In addition to players, referees, coaches, and spectators, there is a special and unexpected guest present at every sporting event: stress.
A certain level of stress helps to increase performance by producing adrenaline in the body. Guyton and Hall (2001), in their book “Textbook of Medical Physiology,” (pages 738-739) explain that the nervous system’s response to stress increases the body’s capabilities to engage in physical activity with more energy.
However, an excess or lack of control of this biochemical reaction can have undesirable results. Athletes who can manage it effectively tend to experience fewer distractions and maintain optimal focus during games, resulting in better overall performance.
There are many ways to manage these situations, and methods proposed since 1975 by Daniel Goleman (in his book “Emotional Intelligence”), and also by Tim Gallwey (in his books of the series “The Inner Game”), focusing on managing the individual’s internal dialogue, both emotional and mental in each situation, have been gaining popularity in recent years.
These methods are based on the premise that the mind and body are closely interconnected, and that mental practice can have a significant impact on physical and emotional performance.
In sports, both competitive and as a hobby, there can be a wide variety of results, due to the player´s technical and tactical skills, as well as less visible aspects such as moods and stress levels. This fluctuation in results is a constant reality in competitive sports, affecting both individual players and entire teams. These aspects can be both cause and effect, thus feeding back into a potential loop from which it is complex to escape.
In team sports such as basketball, coordination, communication, and decision-making between the individual players on each team are essential. Effective management of individual talent and potential is also crucial for success.
This study aims to explore the potential of Inner Management in the sports field, as a comprehensive and integral tool to offer athletes, coaches, and parents who support their athlete family members on a daily basis, the opportunity to discover improvements in their management of those factors under their control, including stress and emotional response, to achieve both individual and team results and thus enhance their own performance, and consequently, that of the team.