress also lessens your confidence. When stress becomes a factor, you make bad decisions. You do not perform well. You feel anxious! Frankly, when stress comes into play….You Choke.

Let’s use the example of being poorly prepared to take a big test. That’s really all competitive sports is anyway. Because you know you’re poorly prepared, it’s impossible to have confidence in your ability to do well on the test. Why should you have confidence? You can’t fool that person you look at in the mirror every morning. You know you’re not prepared. You know you have no reason to feel confident. Enter Stress. Stress causes doubt. Doubt makes you expect failure.

Now when you know you have done everything you can to prepare for the challenge, pressure can become a motivating force. Good pressure heightens your senses and provides the climate for you to perform better than you have in the past. Thorough preparation allows you to use good pressure as an ally, Good pressure makes you more focused and often creates the environment for great performance.

The more you thoroughly prepare the more qualified you are to handle pressurized situations. Good pressure often brings out extraordinary results. If you learn how to embrace pressure and make it work for you. It can be a fertile climate in which accomplishments can grow.

So it’s really very simple: The better prepared you are for any situation, the more you will honestly believe you can succeed . And……the more you will succeed . When nothing is a stake, extra-ordinary efforts rarely occur. When everything is at stake they often do. Pressure is always present in competitive sports situations. There is really no effective way to eliminate it. You can, however determine whether it is an ally or an enemy. It all depends on how thoroughly prepared you really feel like you are.