In this video I show you a practice technique that will help you hit your BEST drives under pressure, not your worst. Wouldn’t you like to be known as a clutch player? Someone who comes through when they absolutely have to?

Here’s what I mean: BOTH my Championship titles came on my last ball. In both cases I had to come from behind. I had to hit my absolute best drive in a do-or-die situation. It was win-or-go-home. Put up or shut up.

And I was able to pull it off.

I give a lot of credit to pulling off victory in those clutch situations to one specific practice technique: Simulated Competition.

You can be a clutch player too by using this practice technique.

Watch the video to see how I set up Simulated Competition practice. Then read the rest of the blog post to learn more about the technique.

Performing Under Pressure

It doesn’t matter if you are playing for the club championship or a friendly Nassau with your buddies: When you feel pressure … everything changes.

When you feel pressure all your senses are heightened. It’s not the case that you shut down under pressure. Quite the opposite is true.

You become hyper-aware.

It’s a natural consequence of the biological fight-flight reaction.

Your body interprets pressure as a potential threat situation. So it dumps adrenaline and cortisol into your system. You become hyper-aware of EVERYTHING. It’s too much stimulus.

On one hand the heightened awareness is one of the reasons we compete.

There’s a feeling of being “more alive” in those moments. When you experience it – and prevail – you want more.

It’s exhilarating to come out the other end of a challenge and realize you’ve prevailed. There’s nothing like the rush.

That’s the good side of pressure.

Why You Choke Under Pressure

But being hyper-aware of everything is a distraction. Unless you know how to handle it, you choke.

Not because you can’t hit the shot.

You and I both know that you can hit the shot. That’s not the issue.

The reason you DON’T hit the shot is because your mind is processing too much information to allow you to move freely.

You don’t move without tension the way your athletic body wants to move. Or you try to consciously direct the swing, further frustrating your body’s natural athleticism.

Too much tension and conscious control is a recipe for disaster.

How To Be Clutch Under Pressure

The key to being Clutch in pressure situations is preparation.

Unless you’ve been there before you have no idea of what it is like. How you’ll respond. How to keep your focus.

It’s the anxiety of not knowing that produces the greatest fear and stumbling block.

The time to develop strategies is not in the heat of the moment. There’s too much going on. There will always be uncertainty. And that leads to mis-hit shots.

Simulate Pressure In Practice

The best lesson I ever had was from Ernie Barbour a few months before I competed in my first World Long Drive Championship.

In that lesson Ernie taught me how to do simulated competition practice.

I imagined every circumstance I could face. Then I set up the scenario in my mind. Then I practiced it as though it was the real thing.

Want to know how I hit the clutch shot to win the Championship on the final ball? Twice???

I practiced that exact scenario dozens of times.

When the moment came I was ready.

My opponents were not.

Which side do you want to be on?

TAKE AWAYS

1. Practice Simulated Competition where you imagine pressure situations.
2. Pay attention to how you react under pressure and know your tendencies.