Emotional control is essential to peak performance in sports and is a facet of composure. Every athlete has one time has become upset, frustrated, or angry at his or herself (or other people). How well you can perform after mistakes depends on your ability to let go and stay composed.

Many athletes do not control their emotions and sabotage their own performance. They simply do not have the skills to cope with adversity. Most highly motivated athletes with perfectionistic tendencies are prone to getting upset and frustrated with mistakes. They take mistakes harder and losses personal.

So athletes need to understand: What is emotional control? Emotional control is the ability to stay even-tempered, level headed, or have a calm mind when challenged by mishaps or adversity. Have that control to say “OK, let it go and refresh and refocus.” Even the top athletes in the world get upset with their performance, but they are able to stay in control and get back to business quickly. This is what separates athletes who can recover from mistakes from athletes who crack and lose their ability to focus during competition.