Coping with pressure

Pressure manifests itself in many ways and in general, will affect logical thinking and optimum performance. The aim of this section is to pass on knowledge to assist everyone to cope and perform better under pressure.

There are good and poor ways of coping with pressure.

Recognising Pressure Symptoms

There are external and internal sources of serious pressure

Pressure breaks your attention span leading to a lapse in concentration.


Pressures usually and most always cause feelings of:

A lack of control over the situation

Tightness of your muscles and breathing

Loss of feeling for the game, its values and participants


This results in:

Loss of basic technique and discipline

Complete breakdown in skills


Results in handling pressure well:

THOUGHTS are positive, confident and flowing in accord with the game.

FEELINGS are calm and in control with a sense of enjoyment and anticipation without effort

FOCUS – on the ‘here and now’, looking for the seam on the ball and wanting the next decision to be yours


Impact of anxiety of performance:

One of the most frequent causes of poor concentration and therefore a build up of pressure is anxiety. Under normal conditions, attention is continually shifting back and forth across a variety of wavelengths.

Under pressure, three things happen:

Attention becomes inflexible

Attention becomes narrow

Attention becomes more internally focused


Dealing with impact of anxiety

Realise that you must have flexibility to be able to deal with pressure

If you allow your attention to narrow, the pressure mounts and it becomes difficult to attend to several things at a time. This is the most dangerous period.

You feel rushed, overloaded and it results in poor decision-making


SYMPTOMS:

Increased heart rate

Lump in the throat

Upset stomach

Withdrawal or reluctance to talk to players

Try these simple suggestions:

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent

Relax your neck and shoulder muscles

Direct your thoughts inward and realize how tense the rest of your body may be

Try to breathe normally

Feel the heaviness that occurs

Now take a deep slow breath (at least 5 seconds) and feel the tension leave

Continue with a few more deep breaths. Clear your mind of irrelevant thoughts

Focus on the next ball

Thought control – turning negative thoughts into positive

POSITIVE: “Nobody likes it but I can cope with it”
NEGATIVE: “I can’t stand this pressure”

POSITIVE: “Stay calm and watch the ball”
NEGATIVE: “I hope I don’t make any mistakes”

After the Match

Agree with the scorers as to the correctness of the scores and sign the books.

Laws 3.15 and 4.2 require the umpires and scorers to work together during the match but it is up to the umpires to ensure the scores are correct. It is essential that umpires establish an understanding and have good communication with the scorers in all matches.

Review the match in detail with your partner and if both of you agree, ask for opinions on areas they think you could improve on.

Get to know the players over a drink or two if invited. This can be helpful in knowing the characteristics of players you may be dealing with later in the season. Never get into long-winded discussions about decisions, just stick to what you told them earlier. Many an excellent decision has been spoilt due to mediocre explanation.

Do not discuss your colleague’s performance in his absence – at all times stay loyal to the third team no matter what you really think. Do not stay too long as judgment and inhibitions tend to diminish as the evening grows older.

Finally, remember that every ball of every match you umpire is a way of practicing and honing your skills. Sometimes a “boring” match can be your best opportunity to practice the skills you are less competent at.

Focus Techniques for You and Your Partner

Good umpires take responsibility for each other’s focus throughout the match. The importance of constant eye contact, if possible after every ball is vital. For example a batsman previously batting on the crease may not be taking strike a metre outside the crease. Picking these instances up and relaying them to your partner is part of the concept of working as a team.

Teamwork automatically keeps you focused and leads to a cohesive pair that is constantly on top of their responsibilities. Intervals in play create the most likely opportunity for lost focus. The problem is that the level of focus required is hard to reacquire and remember common fact no. 4 – focus must exist before the start/restart. Both umpires should talk about what is going to happen when play resumes, who is bowling/on strike, how many overs etc before walking back out. Enjoy the break in play but enjoy getting back out there.

During a tense period the kind of support you give and receive from your partner can be crucial in the final judgment on your performances. Some umpires like to be left alone while others may want a kick in the pants to jump-start their concentration. Make sure there is no doubt whatsoever about what level of support you or your partner need and prepare for the contingency before the game.


SUMMARY

• Every match you umpire must begin with you being entirely focused on the job at hand.
• Ensure you are prepared pre match so that your focus is at its highest level.
• Establish eye contact with your colleague at every possible moment.
• Establish proper techniques for maintaining concentration during the match.
• Take responsibility for your actions and decisions. Rely on your partner to do likewise.
• Double your effort if you feel your colleague is losing focus.
• Take the time to have a post match evaluation.
• Recognising your weaknesses is the first step towards solving them.