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When did you "choke" in real life and other sports?

1K views 18 replies 12 participants last post by  BodyServe 
#1 ·
We all know tennis players who choke. Actually there are many in the GM section of the forum who complain about "disgusting chokers", "massive choke", and there's even a user called "chokehater". "Choke" basically seems to have become the most meaningless word on this forum, even being used when some player loses 1-6 2-6.

Since this is the internet, we know at least four fifths of the regular people here are gigantic mugs (myself included) who couldn't serve out a match if we were up two sets to love, 5-0 40-0, our lives depended on it and the service lines were a mile long.

So, since there is already a thread about all of our amateur tennis choking skills, let's see how we choked in real life. Choking here is defined by the authoritative dictionary of Wiktionary as "to perform badly at a crucial stage of a competition because one is nervous, especially when one is winning".

I'll start with some of my more recent ones:
- While defending a written essay and performing great during the presentation, I blacked out following a particularly difficult question;
- During a game of pool with a friend, the lone 8-ball was there for the taking but I hit it too slow, basically setting up his victory (a fiver was at stake);
- When I finally got ready to go to fourth base with an attractive girl I liked, I was overcome by nerves and managed to fuck up the entire evening.

:wavey:
 
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#8 ·
This, me too.

But I'm currently close to get a great job oportunity and I feel now I have something to choke away. Let's see if I'm clutch enough to close it out, or if I crumble to the pression. :confused:
 
#4 ·
a 6-2 5-3 *40-15 match, to 6-2 5-7 2-6...

my smash went away bad, the guy kept lobbing the shit out of me and i hit every possible spot in this club, except the court...

most frustrating match in my whole life.

Also choked a possible great relationship..

Were exchanging looks with a hawt woman in a disco, but i was choking and postponing the time to confront her, so at one point my best bud's GF, drunk out of her mind grabbed and dragged her across the place to introduce us (complete stranger..)...lol

The girl said her name (won't forget it ever) and left straight away.

I was :eek: :facepalm: :mad:
 
#6 ·
Also choked a possible great relationship..

Were exchanging looks with a hawt woman in a disco, but i was choking and postponing the time to confront her, so at one point my best bud's GF, drunk out of her mind grabbed and dragged her across the place to introduce us (complete stranger..)...lol

The girl said her name (won't forget it ever) and left straight away.

I was :eek: :facepalm: :mad:
So ultimately someone cockblocked a potential night of intense lovemaking? The tennis equivalent of a bad linecall. :D

Delusionalist said:
Also, I sang amazingly, but I had the worst stage fright the first time I sang in public and just did not move and stood there, shocked and petrified. I mean, I sang, and it was good, but I just stayed there like a rock and my legs could not stop shaking. After that performance though, I never had it again and gained instant confidence and swagger whenever I sing in public performances now.
This is very familiar to me. I sometimes busk with my guitar for the fun of it, the first time I was scared shitless and performed average at best, now it's second nature.
 
#5 ·
You can call it a choke, but I won...so yeah. :lol:

I was up 6-0, 1-0, and then I just kept on double faulting and hitting errors in the second set...but I played some of my best tennis in the third set...so, it was a choke, but I was able to revive myself, and I won 6-0, 1-6, 6-0. (lol) :haha:

Also, I sang amazingly, but I had the worst stage fright the first time I sang in public and just did not move and stood there, shocked and petrified. I mean, I sang, and it was good, but I just stayed there like a rock and my legs could not stop shaking. After that performance though, I never had it again and gained instant confidence and swagger whenever I sing in public performances now.
 
#7 ·
I played vs my uncle.
I was leading 6-3 5*-2, but i made 8 double faults in 3 games and i lost 2nd set. (I had 6 match points on his serve)
The worst part is, that he was drunk. He wasn't moving at all. :stupid::stupid:
 
#10 · (Edited)
I was playing tennis with a friend and winning 5-1 the decisive set, then lost FIVE games in a row and finally won another game when I was 5-6, proving it was indeed a huge choke, I was finally able to win a game again when I was down in the scoreline. Then I lost the tie break, I would've preferred to lost 7-5, winning that game made the choke just far worse.

Not so bad as that one but recently I played a tournament and completely outplayed my rival but lost 7-6 7-6, having set points in both. Also in another one I played last year I was winning the tie break like 5-1 and he came back and had set points although I managed to end up winning it 9-7 or something like that. Not that it mattered cause then I lost 6-2 6-1.

Another one I can remember is playing against a friend Bo5, winning easily the first two and losing then tree sets in a row collapsing completely.

In tennis I'm a big choker for some reason, not the case with other sports I usually play.
 
#12 ·
Choked a job interview. Got so nervous the night before I only got like 30 min sleep. Interview consisted of a lot of tests and lasted 7 hours. Needless to say I couldn't focus at all, nearly fell asleep several times.

I never choke at tennis though. If I can make a set/match competitive I win more often than not.
 
#13 · (Edited)
I choke in bowling anytime I approach a 300. 5 pin bowling, I've never bowled a 300 or more, and everytime I come close, I always throw it away. Which is disappointing because I'm often very clutch bowling. Like in the final frame in a close match, I often strike out. Last frame is often my best. But when it comes to, oh I might get a 300, then I just bowl awful.

I'll get there eventually, but it's pissing me off :eek:
 
#14 ·
In a basketball game, I had two free throws with one second left in a tie game to win it and missed both, and then we lost in overtime. But I've had a few clutch moments too, including hitting the game-tying shot with a few seconds left in a championship game to go to OT, where we won.

In tennis, I'm notorious for folding leads. Mostly because I'm a streaky player. Recently lost a match in three sets, after serving for it in the third set at 5*-3, 40-30. Lost it 5-7.

But the worst that I've seen I was on the non-choking end. I won 6-7; 7-5; 7-5. But, in each of the last two sets I started off down 0-5 and proceeded to win 7 games in a row each time, saving tons of match points.
 
#15 ·
In a basketball game, I had two free throws with one second left in a tie game to win it and missed both, and then we lost in overtime. But I've had a few clutch moments too, including hitting the game-tying shot with a few seconds left in a championship game to go to OT, where we won.
I gotta say, free throws need absolute clutchness, because you have to step up as the thoughts start piling up in your head. When you go up for a shot in the flow of the game, you have no time to think. Same goes for penalty kicks in association football, much harder mentally than trying to latch onto a pass.
 
#17 ·
It just comes down to muscle memory aka practice
 
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