Athletes Who Win Know How to Manage Their Anger

"Very often, when you hear athletes talking about their successes, you will hear them boasting about being aggressive. Yet, when you ask the average person what it means to be aggressive, they say that hurting someone is part of the goal. High achievers know that the opposite of being aggressive is being passive. And, because success will not just magically drop in their lap, they can't be passive-they have to go after it."

"Simply put, if they want to improve performance, athletes need to maximize instrumental aggression and minimize hostile and reactive aggression, both of which are connected to high levels of anger. Therefore, it follows that athletes must be able to manage their anger levels if they want to be successful. So, don't be angry, right? Wrong! Athletes and coaches know something that the rest of society often wants to deny: anger helps performance."

Instrumental aggression is goal-directed behavior that helps athletes pursue objectives and avoid passivity. Hostile and reactive aggression aim to harm others or respond to provocation and produce penalties that damage team outcomes. Anger can increase speed, strength, stamina, and pain tolerance, offering a performance advantage when channeled appropriately. Excessive anger impairs motor skills, decision-making, problem-solving, and visual awareness, reducing effectiveness. Athletes must learn to manage anger to retain its benefits while minimizing counterproductive hostile or reactive responses. Coaches often spark competitive intensity but rarely teach concrete skills to prevent anger from becoming detrimental.

Read at Psychology Today