ABSTRACT
Optimising motoric performance is complex and multifactorial in nature. A critical demand on top-level performers is their ability to cope when executing motor skills under conditions of high competitive stress. In this chapter we identify motoric-executional (as a distinct addition to perceptual and decision making) factors as important but possibly neglected considerations in preparing for highly pressured environments. Importantly, optimal preparation must consider how these are embedded with other system elements of skill (e.g. emotions, information perception, and decision making), thus, helping to ensure that they can be executed effectively under pressure. Reflecting these ideas, we provide supportive evidence for a greater consideration of motoric-executional factors, propose a close link between internal representations and execution, examine how access to and activation of the representation may be both positively and negatively impacted by emotional states, suggest several applied implications for coaches, and, finally, propose avenues for future research.
