Watch the video below first.

According to his Instagram bio, the speaker is a neurologist and judging by his comments, may be an expert on peak performance.

While the author’s analysis pertains to Ilia Malinin’s choke job on the world’s biggest stage, it also applies to other endeavours, such as… oh, say, martial arts.

If you are not able to view this video, go here.

Relevant comments by the speaker that jumped out at me are:

  1. Choking can occur when you care about the outcome so much that your brain changes how that skill is executed.
  2. The more you care (about the outcome), the more the conscious mind tries to help, the more it helps, the more it interferes.
  3. So if you’ve collapsed when it counted most, cut yourself enormous slack; you didn’t fail because you weren’t good enough; you failed because your brain didn’t get out of the way.

How many times have we seen choke jobs in the sports world?

I can relate to Malinin’s experience because it reminds me of my experiences at two different martial arts tests.

One nearly turned into a choke job. The other experience was much more satisfactory. It all had to do with my approach to the desired outcome (being promoted to the next level).

The near choke job was my 5th-degree black belt test in the spring of 1997 at Notre Dame. Long story short, I did get promoted. However, I was deeply dissatisfied with my performance that day. I trained hard for it and really wanted the promotion.

At the beginning of the test, I felt off, as if nothing clicked for me. At least, that’s the way I felt. Anyway, I flubbed a couple of things, and it cascaded from there. I never felt like I got back on track mentally for the rest of the day. The funny thing is, no one seemed to notice. The internal messaging on that day was “Wow, man, you suck at this.” The longer the test proceeded, the worse it got for me. I felt very self-conscious and felt like I was embarrassing everyone there.

While I did get promoted, I was very unhappy with the test and particularly with my internal talk. It was a long drive home from South Bend, Indiana, back to my home in Columbus. During the 5-hour drive, I de-briefed myself and concluded that I was too attached to the outcome. I further concluded that I allowed a couple of minor mistakes to derail me for the rest of the afternoon. It was all freaking mental and resulted in a feeling that I had choked. “I sucked in public” was the overriding feeling.

In contrast, my Modern Arnis promotion in 2011 was an entirely different experience. I avoided the feeling of a choke job.

After being promoted to Master level in Modern Arnis, I was asked by Professor Ken and Professor Chuck to do a demonstration.

Me: “What do you want me to do?“

Them: “Anything.“

Furthermore, I was asked to demonstrate against another high-ranking Modern Arnis player. Unlike the 1997 Notre Dame test, I went into this demonstration without any attachment to any outcome and not caring how I looked in public. That mental outlook made a huge difference. My demonstration lasted about 5 minutes.

Professor Ken to Professor Chuck: “You gotta stop this; Brian is whaling on the other guy,” followed by laughter. Sidenote: both guys told me this afterwards.

Anyway, detachment from the outcome (whether it be promotion or doing well) seems to be the key and made a huge difference for me in 2011.

Back to Ilia Malinin, he’s only 21 years old, and he’ll have another chance in the 2030 Winter Olympics. Perhaps he can take inspiration from Dan Jansen, an American speed skater who failed to medal in the 1984, 1988, and 1992 Winter Olympic Games before finally medaling in the 1994 Lillehammer Games.

Conclusion

The experiences of both Ilia Malinin and my own martial arts journey illustrate a profound truth about performance under pressure. Detachment from the outcome can liberate us from the burdens of expectation and anxiety, allowing our true abilities to shine through. Dudes and dudettes, just let go of the outcome and enjoy the journey!