How to be Clutch
What’s the most impressive thing you’ve ever seen? Was it Tiger Woods’ Chip-in on 16 at the Masters? Michael Jordan’s game 6 shot to win the Championship? James Conrad’s “Holy Shot”? A father on TikTok catching his baby mid air as it’s falling off the sofa? Sports transcend simple competition in those moments. As a viewer you feel the weight of the moment, the pressure of the expectation, and the electricity of the execution.
I’ve never been a skilled competitor, unless you count Mario Kart with friends or college applications to State schools. Those moments of greatness from world class athletes make me feel the same way I’m sure they make you feel. I’ve been fortunate enough to be in the position where I needed to clutch up and succeeded, and more frequently I’ve been in the position of falling flat on my face. If the guy who stubs his toe on the same coffee table once a week can also win a couple World Championships, then I believe everyone has the ability to be clutch.
Be Prepared
That serendipitous perfection you saw was actually flow state muscle memory. What you don’t see as a viewer are the thousands of hours these athletes log to get as good as they are. I’m not saying you need to devote thousands of hours to be clutch, but let’s think through some scenarios where preparation will help us get a head start:
Throw-ins: Learn your distances with your main throw-in discs and keep pushing yourself. Warm up before your rounds and reinforce the power and aim for distances.
Aces: Find lines for Sunshine Glade, go to Blueberry Thicket next, etc. When you’re playing the Daily Challenge or Multiplayer and come across a hole you realize you don’t have a good line for take a break after your round and see if you can figure it out.
Difficult Holes: Your clutch factor on these separator holes will be limited by your skill level. Practice these holes specifically in the worst winds so that you’ll know what to do if they happen to appear.
Put yourself in those positions
Be grateful for the opportunity to play under pressure. If you’re playing under pressure, it means you’ve done well enough to be in that position. There are few better feelings than executing when it matters most, and we should be eager for those opportunities. Our reward for playing 3 excellent rounds should be pressure, otherwise there wouldn’t be any fun in it.
I’m guessing the first time you’re in a position to clutch up you’ll succumb to some of that pressure, and honestly that’s ok. The more frequently you’re in pressure situations, the better you will be at reacting to them. The same way you’ll be practicing your throw-ins you should be practicing mental fortitude by playing events, the Pro Tour, and Multiplayer. Just because you’re familiar with pressure doesn’t mean that feeling goes away, and I personally get nervous all the time. The difference will be you look forward to those moments rather than dreading them.
Fun fact, you don’t have to practice this by only playing Disc Golf Valley. When was the last time you sang karaoke, gave a speech at a wedding, or even struck up conversation with a stranger? You can prepare for these moments the exact same way you would as dropping an ace, and probably have more fun doing it. So the next time your friend’s zipper is down, remember to make it as awkward as possible so you’re more comfortable when Sunshine Glade comes up.
Trust Yourself
In those moments when you’re too nervous to think through a problem, the only person you can trust is you. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve second guessed a downhill throw-in I’ve made hundreds of times and dinked it. All that preparation will be for nothing if you can’t trust your muscle memory. If you have a set play in Multiplayer, don’t change it for Worlds. If you know your aim and power for a 3 wind, send it. Play confidently in the best way you know how and don’t compromise your game because of the circumstances.
It’s just like sales…
You shouldn’t expect everything to work out for you every time. Michael Jordan missed plenty of shots and James Conrad squares his fair share of trees. They set themselves apart by moving past their failures so when the opportunity presents itself again, they’ll be ready to attack it.
I used to work in sales, and I heard many mentors tell me that it’s a “numbers game.” Not everyone will want to buy what you’re selling, and that’s OK. You need every sales pitch to sound like you weren’t just rejected by the last person you talked to, and I believe the same thing about Disc Golf Valley. There’s randomness, bad luck, disc wobble, spit outs, and competitors that can all throw off the best rounds, and with so much out of your control you need to stay focused on yourself. It’s still possible to fail even if you execute to the best of your abilities, and that’s nothing to be ashamed of.
Relish in your successes, learn from your defeats, and enjoy the process!
Reese Hight
2x DGV World Champion
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