SportsPsychologist.com Blog by Dr Victor Thompson

It is a shame that on big occasions, when things aren't going your way, some will not manage the emotions of frustration or anger and lash-out. When they don't get a corrective response straight away - like being pulled off the pitch and then sanctioned - fans, including children, learn that this is probably okay. The behaviour today of role models such as Luis Suarez will be reflected on football pitches, school playgrounds and streets tomorrow. Anger management can help, but does Suarez want to change? If not, there will be no change in behaviour. Why does anger happen for top players such as Luis Suarez? Because the setting is important to them, their performance is key to the outcome and they perceive that they are heading towards and undesirable outcome. That within an individual with poor self control creates a dynamite situation. For me, this echos the Zinedine Zidane situation in the previous World Cup final.

When we think of managing our emotions when performing, we usually think of managing nerves, anxiety or stress. While this is important, these aren’t the only emotions to manage so that we perform well. Top athletes – or any athletes trying to perform at their best – need to learn to manage frustration or they risk expressing their anger or aggression in unhelpful ways. Last night’s Champions League football match between Chelsea and Barcelona showed a ‘great’ example of this, when Chelsea’s John Terry kneed the lower back of Barcelona’s Alexis Sanchez . Terry was observed, sent off and will now miss the Champions League final. Lashing out can be tempting when feeling frustrated at your performance, competitors, officials or something about the situation. However, lashing out in most sporting contexts will almost certainly get you in trouble and give you more to deal with than the original frustrating experience. The great athletes learn to manage their emotions and how the...