A “Psychological Performance Crisis” (PPC) is a theory that talks about how athletes can experience mental stress during competitions, which can affect their performance (Bar-Eli & Tenenbaum, 2012). It suggests that when athletes reach very high levels of stress, their ability to handle the demands of the competition can decline significantly. This is called entering a PPC. It happens when the athlete’s stability becomes unstable and they struggle to cope with the pressure. The PPC model was developed based on the idea that athletes’ behavior during competition can be understood using the inverted-U hypothesis, which suggests that there is an optimal level of arousal for peak performance. The model also considers various factors that contribute to a PPC, such as the athlete’s state before the competition, different stages of the game, performance quality, and social influences like teammates, coaches, spectators, and referees (Bar-Eli & Tenenbaum, 2012).
To study PPC, researchers used questionnaires and observational methods to measure the relevance of different factors and athletes’ perceptions of their own PPC. These studies supported the theory and its predictions (Bar-Eli & Tenenbaum, 2012). However, more research is needed to validate the PPC model further, particularly on the physiological level, and to explore the effectiveness of computerized diagnostic tools for coaches.
Another related concept is “choking,” which refers to situations where athletes experience a sudden decline in performance under high pressure. This can happen when they become too focused on their skills and start overthinking instead of performing automatically (Beilock, 2010). Choking is seen as a more acute and dramatic drop in performance compared to PPC, which develops gradually over time. Both concepts contribute to understanding why performance may not be optimal, but they focus on slightly different aspects.
Bar-Eli, M., & Tenenbaum, G. (2012). Bayesian approach of measuring competitive crisis. In G. Tenenbaum, R. C. Eklund, & A. Kamata (Eds.), Measurement in sport and exercise psychology (pp. 367 379). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Beilock, S. L. (2010). Choke. New York: Free Press.