The psychology of sport and physical activity seeks to achieve the expression of the physical, technical and tactical potential acquired in the preparation process. Thus, researchers study the different psychological processes that are influencing the behavior of athletes. These processes refer to concepts such as motivation, emotional processes and their influence on the performance of athletes. Different aspects related to the intervention of psychology in performance, initiation and health sports are also studied. In this way, the sport psychologist helps the competitor to control stress. Stress produces an emotional and behavioral disorganization that can affect performance.
In the same vein, emotional intelligence is another way of understanding intelligence. With it, we go beyond cognitive aspects, such as memory and the ability to solve problems. The concept of emotional intelligence is, first and foremost, our ability to effectively manage ourselves and others. But, not only that, it also involves connecting with our emotions, managing them, self-motivating ourselves, curbing certain impulses, overcoming frustrations. In sport, the demands and demands of competition are increasing, and more and more differences are made by factors that are not directly derived from the physical training itself, such as nutrition or psychology.
In addition, sports psychology is responsible for analyzing, studying and observing the behaviors, reactions and emotional responses of the individual or team. To do this, it must positively "control" their emotions or redirect them so that they do not negatively influence the sporting gesture. This issue is of utmost importance because in sport, quick and appropriate decisions must be made. Emotional intelligence is of great interest to the sports community. The intrapersonal and interpersonal elements have a direct application. Self-awareness, self-regulation of emotions, self-motivation, social skills and empathy are tools that every athlete handles to a greater or lesser extent.
In fact, many of the techniques of relaxation, concentration, visualization, etc. are shared, and more and more clubs, federations and coaches are hiring professionals to implement these techniques. In this way, they aim to improve the performance of athletes. However, each athlete reacts in a different way to stress, requiring a certain degree of negative or positive emotions that give them an optimal performance point in a game situation. The study of emotional intelligence and sport, however, has been scarce. This is striking if we take into account the importance that this process has in other areas, such as education or at the labor level in other professions. But, what the few growing studies on the subject tell us is that emotional intelligence is very important for performance.
In conclusion, the benefits of emotional intelligence in sport can be summarized as follows: At the emotional level, it improves goal orientation, competitiveness, identification of sport and personal values, self-esteem, teamwork, leadership, empathy, control of negative reactions and emotions, among others. On the physical level, it helps to know how to organize oneself, to not become obsessed with sport, to have moments of rest, to manage time better and to create adequate eating habits. On the other hand, on a social level, it improves the relationship with the team, coaches, trainers, physiotherapists etc. And finally at a rational level, it helps to learn how the game works, technical and tactical aspects.
Do you think emotional intelligence is important in sports?
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