Think physics. Any volumn void of air is considered to be a vacuum. In those environments no noise is made, feathers and bricks fall at the same speed - you lose the variables air provides and things become more uniform. Now apply the vacuum to emotions.

As we know by now, emotions create behaviors. In life if you lose all emotions then there is no reason to do anything. There would be no anxiety, excitement or happiness so there would be no reason to behave in such a manner as to acquire those feelings. However, sports are different.

In sports, the behavior is already spelled out. Everyday at practice participants repeat fundamentals and manuevers. They seek mastery in preparation for competition. When the competition rolls around each participant knows what is expected of them and how to do it.   

In competition the only emotions that really matter are those created by the final outcome. Every emotion preceding the culmination is a reaction based on the current situation in comparison to expectations. The best illustration for this is basketball due to the length of the game and multiple rolls of each player.

The most exciting stretch of basketball is when a team goes on a run. For several minutes it appears one team cannot miss while the other team cannot buy a bucket. One team executes effortlessly while the downtrodden opponent exerts great energy for no results. This is a direct impact of emotions. How it begins is different in each situation but there is always a common point.

One team feels the other pulling away. This creates anxiety, stress and other negative emotions as the immediate results depart from the losing team’s expectations. Each player’s behavior based on negative emotions only exacerbates the situation and a run is born. The thing to point out is that there is no reason teams should go five, ten or even 15 possessions without scoring a point. Statistically it does not make sense for a team averaging 40% from the field to be held scoreless for a prolonged period of time. However, emotions override statistics.

The perfect team plays in an emotional vacuum. They would not be concerned with what the other team does. If a team hit three shots in a row from beyond the arc then the perfect team would realize that the numbers will converge back to the averages and their opponents are due for a couple of misses. On the flip side, if the perfect team missed a couple shots then they would expect, again, the numbers to converge to the averages and they would be due for a couple of makes. The operating principle of the perfect team is confidence in their gameplan and teammates, immediate observed results do not change what they need to do so they will continue with what they prepared.

As the Masters Tournament approaches the weekend each shot counts more and more. Add that pressure to the numerous water hazards and the opportunity to throw up large numbers becomes the norm rather than the exception. No player is immune to this anxiety but how they handle it decides the victor.

Even seasoned professionals wear their mental state on their sleave so to speak. Often times lost with their snazzy outfits and space age equipment is their posture. The two biggest tells can be found in their head position and their shoulder height.

When faced with anxiety and stress the body automatically resorts to preprogrammed fight or flight responses. Due to social practices in golf, running away or fighting is not appropriate so other channels for release must be found. Socially acceptable channels most often revolve around tensing up and releasing the emotional stress throughout the body.

As your favorite players make their way around the final 36 holes pay special attention first to their chin. As the body tenses due to stress it is a natural reaction to conceal the jugular by lowering the chin. This response effects the spine angle and results in players blocking the ball sending it to the right for right-handed players. The second area of focus is the shoulders. Again, as the body tenses their is a natural reaction to flex the trapezoidal muscles and raise the shoulders. This keeps the arms from moving freely and allows the body to move faster than the hands sending the ball to the left for right-handed players.

So as you watch golf’s greatest, look for how they hold their pressure. And when you hit the links be aware of the tension in your body. If you relax and have fun then you will play better and have more fun.

The big news rocking the world of football is the retirement of Brett Favre. Since the announcement, websites and sports shows have tirelessly reviewed Favre’s statistics and previous accomplishments. What is lost is the unquantifiable impact of Favre’s presence on the team.

Individuals that are a part of a group associate with that group based on emotions. Be it a chess club, political group or athletic team all of the individuals identify with the group based on the emotions that surface. Now that the fearless iron-man is gone what is the impact beyond the numbers? How will the new Packers identify themselves without Favre?

These are questions only speculation can answer now. But it will provide an excellent case study in how emotions shape confidence and ultimately, performance.

With the inception of Youtube and 24 hour sports news coverage any coaching mishap travels through the ether with amazing speed. The lastest coaching meltdown to make the rounds was from the Michigan Women’s Basketball Head Coach, Kevin Borseth. While it is easy to find humor in the lack of emtional control the question that must be answered is how did it get to that?

Every season, for every team, begins with unlimited potential. Slowly, as the season progresses, key events transpire that define a team and create expectations for their eventual result. In the end, the coaching staff must take responsibility so flaws can be identified and corrections made.

In sports, much like physics, every action creates an equal reaction. Clearly, it was a lack of rebounding that sparked Borseth’s over-emotional reaction but the cause of the rebounding deficit is largely unknown. The immediate, in-game, cause may have been simply a lack of hustle or motivation but what is known is that the main cause occured weeks if not months ago.

Top coaches in the country know that every action executed by their players is a representation of the program and of the teachings instilled by the coach. Any time a coaching tirade or meltdown occurs it is an obvious signal that the coach has trouble accepting responsibility for the actions of their players. After all, if a coach cannot control their behavior then how successful will they be at controlling the behavior of their players?

The reason we do not undertake a certain behavior is because we do not think it will result in a favorable outcome. This is a very good thing. Rational thinking keeps all of us alive and in good health by identifying risks and ways to avoid them. This survival skill has also evolved to protect our ego from unfavorable outcomes.

In the realm of sports, survival thinking becomes suspended with the fixation of competition. Diving into fences for a baseball or screening a seven-footer are not exactly behaviors that promote wellbeing. However, athletes will do this without thinking twice. The role on the team overrides their basic survival skills with action occuring based on instinct and training.

While rational thinking for the purpose of personal safety takes a backseat in sports, ego protection does not. The brain seems to work overtime for excuses after a loss, reasons why a win is attributable to a certain player, mistakes, etc. This dichotomy of human nature makes very little sense but has enormous ramification on performance.

I recently spoke to an athlete preparing for a game against an opponent perceived to be superior. The opposing team had a national ranking, their program had a history of winning and several players regularly received postseason accolades. All of these factors created thoughts of intimidation and expectations of losing before the game ever began. Before any data about the opposing team’s capabilities against this athlete in question had been gathered the game was already decided.

While no fears for personal safety ever surfaced the message was crystal clear. Any expectations of success would only be met with crushing disappointment. The ego had been safely secured and it only cost on victory.

The moral of the story is thoughts about competition create emotions and these emotions are not real. They are simply a hypothesis yet to be tested.