Emotional Intelligence In Tennis
Emotional Intelligence (EI or EQ) refers to the ability to perceive, control, and evaluate emotions – your own and those of other people.
Daniel Goleman popularized the concept of Emotional Intelligence, or EQ, in his 1995 book of that name. Goleman identified the five 'domains' of EQ as:
Knowing your emotions.
Managing your own emotions.
Motivating yourself.
Recognizing and understanding other people's emotions.
Managing relationships, ie., managing the emotions of others.
It is often said that Tennis is one of the sports that offers greater psychological challenges. One of them is the connection between the pace of the game and the psychological fatigue. The structure of the game in a tennis match is determined by intervals of action and rest, or points and time between points. This requires a tremendous amount of mental stamina and resilience !!
The importance of emotional intelligence in tennis is sometimes overlooked, but it has a number of important benefits!! Emotionally intelligent tennis players possess qualities like: ·
They are able to take emotional control in response to frustration and disappointment
They stay mentally alert and focused to deal with distractions and competitive stresses
They maintain the power of purpose that enables them to reach beyond their current limits and attain their highest goals
They understand how negative emotions are holding them back in competition situations
They are mentally tough enough to remain self-motivated and sustain their competitive energy