How Choking Affects a Player's Strokes

Most of us think of choking as something that is purely mental - - when we get into a clutch situation, we get tight and end up "blowing" easy points.

But did you know there are physical aspects to choking that cause you to miss points?

One area of your physical game that breaks down when you get nervous is groundstrokes. Typically, a choker begins to hit more slice than topspin.

Why? Because it's easier to hit backspin than to hit topspin.

After a ball bounces, it spins toward you. In order to return the ball with topspin, you must change the rotation of the ball so that it is spinning away from you (topspin). This takes more power and precision. To return a ball with slice (backspin), all you have to do is send the ball back with the same spin it had when it came at you!

The article continues with information on why players change their groundstrokes and serves when they begin to choke, and what they can look for to see if their strokes have changed during a close, pressure-filled match.