Emotional Control, Athletic Performance, and Time Commitment at Various Levels of Competition

This study investigated the emotional control of athletes at various levels of competition and its relation to time commitment, athletic ability, and season record. The aims of the study were (a) to further understand emotional control through the Test of Performance Strategies (TOPS; Thomas, Murphy, & Hardy, 1999) and Past Performance Survey, (b) to increase general awareness of the effective use of emotional control in sport performance, and (c) to demonstrate the usefulness of the TOPS through the identification of relationships between psychological strategies, time commitment, athletic ability, and season record. The data were collected from 38 athletes who presently or previously participate in a sport. Results revealed that athletes who demonstrated high defensive ability and time commitment were characterized by higher emotional control. Additionally, the relationships between inventories showed that athletes reporting frequent use of psychological skills also reported high ability and emotional control. Contrary to previous findings, emotional control was not found to differ significantly between groups of athletes separated by their competition level. These results demonstrate the importance of emotion management, and provide numerous applied implications for practitioners as well as opportunities for further research regarding the practice and competition environment of athletes