How to Stay Focused Under Pressure – with Chris Mesagno

How to Stay Focused Under Pressure – with Chris Mesagno

From Evidence Strong | Weightlifting Science by Evidence Strong

March 31, 2026 · 55 min · Episode 134

About this episode

Chris Mesagno discusses the psychology behind choking under pressure in sports and strategies to mitigate it.

🏋️‍♀️ Extended version of this interview: https://www.patreon.com/posts/how-to-deal-with-153127993 🏋️‍♀️ Choking under pressure is one of the most frustrating experiences in sport, but it is not random. In this conversation, Chris Mesagno breaks down the psychology behind choking, the role of anxiety and perfectionism, and how to build strategies to reduce it. Christopher Mesagno is an Associate Professor in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia. With over 25 years of research expertise in anxiety, attention, and concentration skills, Christopher has successfully developed theory-matched interventions to improve performance for highly anxious and "choking-susceptible" athletes. Christopher maintains a robust academic research profile with 75+ research articles and book chapters, and has given various conference and keynote presentations at national and international conferences. Enjoy! Original research paper(s): - Gröpel, P., & Mesagno, C. (2019). Choking interventions in sports: A systematic review. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 12(1), 176–201…

People in this episode

Host: Evidence Strong

Guest: Chris Mesagno

Topics covered

  • psychology of choking
  • anxiety in sports
  • performance strategies
  • sport psychology
  • attention and concentration

Keywords

  • choking
  • anxiety
  • performance
  • sport psychology
  • concentration skills

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Victoria University

Books & works: Choking interventions in sports: A systematic review

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