ABSTRACT
Emotions figure so pervasively within our lives generally, and within sport in particular, that it is difficult to imagine sport bereft of emotion (cf. Zajonc, 1998). Indeed, an increasing body of research illustrates that athletes experience positive and negative emotions before, during and after sport competition (e.g. Hanin, 2000; Uphill and Jones, 2007a). It is perhaps unsurprising then, that the ability to regulate one’s emotions is regarded by many sport psychologists as an important psychological skill (e.g. Orlick, 2000; Thomas et al., 1999) and that the role of the applied sport psychologist often includes assisting athletes in the control or regulation of emotions.
