Pressure of a penalty shoot out

It's not often that England is successful at winning a match on penalties but last night, in Russia they only did it!  A feat never before accomplished by England in a World Cup match.  Listening to the players and Manager in post-match interviews there was much talk of "owning the process" and remaining "in the moment".  Fascinating comments because it very much reminds me of the situation that happens with pupils taking their driving test.  

How many times do you come out of an interview and as you reflect, you kick yourself for NOT saying something for a given question, or talking nonsense for a different question?  The moment in time gets the better of us; the pressure affects the behaviours.  

The England Manager Gareth Southgate mentioned about the preparations the squad have done should it come down to penalties.  There are stats on specific players' scoring rates as well as goalkeeper performance on saves.  The goalkeeper mentioned that he had researched where certain players like to place the ball in a penalty stating that of the five penalty takers for Columbia, only one player struck the ball in a different area of the goal than usual.  

So there is constant, meticulous tracking of performance by individual players when taking penalties.  There is meaningful, specific research.  And there is "owning the process"; an exciting phrase deserving exploring a little.

Often in these high-pressure situations that crop up in life, e.g. interviews, exams, driving tests, first dates, there is an "unknown" element to them which can quickly develop in the imagination and become a monster.  Many of the England players would have had to overcome this last night due to their relative inexperience - they just would not have been in that situation before.  They would have taken dozens if not hundreds of penalties in competitive games in their lives, but never in a World Cup game in front of billions of viewers where the consequence of not scoring is being knocked out of the competition.

The player either volunteers or would be expected to take a penalty.  The player is physically shattered.  He will have confidence levels which will be very personal to him.  Where in the line up of 5 does the player take the penalty?  What are the expectations of the Manager, peers, the nation?  Did the opposition score or not immediately prior to taking the penalty.  The long walk from the halfway line to take the penalty.  The possible verbal and non-verbal exchange with the opposing goalkeeper.  What the referee says/does.  The atmosphere in the stadium created by the fans.  The behaviour of the goalkeeper immediately before taking the penalty.  The run-up.  The execution of the strike.

What examiners say on a driving test, how they behave, what you think, how you act, what events surrounding the situation ARE you in control of, which things that happen do you have no say in at all?  How do you feel, is the adrenalin helpful or harmful, are nerves affecting performance, do you have external pressures with which you think you MUST pass the driving test?  Have you practised this situation by doing a mock test, what is your actual driving ability (not perceived, but real), are you in control of your body - is your leg shaking, your heart pumping out your chest, you have a headache, you are sweating like crazy, your hands are literally shaking, you cannot think straight?

When the England Manager talked about "owning the process" he is referring to his players being aware of these elements and taking responsibility for doing the best they possibly can to prepare for them.  I noticed he was quick to make mention of the team around him and the work they did with the players.  He has considered a strategy for dealing with the high-pressure situation of penalties in the World Cup; he has first-hand knowledge of how it feels not to score (not all unfortunate experience is negative).  He has arranged an array of resources to be available for the individual players.  Ultimately, it will be how effectively the players engage in those resources that will determine outcomes.  This is what it comes down to.  At some point, the player will need to take responsibility for owning how he prepares for this situation.

I have known pupils not accept my feedback of their driving ability, not engage in a mock test, not ask any questions about how the driving test is conducted or how the examiner behaves.  Some are not even aware of the structure of the test, how it is assessed or even how long it lasts. 

It is a matter for our pupil.  We can advise but what we can't do is force a pupil to take responsibility for "owning the process".  It is for this reason that making training providers responsible for pass marks is a minefield.  Look at schools for example.  The stress exerted on teachers and students at schools is primarily due to the exam grades being a key indicator for the OFSTED assessment.  There appears to be no limit as to what a school will now consider doing to maximise exam grades with seemingly little regard ironically to how it affects the well being of the student or indeed the staff members.  

If you are considering joining the BIG TOM franchise and growing concerned as you are reading this, then I am happy to state I do not fall into this trap of holding instructors to account for pupil pass rates.  The current national driving test pass rate is 45.4% for a good reason; everything to do with the contents of this blog.  One of the critical values of BIG TOM Driving School is to provide a safe, enjoyable environment in which to develop long-lasting driving behaviours in our pupils.  A 100% first-time pass rate does not feature in our BIG TOM Customer Charter.  I would go so far as to say it would be impossible to run a thriving and prosperous driving school if the school DID have a 100% first-time pass rate, such is the negative impact it would force on customers.  That methodology does not make for happy customers.  There is nothing long-lasting about forcing pupils to drive in a particular manner to pass a driving test, that is not the pupil "owning the process" that would be the driving instructor taking complete control of the process.  The problem is that those pupils who have been "coached" to behave in a particular manner to pass the driving test, don't continue with those behaviours post-test, they don't own them so they won't do them.  

If you are interested in road safety rather than 100% driving test pass rates then BIG TOM would be VERY interested to hear from you.