We recently asked our STACKletes: “As a player, would you rather be consistent or clutch?” What is more valuable to you and your team—performing reliably on a day-to-day, game-to-game basis, or coming through with a big play when the game is on the line?
Of those who answered the question with consistent or clutch, about 29 percent went with “clutch”:

An overwhelming 71 percent said they’d rather be consistent, including sho99 (Shomari Williams, who plays in the CFL):


A number of STACKletes responded, “consistently clutch,” and others insinuated that you can be clutch while otherwise lacking in consistency. Being clutch is an advantage here, because in a sense it implies that a player can simply turn it on when needed.



Of course, all of us would rather be both! But the underlying question here is whether the two always go hand-in-hand—can you have one without the other? STACKletes spoke up on that issue, too.

The implication is that you can’t perform well in critical situations unless you do so on a regular basis. Your coach will know you’re a player who can be counted on (more times than not) to sink the buzzer beater. But just because a player performs well every day, does that automatically mean he or she can step it up when it really counts—or will he or she fold under pressure?
Consistency helps your team in more ways, but it takes practice, practice, practice.  If you tend to cave under pressure, work on your mental game and, next time, remember that reliability counts to the finish.