Pressure: Lessons from the Psychology of the Penalty Shootout

“Performance under pressure, we are strongly reminded, is not about being fearless, and without discomfort; it is about acting despite fear and discomfort—acting directly in the face of those things.”

- Geir Jordet

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The penalty shootout is the most intense drama in sport. The anxious wait, the building dread, the lonely, heavy-legged walk towards the penalty spot. One kick while the world holds its breath. Even football’s most casual observers cannot escape the nerve-wracking suspense.

What happens to a footballer’s brain and body in these heart pounding moments of pressure? Why do some thrive while others choke? When the game goes to penalties, what ultimately separates success from failure, and triumph from disaster?

In this ground-breaking book, sport psychology Professor Geir Jordet dissects each agonising element of the shootout's duel and the universal human stress mechanisms that it triggers and illuminates.

Drawing on two decades of studying the atomic nuances of performance under pressure, Jordet’s vivid case studies take you behind the scenes of football’s most nail biting moments. He interviews superstars and shares stories from his work with top teams and some of the world’s best players.

In the penalty shootout, as in life, it is often the tiny, seemingly invisible decisions that impact success and failure. After reading this book, you will have fresh insights and a newly acquired understanding of those dreaded moments when the pressure builds - and how to handle them.

Available in: English (British), English (US), Nederlands, Deutsch, Français, Italiano, Magyar, Română, Português (Brasileiro), 日本語, 中國, 台灣人

BUY THE BOOK

  • "In this riveting book, isolating one particular buttock-clenchingly, nerve-shreddingly tense situation that footballers have to cope with, Jordet addresses the wider issue with immense skill."

    The Times

  • "A gripping, surprising and deeply humane look at one of the most intense pieces of drama on earth."

    James Graham, Playwright & Screenswriter of Dear England

  • "There are more people who have traveled to space than soccer players who have taken a penalty kick in a World Cup shootout, and there is nobody on this planet who has done more to understand the minds of those athletes than a psychologist named Geir Jordet."

    Ben Cohen, The Wall Street Journal

  • "'One of the world's preeminent minds on one of sport's most pressurised dramas."

    The Independent

  • “I hope that this book will find its way into the hands of anyone, players or managers, who might have to take part in the inevitable penalty shootouts, watched by more than a billion people, that will bring synapse-stunning excitement to this year's European Championships.”

    Roger Alton, Journalist

  • "Not only does it offer a fascinating analysis of penalty shoot out case studies, but the behavioural techniques Jordet uses to train players feel very relevant and transferable to other stressful situations."

    Craigie J., Verified Amazon Purchaser