And then there's good old fashioned panic: In a 2009 study, Jordet found that players who approach the ball less than 0.2 seconds after the referee blows the whistle succeed on less than half of their kicks compared with players who take longer (they score on 80%).
Where schools can succeed is worrying less about wins and losses, and about competing with club teams for elite athletes, and promoting sports as what they should be: a chance for students to proudly represent their school.