Lyle's office hours: the fear of losing is itself a way to lose
Sometimes, he says, lately, he won’t take risks in tournament matches even when risks are OK or even called for, because he finds he’s too scared of losing and hurting his chances for the Show and hype and fame, down the road. A couple times this year the cold clenched fear of losing has itself made him lose, he believes.
Context
The purely athletic cost of LaMont Chu's ambition, separate from the fame-theology Lyle lectures him about: the dread of blowing his shot has climbed inside his actual match-play. He stops taking the risks "even when risks are OK or even called for," and "the cold clenched fear of losing has itself made him lose." The wanting has turned into a physical brake on the court — a body playing not to lose, tightening exactly where it should let go. Caring too much about the outcome degrades the very performance the outcome depends on.