ABSTRACT
Accounting for the abilities of skillful performers presents a formidable challenge. Yet
those who already possess the requisite skills but fail to perform pose an even bigger
conundrum. John McEnroe had a stellar 1984 season, entering the French Open unde-
feated. Playing Ivan Lendl, he dominated the first two sets. Then, tied 1-1 McEnroe
became furious at a cameraman and went on to lose in five sets (Morrison 2012). At
the 2011 US Masters Rory McIlroy, leading with ease, hit a triple bogey and had a stag-
gering 43-shot back nine, only good enough to finish tied for 15th Place (Viner 2011).
Underwhelming performances or, rather, overwhelming underperformances, are ubiqui-
tous in many practices, such as the arts, public speaking, academics (test taking), and
even sexual activity, but their nature is uncertain. ‘Choking’ in sport is, however, the
paradigm. Insight into this quandary will result in a better understanding of skilled
action generally and in sport and other performing activities specifically. In a deep way,
expertise and choking are two sides of the skillful performance coin. After all, it is not
whether experts, even paragons of excellence, will fail or not; sooner or later all will. We
are human all too human. What matters is how experts handle pressure and failure.
Here, we explore the quick sands of failed expertise to gain understanding of such an
enigmatic phenomenon. This sets up the argument that failure can be a key element to
success and even beneficial for self-cultivation.
