1. Higher P.E. The Emotional Factor

2. The Emotional factor There are a number of positive and negative emotions that impact on our ability to perform effectively. The main emotions are: Happiness Sadness Anger Fear Surprise Trust

3. Emotions – cause and effect When performing, or prior to a performance, emotions can have a huge impact on how successful our performance will be. Different situations or scenarios will control or cause the emotions we feel. The way we react to this emotion is the effect it will have on our performance

4. Quick task With your partner try and think or situations or scenarios either during or before a performance that may make you experience some of the following emotions: – Happiness – Sadness – Fear – Anger – Surprise – Trust

5. The Emotional factor EmotionQuality AffectedImpact on Performance HappinessConfidence Willing to try, believe in own ability Resilience Won't give up, will recover from losing or being beaten Optimisim Remaining positive and hopeful that success can be achieved TrustSelf-respect Conduct self in appropriate manner Mutual Respect Treat others with respect and courtesy Personal Responsibility Manage own emotions and behaviour Collective Responsibility Activity carried out without disagreements FearDecision Making Wrong or rash decisions are taken and hesitation occurs Confidence Unwilling or unable to try, no belief in own ability AngerDecision Making Wrong or rash decisions are taken and hesitation occurs Self-control Wrong or rash decisions are taken, resulting in performer losing control

6. Connected Emotions Emotions are interesting because they can be interconnected and can affect each other as you perform. For example: If a gymnast introduces a new routine that is very well thought out, complex and interesting, then the surprise you get may affect your confidence (happiness) when you go on to perform your own routine. You might panic as you believe your own routine is not good enough to compete and as a result you become angry and frustrated and make some mistakes.

7. Feature of the factor – Self-control (Anger) Having self-control in all aspects of life is important When you are faced with decisions you do not like or do not want to accept you must learn to exercise self-control As you mature and become more experienced, self-control become easier to manage

8. Example Watch the attached clip to see the impact lack of self-control can have in a competitive situation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8Nyc9jzSDg

9. The negative and positive impact of self-control Self-control can help or hinder you by forcing you to deal with the emotions you experience when you: – Have received what you feel is a bad decision from an official – Have to deal with an aggressive opponent – Are on the receiving end of a foul – Have to deal with the disappointment of losing – Have to deal with the happiness/excitement of winning – Make a mistake – Receive criticism about your performance – Are substituted

10. Dealing with a bad decision from an official If an official makes a decision you do not agree with during performance, it is possible you could lose self-control. This might show itself in the following ways: – You shout or argue with the official – You lose your temper and give up This might result in: – Being sent off, disciplined or disqualified – Experiencing your own performance deteriorate, which could negatively influence the performances of those around you if playing a team game.

11. Dealing with an aggressive opponent When trying to deal with an aggressive player or performer, it is possible you will lose self-control. This might show itself in the following way: – You end up arguing with an opponent or official – You might become aggressive too – You may feel frustrated and end up making rash tackles, passes or rush your performance This might result in: – You being disciplined because of your behaviour or attitude – You or an opponent becoming seriously injured – Your performance deteriorating

12. Dealing with emotions associated with winning If you begin to feel as though you could win during a performance, or if you do in fact win, it is possible you might lose self-control. This might show itself in the following ways: – You might loss focus or concentration – You might ‘take your foot off the accelerator’ and relax This might result in you: – Losing points or control of the performance – Allowing the opposition to ‘come back into the game’

13. Emotions – Cause and effect With a partner try to determine the cause and effect of the following situations: – Dealing with a foul on you – Dealing with disappointment associated with losing – Dealing with emotions when you make a mistake – Dealing with criticism about your performance – Dealing with feelings when substituted

14. Approaches to develop self control As with mental factors we can use techniques such a mental rehearsal and deep breathing techniques to control our emotions Other techniques we will look at are the following: Positive outlook approach ‘Parking it’ approach

15. Positive outlook approach Self-control can be established by using a positive outlook approach You deliberately intend to focus on the positive aspects of your previous performance It should help you prepare for the next performance Instead of dwelling on mistakes of bad decisions you identify at least 2 areas where you did something well and made a positive impact on your performance When thinking about these positive aspects you should try to remember or link in to the feeling you experienced This can help block out negative emotions as you attempt to prepare for your next performance

16. Positive outlook approach I supported the attack as they moved up the field and helped set up the winning goal I made sure I marked my opponent tightly and denied them any real attacking opportunities I was able to stay focused and so managed to intercept the ball twice as it was played through defence I successfully delayed the oncoming striker to give my defence time to get back and cover

17. Positive outlook approach Try carrying out this approach before a performance: – Reflect on the previous performance you gave – Write down at least 2 things you did well – Choose one of the aspects identified and ‘run over’ this in your mind. Ask yourself – what did I do, who was there, what impact did it have of the performance? – Try to remember what it felt like when you were going through the successful part of your performance. Write down these feelings – Repeat step 3 for another aspect This approach encourages the mind to set itself in a positive state. This means self-control is established, emotions are under control and the mind can focus on the performance requirements

18. Positive outlook approach Benefits: – Performer can have ownership of how they feel – Encourages self-reflection (appreciation of performance) – Encourages performer to not dwell on negative aspects of performance Limitations: – May not be possible to use in the heat of the moment – When emotions run out of control it is difficult to bring them back under control quickly (especially if negative things have made the performer lose control in the first place)

19. ‘Parking it’ approach Used to maintain self-control Performer tries to put aside something which occurs which may cause a loss of self-control Bad tackle Losing points quickly Poor referee decision Making a mistake When incident occurs you ‘park it’ with intention of going back to ‘pick it up’ later Think of parking a car while you go shopping. You do not think about the car while you are shopping and are able to carry on buying what you intend to buy. One finished shopping you return to collect the carry where you left it. In a performance situation you would acknowledge the mistake or bad tackle etc. but then make a conscious effort to ‘park it’ and move on with the performance but ‘pick it up’ (deal with it) later

20. ‘Parking it’ approach Example: A netballer who is contacted by her opponent feels angry as she was knocked over on to the floor. As she stands up, she says ‘park it’ to herself and takes the ball from the umpire to take the penalty pass. This means there is no wasted time shouting at the opponent or appealing to the umpire to take action. Both these responses would impact on her performance. Instead, she is able to take complete control of her play and shut out the distraction and disruption this foul could have caused her.

21. ‘Parking it’ approach Benefits – Performer can focus on the desired outcomes of the performance rather than the incident that has taken place – No hesitation or frustration will enter the game just a renewed effort to ‘ get stuck in’ and succeed Limitations – It can be hard to set aside some incidents that may cause a player to lose control – It takes time and experience to hone this methods and make it work for you