This means that if your best player hit the last two balls out of bounds, she might not be the one you should count on even if she has the highest hitting percentage on the team. Maybe the ball needs to go to your opposite, who doesn't get set much in any given match, but who has owned the left side blocker on the last three attacks.
But it is more complicated than just setting the hot hitter because those sets were hit in normal conditions. When the game is at stake, it is all about knowing your team. Take a look in their eyes when the pressure is high and it should be clear who wants the ball to come their way and who would rather spectate. The player with the gleam in their eye and the focus on their face is the player that needs to get the set.
Psychology can't account for everything and certainly sport is not an exact science. That's part of what makes it so interesting to watch. We don't know how it will unfold and there are no guarantees that any one player will be successful in that key moment.
Otten's study teaches us that just that little bit of a psychological edge could mean the difference between winning and losing. Coaches would be smart to work pressure situations into practice to see who responds and who retreats. Although a real game-like situation is tought to re-create, coaches can certainly do their best to prepare their players to be mentally ready for that huge moment before it arrives.
Otten has begun a second study that builds on the idea of perceived control and hopes to uncover even more about how the athlete's brain can help or hinder them when it counts. He hopes his research will help players and coaches perform better.
"Practicing mentally is so often overlooked as opposed to practicing physically," says Otten. "If we can help the athlete who is hoping to improve their skill by focusing a little more on the mental side or the coach who picks up on this and integrates it into their practice, then that would be the fun part of doing this research."
