
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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