Pressure of a Major Tournament – Reality or Myth?
Pressure of a major tournament is not a myth. It is a very serious reality that has shattered careers and turned many young pro players into second rate burnouts.
The pressure of any major tournament is a collection of various factors. These factors come together at the same time to stress out the player and seriously affect their performance. There are three major factors that contribute the most to the final crunch
of any major tournament.
The first and the foremost is the anxiety about performance. This affects a player no matter who they are. A seasoned professional with a string of wins under their belt is as prone to this anxiety as a rookie.
The anxiety is at its worst in the initial rounds of the event. These are the most crucial rounds where the player establishes the pace at which they will play throughout the tournament.
A good score in the initial rounds comes very handy in the final rounds, where the opponents are as skilled as the player themselves.
The second factor is the pressure to perform well so as to retain and gain more sponsorship. Sponsorships are the most important source of income for a professional player. These sponsorships come in various guises.
The most profitable is the endorsement deals that require the player to endorse the merits of a product or service. This might appear to be easy money but in reality, it is the hardest deal to come by.
The third and the final pressure come from the spectators that are present on the golf green. Many are well meaning friends and fans but their attention is another factor that constantly forces the player to reconsider their moves and thus, lose focus.
In the worst cases, all these factors join together and apply so much strain and stress on the player that many players just have a meltdown right on the course.
This display of rage often makes breaking news for the sports channels but rarely does anyone stop to analyze the reasons behind it.
How can the player, a veteran or a newbie, cope with this pressure? Experts have offered various solutions that often seem contradicting in appearance. However, all contain common fundamental points that every solution system is based on.
The first and the most important is to have faith in yourself. This faith comes from knowing your limitations and skills. A good player always balances the two. The key is to minimize the limitations and use the skills at the most appropriate time.
Next point is a simple fact. Many players get bogged down by statistics. Modern golf generates so many numbers that a players could get confused. This confusion results in stress that starts to affect the performance. The best way to beat this stress is
to simply ignore the numbers.
The third tip is the one that many golfers ignore. The simple act of using stress relieving techniques goes a long way in alleviating the pressure of the big game.
Many sports psychologists teach their charges simple breathing exercises that are very effective in stress relief.
These simple tips form the foundations of a simple regime of stress relief exercises that many therapists use in their systems. The players could use them to create their own simple routines that help them in combating the crunch.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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