Quote:
Originally Posted by Reaper16
I too think that clutchness is something talked about way too much, but I think that it does exist in some capacity. It wouldn't be so much "turning it on" though, because this player wouldn't have access to that special reserve of ability. It seems reasonable to me that some players respond better when the pressure is on. Not by their own agency, but for psychological reasons relating to motivation or something.
Chokers don't choose to choke; they don't manually turn on their failure switch. So clutch players are ones are the true opposite of chokers -- they inexplicably perform better in high-pressure situations, or as games near their conclusion.
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I mostly agree with this, especially as it relates to baseball. However, I do think that some players do hold something back for the most important times.
When you look at great pitchers, some of them can reach back and put a little something extra on a fastball in a critical situation. When you get into sports like basketball, veterans routinely save themselves for the fourth quarter our even the playoffs. It's not do much being clutch as it is intentionally putting fourth a level of effort at critical times that might not be sustainable over the course of an entire game, season, etc.