What is Clutch Performance? An Examination of Definitional and Conceptual Issues

Clutch performance refers to successful or improved performance under pressure. Despite a long history of colloquial use and a growing research interest, there remains conflicting definitions and conceptualisations of this construct. Such conceptual divergence has appeared to limit progress towards the development of measurement, theory, and applied interventions for clutch performance. As such, the overarching aim of this thesis was to examine the conceptual foundations of clutch performance, with a specific focus on how current definitions and conceptualisations reflect athletes’ perceptions of performing well under pressure.