Performing Under Pressure

Nobody performs better under pressure. Regardless of the task, pressure ruthlessly diminishes our judgment, decision-making, attention, dexterity, and performance in every professional and personal arena. In Performing Under Pressure, Drs. Hendrie Weisinger and J.P. Pawliw-Fry introduce us to the concept of pressure management, offering empirically tested short term and long term solutions to help us overcome the debilitating effects of pressure. Performing Under Pressure tackles the greatest obstacle to personal success, whether in a sales presentation, at home, on the golf course, interviewing for a job, or performing onstage at Carnegie Hall. Despite sports mythology, no one "rises to the occasion" under pressure and does better than they do in practice. The reality is pressure makes us do worse, and sometimes leads us to fail utterly. But there are things we can do to diminish its effects on our performance. Performing Under Pressure draws on research from over 12,000 people, and features the latest research from neuroscience and from the frontline experiences of Fortune 500 employees and managers, Navy SEALS, Olympic and other elite athletes, and others. It offers 22 specific strategies each of us can use to reduce pressure in our personal and professional lives and allow us to better excel in whatever we do. Whether you’re a corporate manager, a basketball player, or a student preparing for the SAT, Performing Under Pressure will help you to do your best when it matters most.

The transformative mind-model for performing under stress and making pressure your advantage Used by the planet’s top performers

Performing Under Pressure is an essential resource on improving sporting performance in high-pressure situations. Perry’s work guides coaches and athletes through nine key elements of the sporting mindset to help athletes to perform at the highest standards, even under the most pressurized of situations. This valuable read includes empirically-based advice on areas such as embracing competition; building confidence, concentration and focus; maintaining emotional control; learning from and coping with failure or injury; being braver; and being able to push harder. Perry also provides 64 strategies to support each sporting mindset, offering not just the evidence as to why they work but exactly how to implement them. This book uniquely offers those supporting athletes a toolkit of sport psychology strategies and interventions in a way that is evidence-based, accessible and engaging, whether you are starting out studying sport psychology, on a sports science course, or are a coach of many years' standing, for both elite and amateur athletes.

Drawing on 20 years of leadership experience in high pressure emergency medical and rescue situations, the author describes the consequences of pressure, both positive and negative, and teaches the strategies we need to attain states of peak performance.

Performance Success teaches a set of skills so that a musician can be ready to go out and sing or play at his or her highest level, working with energies that might otherwise be wasted in unproductive ways. This is a book of skills and exercises, prepared by a master teacher.

WHAT THE MAN WHO TEACHES THE WORLD'S TOP ATHLETES CAN TEACH YOU ABOUT OVERCOMING STRESS AND WINNING IN BUSINESS AND IN LIFE Pressure. It keeps us focused, drives athletes to Olympic greatness, businesspeople to produce record value in their companies and artists to the stellar heights of their craft. But too much pressure is unhealthy and counterproductive. It leads to sleeplessness, heart attacks and many other negative side effects. It can also make us seize up and lose our ease when we need it the most. World-renowned sports psychologist Saul -Miller, who teaches elite athletes and top sports teams how to be successful, shares a wealth of practical tools and exercises that allow anyone, in any situation, to manage the pressure they feel, and to channel it into peak performance. Dr. Miller goes in-depth and teaches you: The difference between stress and pressure, and how to make them work for you How to use power thoughts and imagery to enhance your attitude and performance How to improve your baseline stress tolerance Techniques and exercises to control physical reactions to pressure How variations in personality and style affect the ways people experience and deal with pressure, and how this knowledge applies to you Training Notes that give you a clear 4-week plan for each of the major tools. This book is an essential toolbox for anyone who wants to ensure that when it comes time to face intense, high-pressure situations, you'll be prepared to succeed.

The world is a dangerous place and recent events have served to make it less safe. There are many arenas of conflict and even combat across the world. Such situations are the quintessential expression of stress; you stand in imminent danger and live with the knowledge that you may be attacked, injured or even killed at any moment. How do people perform under these conditions? How do they keep a heightened level of vigilance when nothing may happen in their immediate location for weeks or even months? What happens when the bullets actually start flying? How is it you distinguish friend from foe, and each from innocent bystanders when in immediate peril of your life? Can we design technology to help people make good decisions in these ultimately hazardous situations? To what degree does your membership in a team act to dissipate these particular effects? Can we generate sufficiently stressful field exercises to simulate these conditions and can we train and/or select those most able to withstand such adverse conditions? How will the next generation of servicemen deal with these inherent problems? These are the sorts of questions that Performance Under Stress addresses. This book is derived largely from a multiple-year, multiple university initiative (MURI) on stress and soldier performance on the modern, electronic battlefield. It involved leading researchers from many institutions who have brought their individual expertise to bear on these crucial, contemporary concerns. United by a common research framework, these groups attacked the issue from different methodological and conceptual approaches, ranging from traditional laboratory modeling and experimentation, to realistic simulations; from involved field exercises to personal experiences of actual combat conditions. The insights generated have been distilled and presented as a benchmark of current understanding and provide future directions for research in this arena. Although this work focuses on soldier stress and soldier performance, the principles that are derived extend well beyond this single application. Their findings can be applied to people facing the demands of the business world or research as much as to those who meet life or death situations, such as homeland security, first responders, and law enforcement personnel.

The coach who taught Jonny Wilkinson how to deal with pressure now shows all of us how to cope with life's challenges Pressure is a constant in our lives. The pressure to hit a deadline, deliver that speech, interview for the job we really want - they are all challenges we need to meet. Like a footballer taking a penalty or a golfer making a putt, how we respond to pressure defines us at work and at home. Dave Alred is an elite performance coach who works with the world's top sports stars and teams - from rugby's Jonny Wilkinson to Premiership footballers and golfers - helping them deliver when the tension is at its most extreme. In The Pressure Principle he finally shares his eight groundbreaking principles and shows how we can all apply them to our lives. From how a child-like approach can help us through tough moments, to the best ways to face an audience, to why language is the ultimate performance-enhancing drug, Pressure is the definitive guide to dealing with our challenges. Packed with accessible stories and tips, it shows how we can harness pressure to produce our best at home, at work, and in our sport or exercise - by the man who has spent his life coaching the very best. 'Dave Alred is a genius. There is simply no-one around to match him in his field' - Jonny Wilkinson Dr Dave Alred MBE is an elite performance coach who has worked with some of the biggest names in sport. His clients have included rugby's Jonny Wilkinson, George Ford and Johnny Sexton, golfers Luke Donald, Brad Kennedy and Padraig Harrington, the England Rugby team (four World Cups), the British Lions (three tours), the Springboks, the England Cricket team, and Premiership sides Manchester City, Sunderland, Watford and Newcastle. He holds a PhD in Performing under Pressure from Loughborough University. A genuine pioneer in performance mindset and attitude, his approach optimises the abilities of sports and business people alike.