Why Do Some of Your Most Talented Athletes Struggle Under Pressure?

Every coach has worked with a naturally gifted athlete.

They make difficult things look easy. During training, or when competition is going well, they perform with confidence, creativity and freedom. Their technical ability stands out, and they often become the player others look to when the game is flowing.

Then the game changes.

The team falls behind. The opposition becomes more physical. A mistake leads to a goal, a missed shot or a turnover. Momentum shifts and the athlete who looked so comfortable only moments earlier begins to look like a different player.

Their decision making becomes rushed. Their body language changes. They stop communicating, force difficult plays or become frustrated by things outside their control. From the touchline, it can be confusing to watch.

Many coaches respond instinctively by asking the athlete to focus, calm down or move on. Although these messages are well intended, they rarely change what is happening internally for the athlete.

This is where sport psychology can make a meaningful difference.

The issue is rarely a lack of talent. More often, it is about how an athlete responds when performance becomes uncomfortable.

It’s Rarely a Talent Problem

When gifted athletes struggle under pressure, it is easy to conclude that they lack confidence, resilience or commitment.

The reality is often more complex.

Many talented athletes have progressed through their early development because their technical or physical qualities enabled them to overcome most challenges they encountered. As competition becomes more demanding, however, those advantages naturally reduce. Athletes begin competing against opponents who are equally skilled, equally prepared and equally motivated.

At this point, success depends on far more than technical ability.

Athletes need to perform when they are frustrated, uncertain, fatigued or disappointed. They need to recover from mistakes, adapt to changing situations and continue making effective decisions despite the pressure around them.

These experiences are not signs that something has gone wrong. They are a normal part of competitive sport.

What often distinguishes athletes who perform consistently under pressure is not that they experience fewer difficult thoughts or emotions. It is that they have developed the psychological skills to respond to those experiences more effectively.

Psychological Flexibility and Performance

One of the most important concepts within contemporary sport psychology is psychological flexibility.

Psychological flexibility describes an athlete’s ability to stay connected to what is important in the performance environment while experiencing the thoughts, emotions and physical sensations that naturally accompany competition.

Pressure creates internal noise.

Athletes may question themselves after a mistake, become frustrated with a referee’s decision or worry about letting teammates down. None of these experiences are unusual. In fact, they are part of performing in situations that matter.

The difference is not whether these experiences occur, but whether they begin to dictate behaviour.

When athletes become caught up in their thoughts or emotions, attention often shifts away from the demands of the game. Decision-making becomes less effective, movements become rushed and the athlete gradually moves further away from performing in the way they intended.

Psychological flexibility helps athletes recognise what is happening internally without allowing it to determine what they do next.

How Sport Psychology Supports Performance

At bMindful, our work is informed by Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (FACT), both of which aim to develop psychological flexibility in performance environments.

Rather than trying to remove anxiety or encourage athletes to “think positively”, we help them build practical skills that allow them to respond more effectively when pressure inevitably arises.

Three ACT processes that can central to this approach is cognitive defusion, contact with the present moment, and committed action.

Cognitive Defusion

Successful athletes are not successful because they never experience self-doubt. More often, they learn not to treat every thought as something that must be believed or acted upon.

An athlete thinking “I’ve lost confidence” or “Don’t make another mistake” does not have to behave as though those thoughts are true.

Using practical approaches such as the Weather Metaphor, “I’m noticing…” statements, thanking the mind, or giving the inner critic a character, athletes learn to create psychological distance from unhelpful thoughts.

The objective is not to eliminate difficult thinking. It is to prevent those thoughts from dominating behaviour.

Contact with present moment

Pressure has a habit of pulling attention away from the task at hand.

Athletes begin replaying previous mistakes or thinking ahead to consequences that have not yet happened. In doing so, attention moves away from the only moment they can influence: the present one.

Simple anchors such as noticing the breath, feeling both feet on the ground, adjusting clothing or deliberately scanning the playing environment help athletes reconnect with the information that is most relevant to performance.

By returning attention to the present, athletes are better able to respond to the demands of the situation rather than becoming distracted by internal noise.

Committed Values

Confidence naturally fluctuates throughout a season and often within the same match or competition.

Values provide athletes with something more stable.

Rather than waiting to feel confident, athletes identify the qualities they want to demonstrate regardless of the situation. Before training or competition, many develop a simple “I will be…” statement such as:

I will be composed.

I will be courageous.

I will be disciplined.

I will be relentless.

These statements become behavioural guides. Instead of asking “Do I feel confident enough?”, athletes begin asking “What would a composed athlete do next?” or “What action reflects the performer I want to be?”

This shift encourages athletes to make decisions based on their values rather than their emotions.

Creating Psychologically Informed Coaching Environments

Developing psychological flexibility is not solely the responsibility of the athlete.

The coaching environment plays a significant role in shaping how athletes respond to challenges.

Increasingly, coaches are recognising the value of creating Psychologically Informed Environments (PIEs) where psychological skills are embedded alongside technical, tactical and physical development.

This does not require coaches to become psychologists.

It means creating opportunities for athletes to experience pressure in training, reflect on how they responded, develop greater awareness of their performance habits and consistently reinforce behaviours that support both performance and wellbeing.

When psychological development becomes part of everyday coaching rather than something introduced after performance has declined, athletes are more likely to develop the adaptability required for sustained success.

Final Thoughts for Coaching Athletes Under Pressure

Technical, tactical and physical preparation will always remain fundamental to athlete development.

However, consistently expressing those qualities under pressure requires psychological preparation too.

Developing psychological flexibility is not about helping athletes become mentally tougher or eliminating uncomfortable emotions. It is about equipping them with the skills to respond effectively when pressure, uncertainty and setbacks inevitably arise.

When these principles are embedded into everyday coaching, athletes are better placed to learn from mistakes, adapt to changing situations and perform consistently over the long term.

At bMindful, we work alongside athletes, coaches and organisations to integrate evidence-informed sport psychology into everyday practice.

Our aim is to help create environments where psychological development sits alongside technical, tactical and physical preparation, enabling athletes to perform, develop and thrive throughout their sporting journey.

If you would like to explore how a psychologically informed approach could support your athletes or coaching environment, we’d be pleased to start a conversation.

Call 0161 510 0111 or email enquiries@bmindfulpsychology.co.uk

Find out more about bMindful Sports Psychology.

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This article is written in partnership with Casper Farrimond.

Casper Farrimond is an HCPC-registered Sport and Exercise Psychologist who is trusted to support athletes, coaches and teams competing at the highest international level. Alongside leading the BSc Psychology with Applications in Sport and Exercise at the University of Greater Manchester, he has contributed to international championship campaigns, national performance programmes and coach development initiatives across a range of sports. His research explores how coaching environments shape optimism, and long-term athlete development, helping translate evidence into practical strategies for performance and wellbeing.