Two routes to a breakdown
The book discusses both distraction that consumes working memory and excessive attention to steps normally performed fluently. Different tasks can fail under pressure for different reasons.
Book · A CLOSER LOOK
Choke
ABOUT THE BOOK
Choke explores the gap between knowing how to do something and doing it when it matters. Beilock draws on research into attention, working memory, and performance under pressure.
A CLOSER LOOK
The story behind it.
Why pressure can disrupt skills we already possess—and how to examine what happens in the moment.
Preparation and the performance setting
Beilock connects the conditions of practice with the conditions of performance. The book’s examples make the setting part of the story of skill.
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Author, publisher, or archive source (opens in a new tab)Source for Choke: Author, publisher, or archive source.
Sources for this closer look
Author, publisher, or archive source (opens in a new tab)Read the book.
Follow the original source to explore the work in its own context.
Sources & credits
Introductions are grounded in the sources below. Collection notes and reading prompts provide an editorial starting point; personal opinions are identified in the collection’s content.
KEEP EXPLORING
Discover the person. Follow the work.
PersonSian Beilock
A selected work to get to know the author: Choke.
START WITHChoke
LearningPerformance
BookPeak
Read together to distinguish developing expertise from accessing it under pressure.
EXPLORE THIS WORKAnders Ericsson
LearningPractice
BookThe Mental Game of Poker
Two approaches to what disrupts performance: attention under pressure and recurring emotional patterns.
EXPLORE THIS WORKJared Tendler
LearningPerformancePoker
FrameworkAdult Learning Model
Compare a coaching model of automatic skill with Beilock’s account of attention and performance under pressure.
START WITHExplore the original
LearningPractice
PersonSimone Biles
Use the performance to ask questions about preparation and execution under pressure; the book is a companion lens, not an explanation or diagnosis of this athlete.
START WITHGet to know the person
SportsPerformance
PersonMichael Phelps
Use the performance to ask questions about preparation and execution under pressure; the book is a companion lens, not an explanation or diagnosis of this athlete.
START WITHGet to know the person
SportsPerformance
PersonKerri Strug
Use the performance to ask questions about preparation and execution under pressure; the book is a companion lens, not an explanation or diagnosis of this athlete.
START WITHGet to know the person
SportsPerformance