At one extreme, you move through the routine and nothing takes hold. At the other, competition makes your heart race, your mind blanks, and familiar techniques vanish. Psychologists call this the Yerkes-Dodson law.
The law suggests performance improves with arousal, but only to a limit (On a graph, it forms an inverted U). When arousal is low, you feel bored, unfocused, and unmotivated. When it is balanced, you are sharp, alert, and energized; this is the state where you perform best. When it is excessive, anxiety dominates: you tighten up, tire quickly, panic, and fall apart.
The ideal level varies with the task. Simple actions, such as escaping a poor position, gain from higher intensity. Complex, technical work, like building a submission chain or sensing a partner’s weight shifts, requires a calmer mind, since stress disrupts clear thinking. This explains why top grapplers appear relaxed. Remaining calm under pressure is not then a lack of drive; but it is the discipline to keep arousal in the range where skills function.
How do you reach your sweet spot? If you feel flat, raise the stakes by setting a round goal, working from a bad position, or training with someone who challenges you. If you feel wired, slow your breathing, relax your grips and shoulders, and allow yourself to explore the position rather than force a win. Before competing, develop a routine that brings you to “alert but calm,” and practice it in training so it becomes automatic when needed.
Your technique is only as effective as the mindset you bring to it.