The fight or flight response: good for dealing with bears, but not useful in tennis.
Choking is one of the truly unpleasant parts of tennis competition, and it happens from time to time to everyone, from beginners to world champions.
What is it? It is basically debilitating fear!
Choking stiffens the muscles and makes even the simplest shot difficult and the difficult shots impossible. Fine motor skill evaporates as the body prepares a massive fight or flight reaction. This set of bodily responses may be excellent for fighting a bear with a club, but is not at all useful for guiding a tennis ball over a net and into a court.
Breathing becomes rapid and labored and judgment is impaired. Some players work themselves into cramps or back spasms. All in all, it is about as unhelpful a psychological state as a tennis player can imagine.
Fortunately, it doesn't happen all the time and there are steps one can take to reduce the worst of its effects. Unfortunately, it is a problem that is never solved completely.
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