The influence of coaches? emotions on the emotional state and performance of young tennis athletes,L?INFLUENZA DELLE EMOZIONI POSITIVE E NEGATIVE DEGLI ALLENATORI SULLO STATO EMOTIVO E SULLA PRESTAZIONE DI GIOVANI TENNISTI

Although the influence of emotions on sport performance has been widely studied, only few studies have investigated the impact of coaches’ emotions on the emotional state and performance of their athletes. The present study aimed to explore whether the athletes’ emotional state and sport performance could vary as a result of the emotional feedback (positive or negative) expressed by the coach. Twenty-two tennis players aged between 11 and 15 were recruited. Results showed that after positive emotional feedback the athletes perceived higher positive emotional states, whereas after a negative emotion the athletes perceived higher negative feelings. Furthermore, a qualitative improvement in performance was observed in response to a positive emotional feedback. These results show how the type of emotion conveyed by coaches influences not only the emotional state of athletes but also their performance.