How does anger affect my athletic performance?

Anger has many impacts on performance. The biggest impact of anger on performance is that it doesn't allow an athlete to move beyond whatever prompted the anger. If an athlete is unable to move beyond the issue that prompted the anger, then they are unable to continue to concentrate and focus on continued performance. Some other impacts of anger include muscle tension, negative thinking, rapid heart rate, and rapid breathing. These impacts of anger can be dealt with in similar ways as anxiety: progressive relaxation, imagery and deep breathing. Progressive relaxation means progressively going through your body and relaxing your muscles. Deep breathing helps take the focus off anything negative and also relaxes your mind and your muscles. Imagery relates to processes to produce an internalized experience that will support or enhance training or competition. Imagery allows the athlete to focus on something positive and something specific to the sport.