In sports, the term “clutch” describes great play in crucial situations, which contributes to the team’s victory. The opposite of clutch is “choke,” which occurs when a player fails in a big spot. Some players have reputations as clutch players, but others are known as chokers. However, are clutch or choke even real?
The notion of “clutch” has long been a contentious one. Statisticians argue there is no such thing as clutch, but long-time fans insist they have seen it with their own eyes. For example, many baseball fans will tell you Derek Jeter was a clutch player, but more on that later.
The real question is whether or not clutch performance is physiologically possible.
In other words, are our bodies capable of functioning at a higher level in certain situations? The simple answer is yes. In stressful situations, our body releases adrenaline into our bloodstream, which increases heart rate and blood pressure, expands the air passages of the lungs, enlarges the pupils, decreases sensitivity to pain, and redistributes blood to the muscles. All of this prepares us for “fight or flight.” From an evolutionary standpoint, adrenaline prepares us for intense and/or sudden action—think of the primitive man running from the stalking tiger. Therefore, adrenaline might help someone to run faster, but it can also cause a loss of fine motor skills, which are essential for success in most sports.
Psychologists Robert Yerkes and John Dodson studied the relationship between stress and performance, which they described as an “inverted U.” According to Yerkes and Dodson, the performance of complex skills improves with a certain amount of stress but then decreases with additional stress, which might explain why a player would “choke” in a big moment (i.e., a stressful situation, such as the final minutes of a close playoff game). Consequently, players who can best manage their emotions are less likely to “choke,” as they are less likely to be adversely affected by the situational pressure and physiological changes associated with the fight or flight response.
Therefore, “clutch” (the ability to function well in stressful situations) is largely a psychological skill. It’s common sense. People who best manage their emotions in times of stress can perform better than those who are more affected by the situation.
Back to Derek Jeter. Many Yankees fans believe Derek Jeter was a clutch player, and they will point to his many big moments. For example, he finished his Yankee Stadium career in Hollywood fashion, with a walk-off base hit in the bottom of the ninth. However, Jeter wasn’t clutch. He wasn’t better in the postseason. He was just (really) good, regardless of the situation. Jeter’s lifetime regular season batting average was .302. His postseason batting average was .308—not statistically different. Sure, he had some big moments, but overall, his performance was remarkably consistent.
On the contrary, Mariano Rivera was truly clutch. Throughout his nineteen-year career, Rivera’s ERA (Earned Run Average) was 2.21. But in the postseason, where he was in the most pressure-packed situations against the best competition, his ERA was 0.70. This was the lowest of any player in the history of the game, thus proving our theory—clutch exists!
Dr. Kenneth Freundlich, the Morris Psychological Group’s Managing Partner, heads the Neuropsychology and Consulting Divisions. With over 35 years of experience, Dr. Freundlich’s practice is exclusively devoted to neuropsychological evaluation and management consultation.
