Regulate your emotions for consistent performance

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Even with more than 16 years of experience as starting quarterback for the New England Patriots, Tom Brady still feels “butterflies” before games. “Yeah, absolutely,” Brady told the media recently. “Yeah, there will definitely be nerves and being anxious, but that’s part of football. And once you get out there and start going, those things calm down.”

As one sport psychologist asserts, “It’s not just a question of getting rid of butterflies, it’s getting them to fly in formation.”

▸ Do you know what emotional level you need to attain to perform your best?

▸ Can you tell if your emotions are too elevated or too low to play your best hockey?

▸ Do you have techniques to help you manage your emotional levels?

The answers to these questions are an important place to begin to develop a consistent performance level. This month’s column focuses on emotional regulation.

What is emotional regulation and how does it influence hockey performance?

Emotions — both conscious and unconscious — impact energy and behavior. They appear in physiological and psychological ways and are natural reactions to events, experiences and relationships.

Emotions can be viewed on a continuum, with low emotional activation at one end of the spectrum and excessive emotional activation at the other. At either emotional extreme, athletes perform below their capacity. Emotions are not static. Rather, they are dynamic and fluctuate according to factors that include environment, thoughts, behaviors, mood, sleep, nutrition and hydration.

Before and during important sporting events, athletes can experience a variety of emotions that affect their performance. For example, hockey players who are nervous about their performance before a game can become overly focused on how they will play. This tension can lead to anxiety and the associated psychological and physiological effects such as negative self-talk, elevated heart rate, rapid breathing, increased stress hormones and tight muscles. However, in the same locker room, another player might be relatively subdued before the game, possibly relaxed or distracted. That player could be focused on Snapchat conversations and not preparing physically or mentally for the game.

One way to think about emotional regulation is as a volume dial or temperature control. Turn it one way, and emotions flatten; turn it in the opposite direction and they activate. Every athlete has a unique emotional “volume” or “temperature” at which they perform their best.

A common conceptualization of emotional regulation is the Individual Zone of Optimal Functioning (IZOF), also referred to as the Individual Zone of Optimal Performance (IZOP). The graph below represents the range of physiological activation at which an athlete can perform at his or her peak level.

Every athlete has a unique IZOP. The key to athletic success is for the athlete to determine where it lies and how to access it. What works for some athletes might not work for others. When athletes discover their ideal emotional level and how to achieve it, they can empower themselves to reach that level consistently.

Some hockey players, for example, have a quiet routine for preparing for games. They may warm up and stretch with their teammates but take time apart to mentally prepare. One player might choose to place a towel over his head to better focus. Others might pump themselves up by playing loud music or riding a flywheel bike. Finally, some athletes just like to sit with their eyes closed and imagine personal highlights.

Emotions impact behavior

Common emotions associated with high activation: excitement; anxiety; anger

Common emotions associated with low activation: sadness; distraction; fatigue

Two of the most common emotions that impact performance are anxiety and anger. Frequently athletes display exaggerated negative emotion when they make mistakes. Whether athletes are angry about performance or something outside of their control, resulting behaviors have a direct impact on performance. Aside from losing respect, fans and even endorsements, athletes and their actions — such as Sergio Garcia throwing his golf club into a pond after a bad shot or Serena Williams verbally abusing an umpire after a call — can lose emotional control and see performance plummet.

Ways to control emotion

• Choose to remain in control
• Focus your attention
• Relax and take a mindful breath
• Refocus your mind using a “personal logo” or centering thought
• Direct your emotional energy in positive ways (skating hard to reach the puck first)
• Reframe negative thoughts

Exercise

▸ Reflect on times when you have played your very best: What emotions were you feeling? What was your emotional energy level?

▸ Think about your emotional level: If you were to place yourself on a dial that ranged from 1-10, where would you land?

▸ Identify why you were able to play with that emotional intensity.

▸ Using this self-awareness, create a routine for yourself so that you can prepare to play at that emotional level for each game.

▸ If you find yourself below your IZOP, “turn up the dial” by using your highlight reel or physically energizing.

▸ If you find yourself above your IZOP, turn down “the dial” by lowering your breathing rate.

Like other mental conditioning techniques, setting SMART goals (see the June 2018 issue for more or read about SMART goals here: https://www.hockeyjournal.com/success-goalsetting-hockey-mental-brain/), practicing consistently and holding yourself accountable are key components of successful mental conditioning. Just as your muscles will not strengthen with random workouts, neither will your mental muscles with occasional practice. Activate your mental muscles by becoming more aware of your emotions and targeting your IZOP before each game.