Anger Management and Sportsmanship: Eight Tips For Young Athletes, Parents And Coaches
As a result of some recent violent and inappropriate events at The U.S. Open, a New
York Yankee Game and a college football game, a reporter from a television station in
New York contacted me to find out what parents can do to teach their kids about
managing their impulses, controlling their anger and the value of sportsmanship.
Here are eight tips that I came up with:
1. Let your performance do your talking instead of your fists or your mouth.
2. Anger will negatively impact your ability to stay in the zone and perform your best.
3. There are negative consequences for behaving in a violent or uncivilized manner.
4. Nothing is as strong as gentleness.
5. Very few people enjoy being an angry state of mind. It is not good for you or for your body.
6. Patience and calmness really are wonderful virtues.
7. You can't always get what you want in sports or in life. You need to learn to accept life’s challenges.
8. Sporting events can be serious and competitive, but they are not life or death situations.
Jay P. Granat, Ph.D. is a Psychotherapist in River Edge, NJ and the Founder of www.StayInTheZone.com. Dr. Granat can be reached at 888 580-ZONE or at info@stayinthezone.com