People choke at a speech, an interview, or some big moment. They...
Bob Bowman@coach_bowman
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Nov 09, 2026
~1 min read
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1
People choke at a speech, an interview, or some big moment.
They think the fix is to psych themselves up for it, but I've found the opposite: the ones who choke are usually too worked up before they even start. 🧵
They think the fix is to psych themselves up for it, but I've found the opposite: the ones who choke are usually too worked up before they even start. 🧵
2
Think of it like a dial.
Turn it too low and you're flat. Nothing happens.
Turn it too high and you tip into panic, everything speeds up, and your body stops doing what it trained to do.
There's a sweet spot in the middle, and choking lives past it.
Turn it too low and you're flat. Nothing happens.
Turn it too high and you tip into panic, everything speeds up, and your body stops doing what it trained to do.
There's a sweet spot in the middle, and choking lives past it.
3
By the time you reach something big, you're already cranked up plenty. So the job is to bring yourself back down.
Keep it loose, and put your attention on the few things you can actually control.
It's the same thing I do with my swimmers before an Olympic final.
Keep it loose, and put your attention on the few things you can actually control.
It's the same thing I do with my swimmers before an Olympic final.
4
Bottom line: next time everything is riding on one moment, be careful about hyping yourself up. You're probably wound tight enough already.
Get calm, get loose, and do the small things you can control.
Get calm, get loose, and do the small things you can control.
