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Can a 'team' choke?

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Bomber

Debutant
Feb 1, 2000
122
22
Ive been having an argument with someone, and I cant understand how a team can 'choke'.
I fully understand an invividual can, as the pressure mounts at the end of a tennis match (ie Jana Navotna!), things can go skewiff and there is little other explination than choking.

However, a team is made up of 22 players, and at the end of a close game or whatever, the difference in players will always come out. For example, more often than not an experienced player will play better than a rookie when it comes down to the wire. A rookie may struggle with that pressure, but others wouldnt. If he does, does that mean you can lable the 'team' as choking?

Take Ess v Carl about 7 years ago, when Stix missed it all to win Carlscum the game. He may have choked under that pressure (he would have AT LEAST scored about 98/100 kicks from there). IF he did, does that mean Carlton choked? no it doesnt.

Did Footscray choke in that final against Adelaide? I say no, credit has to be given to Adelaide (esp. Jarman) who finished off the game better. Maybe a few footscray players struggled with the extra pressure, but it is rare that all players on a team play well at the same time.

Individuals can choke, no doubt - but I struggle to see how a team can be said to have choked.
 
This sounds galringly familiar to waht I have been saying for years.

How can 22 individuals all play badly at the same time ? It can't happen. A Tennis player, or golfer can choke.

Ar within a team can choke. But a team, comprising 22 players cannot choke.

if a team loses when it should win, it is primiarly due to one of, or a combination of these factors :

injury
luck
motivation
fatigue
weather
coaching moves
venue

etc etc

There are more variables than this. There are probably hundreds of variables that determine upsets.

Choking sems to be a "buzz" word in the 1990's. I don't like the word. i think it's largely meaningless. Hopefully it will go away over time.
 
Surprise Surprise, I disagree.
wink.gif


While I agree that choking is a tough word, players as individuals can tighten up considerably. As nerves get the better of players in close situations, it is not uncommon for this to spread to other players.
It is this situation where 'choking' can exist.

In regards to the Western Bulldog vs Adelaide preliminary final in question, it would be wrong not to congratulate Adelaide on a great comback. Yet the fact remains, the bulldog players were in a very unfamiliar position. (Adelaide were too but they do not have a long history of underachieving like the bulldogs, saints, etc) They were 25 minutes away from a Grand Final berth. Of course I will not have as good a memory of the game as crow supporters but as the enormity of the task set in, the dog players started to miss targets and make errors. The other players saw this and started to do the same thing. Before they knew it, they had given up a 6 goal lead and lost a huge opportunity.

As I said, I do not like the word 'choking' but I believe that it does exist to a small extent.
 

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The way I see it, a team as such can't choke, yet when individuals in a team choke, and they certianly do, then it causes the team to perform below par.

Taking Essendon in the Preliminary Final as an example, they didn't choke as a whole, however some individuals did. I don't think it takes many players to under-perform to throw the whole thing out of whack.

So, as it is, teams can't choke, individuals do. But when a team such as Essendon last year fails when they shouldn't, due to a couple of individuals, then the whole team just gets labelled as chokers.
 
Sainter - of course players can freeze up, but unless the whole team freezes at the same time - how can the TEAM choke?

When it gets close, some players will stand up and be counted, others will go missing. That will always happen. Because one, two, or three players tighten up, how can that mean that the whole team can be branded 'chokers'??
 
with you sainter.

As with a cold, it infects the team, one bad play can reinforce old feeling about teamates and thier bad habits. "Do i have to cover for him" "Why is it going wrong now" "I better just watch my back if he cant keep do his job, then can i really do mine"

In other words mind games, confidence levels, team spirit can all evaporate if enough players fall apart at the same time.

Hence the universal "choke" comes into play.

Might not be quite the right word, but in effect thats what happens.
 

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Can a 'team' choke?


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