Turning Emotions Into Your Competitive Edge

Using Emotions to Your Advantage

When you think about what wins games, you probably picture talent and skill. But one of the biggest performance variables cannot be seen—it is how athletes handle their emotions before and during competition.

Why Emotions Matter More Than You Think

Richard Lazarus, a pioneer in sport psychology, spent decades showing that emotions are not just side effects of sport — they are part of the game. They shape motivation, focus, decision-making, and ultimately, performance outcomes.

His research breaks emotions down into their core themes — for example, anger often comes from a perceived offense, anxiety from facing uncertainty, and pride from achieving something valued. Each of these can either fuel performance or derail it, depending on how it is managed.

What the Research Shows

A recent study expanded on this by examining how emotions experienced before and during a game influence an athlete’s mental focus. The findings are eye-opening:

• Anxiety before competition was linked to more distracting thoughts once play began — pulling focus away from the task at hand.

• Excitement, on the other hand, reduced these distractions, acting like a mental shield against interference.

• During the game, anxiety, dejection, and even happiness predicted more performance-disrupting thoughts. In the case of happiness, it often led to task-irrelevant thinking — perhaps because feeling “too good” pulled attention away from the grind of competition.

• Excitement again stood out as a consistent positive, sharpening focus and reducing interference.

  
  

The Takeaway for Athletes and Coaches

These findings don’t suggest that “negative” emotions should be eliminated — in fact, emotions like anger or anxiety can be energizing when channeled effectively. Instead, it is about:

1. Recognizing Emotional States – Naming what you are feeling before and during competition can be the first step toward managing it.

2. Reframing – Turning anxiety into excitement (“I’m ready for this” vs. “I’m nervous about this”) has been shown to improve focus under pressure.

3. Regulating Intensity – High levels of dejection or even excessive happiness can cloud focus. Learning to bring emotions to an optimal level matters.

4. Practicing Under Pressure – Training in high-emotion scenarios can help athletes rehearse emotional control when it counts most.

   
   

Why This Matters

The best athletes don’t aim to feel nothing in competition — they aim to feel the right things in the right amounts. By learning to work with emotions rather than against them, players can sharpen focus, think clearly under pressure, and turn emotional energy into a competitive advantage.