76/77 Performance 17/3/05 9:36 pm Page 1

76 health MOOD AND PERFORMANCE: How to get into the right mood to perform at your best and how mood a ects your cricket performance. By Amanda J.N Owens MSc BASES Accredited Sport & Exercise and BOA Registered Sport Psychologist

layers are often heard after a day’s play or after a game “Nothing is either good or bad, but P making the remark ‘I didn’t feel up for it today or I couldn’t get thinking makes it so.” myself in the right mood to play at my best today’ or ‘I just don’t (Hamlet Act 3) Scene 2 understand I felt tense out there today and could n’t get myself in both positive and negative occurring during the day or the right mood to bowl really emotions such as anger, tension, evening which can and do e ect well...’ Our mood state and the vigour, etc.” sport psychologists an individual’s mood state and mood we in are a ects cricket and researchers (e.g., Forgas, performance out on the pitch. An performance in many di erent Bower & Moylan, 1990; Terry additional factor is the relationship ways. So often the term mood is 1995) have generally described between mood and food, and heard in sport and so often in moods as transitory emotional being aware how foods such as cricket due to the nature of cricket states which can be inuenced by sugary foods or foods with high a whereby, it is a long duration various personality and content of rened sugars can sport, from one day to four- day environmental factors. Therefore, increase sugar levels very fast and championship cricket. However, in a one day game or more so over give a false sense of a high and of what is mood? And how can it be a four day game the cricketer’s course the instant sugar rush, dened? mood state can uctuate a lot, due instead of sugars being released Although there is no universally to possible underperformance, more slowly and naturally, i.e., accepted denition of mood, bad weather, a perceived bad eating banana’s and raisin’s of Australia dejected after Watson (1989) denes it, as: “A umpire decision, team mates not instead of chocolate bars and Simon Katich of Australia drops a relatively short term feeling state performing and of course personal drinking water and sports drinks catch during day one of the 4th Test or emotional tone which can factors like relationships issues replacing zzy drinks, will assist between Australia and India at the involve various speci c types of and family issues or events your mood state and reduce the SCG on January 2, 2004 in , likelihood of feeling supercially Australia. (Photo by Adam energised and alert and then very Pretty/Getty Images) of quickly feeling fatigued and less England is dismissed alert and maybe down, or in a mood disturbance can in turn during the tour match depressed mood state, due to the further threaten the mood between South Africa A body and muscle groups using up stability of performers.” (The Sport and England at the the sugar too quickly. Psychologist, 1995, Nine, The Sedgars Park cricket Consequently, the body is not able Ecacy of Mood State Proling ground on December 11, to function properly for long with Elite Performers: A Review 2004 in Potchefstroom, periods of time. This leads to poor and Synthesis p.320). Terry South Africa. (Photo by concentration and fatigue and (1995) showed how the proles Clive Rose/Getty Images) ultimately could lead to injury. of the ocials on Day 2 at the The mood state a player is in 1992 Winter Olympic Games in can a ect their own individual Albertville, France, prompted a performance as well as their team decision to allow each team performance. Our mood state ocial a daily period of “personal albeit whether we are happy, sad, time” way from as Terry (1995), angry, tense, depressed or excited (p.320) described ‘the seemingly a ects not only ourselves but endless list of problems”. more importantly our team mates Peter Terry was the sport and at times an individual’s mood psychologist to the GB Bobsleigh may in-avertedly change the winning Olympic gold and later mood of others and a ect the bronze medallist and highlighted actual team performance. in his paper how mood states of Therefore, it is crucial that players, ocials and medical sta a ected coaches and medical support sta the performance of the bobsleigh alike are aware of their moods and team and how it was and still is ‘how’ their mood state can e ect very much overlooked how their team environment and ocials and support sta can possible team performance. a ect a team’s performance. Indeed, Terry (1992; 1995) states Furthermore, Terry Orlick (1998) that the mood of ocials can in his book ‘Embracing your a ect the team and individual potential’ makes a salient remark performances within the team. and observation concerning the Terry (1992; 1995) maintains a preparation of NASA astronauts strong case for extending mood and how they get themselves into proling (see Terry and Lane, the ‘right mood’ to perform and 2002) and the use of the POMS focus appropriately. Terry (1995) or BRUMS (Terry & Lane, 2002) also highlights the relationship as an assessment and monitoring between mood and attentional tool to include team ocials, control. In cricket the importance coaches, and support sta , whom of concentration and the ability to he states “ often bear the brunt of shift attention is paramount to athlete frustration and whose performing well and enhancing

CW spring2005 www.cricketworld.com