B11. Anger management

TOC

How can you control your anger during practice or a game?

During the game, you are in fighting mode, so it is easy to feel angry. You are not satisfied with the decision, so you get angry and complain to the referee, and then you get a technical foul or get ejected. In the end, you cause trouble for your team and lower your own evaluation. Also, when a teammate makes a simple mistake, you yell at them, and since then, things have somehow not gone well. It is often the case that you explode with anger in response to such negative events and regret it. This will not allow you to continue to perform well stably.

Here we will briefly explain anger management, a method of controlling anger (Otis JD, Iyo (translated) 2011).

First, we should know that in response to similar events, similar thoughts ( automatic thoughts ) arise, and the emotions and behaviors that accompany them appear. The same is true for anger. Each individual has their own pattern of when, where, in what situation, to whom, how they think, how their emotions rise, changes in their body, what they say, and what they do.

Therefore, you need to calmly organize your angry reaction patterns . If you try to organize them in your head, your thoughts will inevitably become distorted and you will tend to forget the problem. Therefore, you should organize them by writing them down on paper, etc.

For example, when an unexpected foul is called during a game ( when), on the court ( where), you might think, "Huh, that can't be right!" (automatic thought) and think to the referee (by whom), "Why did they make a mistake here?", and then you might start to show signs of anger, such as getting hot and bothered, your anger might boil over ( emotions), and you might complain harshly to the referee ( behavior).

The next important thing is to correct your way of thinking so that you and your team don't lose out, but rather benefit. This is to improve your performance. Think calmly. For example, "It may have looked like a foul from the referee's position," or "You may have been so engrossed in the play that you didn't notice that you were touching the other player," and then correct yourself by saying, "It's not good to take out your anger on the referee here. I'll check how it looked and be careful not to do that again."

Also, decide on a method of switching over when you actually encounter such a situation. "First, take a deep breath and wait six seconds. Then, smile and walk away from the referee."

It is important to organize your routine in advance, do image training, and train to correct your bad habits. You should also do this as mental rehearsal before a match.

On April 23, 2024, Aaron Boone, manager of the Yankees, was ejected early in the game. Boone is known for his fierce protests against umpires, and has been ejected many times since he became manager in the 2018 season. In terms of anger management, the situation and the opponent are pretty much set. However, on that day, some people wondered if the umpire had made a mistake. In the first inning, with no

outs and a runner on first base, when a player from the opposing team was at bat, the umpire told Boone in a fierce tone, "If you say anything again, I'll eject you," and Boone raised his left hand and said, "I understand," but the umpire suddenly ejected Boone. It seemed that the umpire had mistaken the abusive remarks made by the spectators behind Boone's bench. I think this was a misunderstanding caused by his pattern of always directing his anger at the umpire. It seems that Tokugawa Ieyasu's family motto is, "Think of anger as your enemy." If I had been able to manage my anger, this wouldn't have happened.