Middlesbrough

How Emotions Influence Performance

Before I started working for British Cycling, I was a sports scientist helping with the physical preparation of athletes to perform to their potential. My interest in sports science started while following Chris Boardman’s career and I was particularly engaged with his relationship with Peter Keen the scientist who developed British Cycling’s 6 zone training model.

However, as my understanding of the physiology of cycling and my own coaching practice advanced, I started to better understand the importance of the psychological aspects of coaching and cycling performance. Developing this understanding is likely to have a positive impact on the efficacy of my own coaching practice.

With that in mind, it was exciting to be given a CPD opportunity to attend a workshop at the University of Wolverhampton on Emotion Regulation of Others and Self in Sport. This workshop was delivered as part of the EROS project  and led by Prof. Andy Lane of the University of Wolverhampton. There were a number of interesting messages but the main one for me was that emotions substantially impact on cycling performance and by learning to regulate your own emotions or help riders to regulate theirs, positive outcomes become more likely. 

Emotions are important for performance because they relate to a rider’s state of mind and how this state interacts with their behaviour, their environment and with others around them. The diagram shown to the side illustrates how a number of emotions impact on how activated a rider is to respond to within their environment. Note that emotions are shown to be pleasant or unpleasant rather than positive or negative.

By helping riders understand what role emotions play in their own behaviour and for decision-making, it is more likely that they will respond in a way that will help their performance in stressful competitive environments. The following quote from Baumeister et al (2007) was very interesting in this regard because it suggests that emotions that we may initially perceive as negative may result in positive behaviour change that impacts positively on performance. 

“If the total net effect of emotion were to cause behaviours that were maladaptive, such as by reducing survival and reproduction, then natural selection would likely have phased emotion out of the human psyche”

For example, a rider may feel downhearted or afraid because they think that they are not as good as the riders they compete against. An automatic response by the coach could be to provide re-assurance or suggest that the rider uses positive self-talk to improve their confidence. However, it is important to consider that the unpleasant emotion may help their performance by motivating them to be more focussed or to train harder/more effectively. An unpleasant emotion sends a signal that they need to do something to improve the way they feel. For a competitive rider who is down because he is performing poorly, such an emotion might lead to increasing effort and increased effort can lead to improved performance.

It can be useful to explore what emotions your riders experience when performing well (or less well_and develop strategies to try  to replicate them for subsequent performances. These emotions may seem counterintuitive to what you believe is likely to enhance their performance. For example, a rider may report that they feel tense or very nervous before important races but they may perform better when experiencing such emotions. Therefore, it would be inappropriate to use strategies such as relaxation techniques or imagery to try and alleviate what may be perceived to be negative emotions. However, if a rider commonly experiences emotions that negatively influence their performance, developing appropriate strategies such as using cue word to “re-frame” the experience may be beneficial.

The British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) provide an expert statement on emotion regulation in sport that you may find useful. The conclusions and recommendations from this statement to enhance emotion regulation is that coaches’ riders and practitioners should:

• Identify emotional states associated with best and worst performance. These might vary from rider to rider.

• Examine the use and effectiveness of rider emotion regulation strategies. A strategy a rider believes to be effective may not be so.

• Help riders examine the perceived cause of their feelings. If change is desired, help them re-appraise the causes.

• Recognise that many performance management strategies will also act as emotion regulation strategies.

The EROS workshop highlighted to me how the quest to be as effective as I can be in my job or as a coach is a never ending one; there are always new areas to investigate or other perspectives to consider. CPD, learning from other disciplines or sports and being open to new ideas is an integral part of being an effective performance coach and attending such workshops is part of that process.

Many thanks to Prof. Andy Lane for his assistance in ensuring this article reflects the work of the EROS group.This article will shortly be published on the British Cycling website and they will retain copyright when this is done.

6th November 2011: Autumn in Broadbottom

Although I'm over a month late in posting all these pics, it was a big day for me as I decided to put my camera in manual mode and learn to use it a wee bit. Fortunately, the light was amazing so I got some good shots.

For those of you that don't know, Broadbottom is a wee mill village between Manchester and Glossop. I love the place a) because it is home and b) it's pretty beautiful once you get to know it c) the lady in the post office does brill caramel shortcake. Anyway, here are some pics of the surrounding area.

Broadmills

In the woods

Moss and oak

A Favourite Photo

Nikon D3000 ; F/4; ;1/100th ISO400 

I just love this picture. It looks like still from a Spike Lee film! This was taken at the demo during the Tory Party Conference on the 2nd of October 2011.

Kirkland's Portraits

Street Photography in Manchester

Amy W

At the Tory Conference (but not in)

The BMX National Series at Platt Fields

Charlotte 

My Neighbour Doodle

A South American Busker in Manchester

At the Tory Conference Again

Jez H

Jez at the BMX Centre

James outside the Buddhist Centre

James and Laure

Faye

The Tory Conference Again

RIP Brian Whipp

It's not often I'm saddened when someone dies, especially as it comes to us all, as sure as we are all born. I just read that Brian Whipp has died. He was an eminent  physiologist who played a huge role in developing the understanding of oxygen uptake kinetics we have today.

Although I always struggled to understand his papers his acquisition of knowledge in this area has probably taught me more about exercise intensity, and indirectly training prescription, than anyone else. I never actually met the guy but once saw him at Physoc and it was more exciting than when I met Kevin Keegan.

Scientists like Prof. Whipp are the real superstars of the world!

Has Bean Rwandan Kigoma Review

I must be getting really say but I was very excited to have a new coffee to try this week.

It was the Has Bean Rwandan Kigoma fully washed red bourbon. 

I've not got a grinder at work so bought it ground for french press. Hopefully Santa will bring a nice Japanese Porlex grinder. Immediately on opening the bag, a sweet aromatic juicy coffee smell filled the office.

It tasted even better than the smell once the water temperature had dropped over a few minutes! Sweetness like I've never tasted in a coffee.....figgy syrup (like I put in my porridge) Sooth, rich and balanced, hitting all the right notes. Acidic zing on the tip of the tongue but sheer richness further back in the mouth. Has Bean mentioned lemons and limes but I only got the limes!

This is simply the best french press cup I've ever tasted! I love this coffee! 98 outta 100!