Choking Under Pressure in Sport: A Polyvagal Perspective

Choking is defined as a significant drop in performance triggered by increased anxiety in high-pressure situations. We’ve all witnessed athletes underperform when it mattered most—missing an open shot or falling out of rhythm. But why does this happen and what can we do about it?

Sport psychologists often explain choking through two attention-based theories: distraction and self-focus. According to distraction models, anxiety causes athletes to shift attention away from task-relevant cues toward irrelevant cues (distractions). The self-focus models suggest that as a result of increased anxiety levels, athletes try to consciously control and monitor their movements, interfering with the automatic execution they usually rely on.

Both approaches identify that increased anxiety is at the heart of choking. But that raises an important question: Why does our anxiety increase when we are under pressure in the first place?

It All Starts With the Nervous System

Our autonomic nervous system is constantly working behind the scenes to help us survive. According to Polyvagal Theory, this system is made up of three pathways:

1. Ventral vagal pathway (the newest, social engagement system)
2. Sympathetic pathway (mobilisation: fight or flight)
3. Dorsal vagal pathway (immobilisation: shutdown or freeze)

These pathways work in a specific order (hierarchical). Imagine these states as a ladder. At the top is ventral vagal, in the middle is sympathetic, and at the bottom is dorsal vagal. We move between these states based on the risk assessment of our neuroceptors. Our neuroceptors evaluate, moment by moment, what is happening in and around our bodies. They scan for cues of safety, danger and life-threat without involving the thinking parts of our brain. This means that our body reacts to perceived safety, danger and life-threat even before our brain becomes aware of it.

The Three Pathways Explained

🔹 Ventral Vagal: Safety and Connection

When our neuroceptors detect safety, our ventral vagal pathway is active. This state facilitates relationships and attachment. We feel happy, safe, curious and are able to tune into what matters and tune out distractions. Our heart rate is regulated, our breath is deep and full. In this state, the world seems like a safe and peaceful place. This is the ideal state for peak performance.

🔸 Sympathetic: Fight or Flight

When danger is detected, the sympathetic pathway takes over. This is our body’s mobilisation system (fight or flight) designed to help us confront or escape from threat. In this state, our heart rate increases, breathing becomes short and shallow, muscles tense, hands become cold, we start sweating, and adrenaline surges. We may feel anxious, restless, or overly aggressive. The world seems like a dangerous place. Performance can suffer as movement becomes rushed or uncoordinated.

⚫ Dorsal Vagal: Freeze and Shutdown

If fight or flight doesn’t resolve the threat or if we feel trapped, the dorsal vagal system activates. This is our oldest and most primitive response, also our last resort. This is our immobilisation system. We shut down, conserve energy, and withdraw. In athletes, this might look like freezing, going blank, dissociating, or feeling numb or hopeless and disconnected from the body.

So, What Does Our Nervous System Have to Do With Choking?

When the brain perceives pressure as danger, the body shifts into sympathetic activation, which leads to hyperarousal, heightened anxiety, or panic. If sympathetic mobilisation doesn’t work, we move further down the ladder into dorsal vagal shutdown where an athlete might freeze, go blank, or feel like they’re not really there.

In either case, underperformance is likely.

What Can We Do About It?

First, it’s important to recognise that everyone has a unique nervous system that responds to pressure in different ways. Learning what makes you move up and down the autonomic ladder can help you create a plan for when happens. Second, moving into sympathetic or dorsal vagal states during competition doesn’t mean that there’s something wrong with you or that you’re not “mentally tough”. It means that your nervous system is doing its job. Trying to keep you safe.

There’s a lot of research on how to prevent choking under pressure. Strategies like mental imagery, using cue words or adopting an external focus are commonly recommended. If you do a quick Google search, most of what you’ll find are top-down (cognitive) strategies. These strategies rely on the mind-body connection – they rely on the idea that changing what happens in the mind, will influence what happens in the body.

These approaches are important, and without a doubt effective. But when it comes to regulation, there’s one thing you need to know. Communication between the brain and the body is bi-directional. Yes, the brain sends messages to the body, but the body also sends messages to the brain. In fact, 80% of the fibres of the vagus nerve, the nerve that facilitates this two-way communication, carry information from the body to the brain, and only 20% of its fibres send information from the brain to the body. This means that what’s happening in your body has a very powerful influence on your mind.

So, when it comes to nervous system regulation, bottom-up (body-based) strategies aren’t just complementary. They are essential.

Here are some bottom-up strategies you can try in competition (or in breaks):

To Shift from Dorsal Vagal (Shutdown) to Sympathetic (Mobilisation):

Bring gentle activation into your body:

• Run in place
• Wiggle your fingers and toes
• Do arm circles or bounce gently
• Move your neck or roll your shoulders

 The key is to keep your focus on the sensations of the movement you are doing.

To Shift from Sympathetic (Mobilisation) to Ventral Vagal (Safe):

Try belly breathing:

1. Breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds
2. Feel your belly expand like a balloon
3. Hold for 2 seconds
4. Slowly breathe out through your mouth for 4 seconds
5. Repeat a few times

Try the “Voo” sound:

1. Find a comfortable place to sit
2. Slowly inhale
3. Pause momentarily
4. On the out breaths, gently utter “voo”, sustaining the sound throughout the exhalation Vibrate the sound as though it were coming from your belly
5. Pause briefly and let the next breath slowly fill your belly and chest
6. Repeat a few times

Final Thoughts

Choking isn’t just a mental block. It all starts on a neurophysiological level. Pressure impacts our nervous system first, then our mind, and performance follows. By learning to recognise and shift our nervous system’s state, athletes can train themselves not only to cope under pressure but to thrive in it.

References

Dana, D. (2018). Polyvagal theory in therapy: engaging the rhythm of regulation. W. W. Norton & Company.

Gröpel, P., & Mesagno, C. (2019). Choking interventions in sports: a systematic review. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 12(1), 176-201.

Mesagno, C., & Hill, D. M. (2013). Definition of choking in sport: Re-conceptualization and debate. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 44, 267–277.

Porges, S., W. (2011). The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, self-regulation. NY: Norton.