Why do people choke? You've been cleaning your routine for months, you’ve spent hours in technique classes, and the routine looks flawless. Then finally the time comes to take the competition floor, and someone chokes with a random mistake that you've never seen before that unfolds before your eyes in slow motion. Let's talk about the number one reason an athlete chokes. Side note: it's not just a lack of preparation. In today’s episode we’ll discuss the mental skill of relaxation. We’ll talk about over-arousal, the advantages of using breath training and how it works, and I’ll give you an example of a breath control pattern I use with my dancers to combat over-arousal. With today's mental skill, I'm here to help you make sure all that hard work in the studio shows up on stage, so if you've ever had a dancer mess up on something they've done correctly in practice a zillion times, this episode is for you! Episode Resources: https://chelseapierotti.com/136 Podcast Quiz: https://chelseapierotti.com/podcastquiz