Athletes of all sizes, ages and genders have at least one characteristic in common. Whether professional athletes or beginners, there is a natural feeling before the competition begins. This feeling is stimulated by the athlete's level of stress, anxiety and excitement before the event. Growing up playing multiple sports there was one piece of advice that all of my coaches and even my parents gave me. The advice was to not let my nerves get the best of me. At times, though, I couldn't help but fall victim to the level of stress and anxiety I had before the game. As a result, my performance decreased and I “choked.” In this article I will break down what “choking” really means, how coaches can prevent “choking” from occurring, as well as provide an example of recent events where even professional athletes have “choked.” Anshel (2012) stated , “Suffocation is defined as the inability to achieve previously exhibited standards.” In other words, the athlete experiences a decline in performance due to the pressure to perform as good if not better than previous standards. There are three components that have a large effect on whether the athlete “chokes” or not. These three components are; stress, anxiety and excitement (Anshel, 2012). Without adequate maintenance of these emotional states, the risk of suffocation for the athlete during a sporting event is much higher. Stress is an integral part of life in general. Whether it's taking an exam, achieving life goals, trying to be a good parent, or performing in sports, your stress level can have a huge effect on your outcome. “Stress refers to the bodily or cognitive responses present to an environmental demand” (An...... middle of paper...... York Jets for a playoff spot. In this high-pressure situation, the Dolphins under the guidance of their quarterback he was only able to score seven points over the course of both games (Strahm, 2013 This means that Ryan Tannehill was only able to throw one touchdown in two games throwing the ball and calling). the plays to get your team on the field and the score is sole responsibility of the quarterback. Ryan Tannehill let his nerves get to him and because of this he is "choked" As you can see, any athlete can "choke" due to unregulated levels of stress, anxiety and excitement, whether it is sports beginners or even professional athletes, the maintenance of these emotions is fundamental for performance, with correct implementation, coaches can prevent this event by integrating appropriate techniques into practice to reduce the risk of “choking”.”.