Los Angeles Lakers Beat up on Dallas Mavericks- Can anger give you an athletic edge?
The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Dallas Mavericks Thursday night to the tune of 110-82 but not before 5 players were ejected from the highly charged game. Both Dallas and the Lakers have had a reputation of being soft in the past. Nevertheless both teams are premiere clubs and the Lakers are the national champs. Last night neither team was anxious to accept the label as soft.
Gladiators on the hardwood
Athletes are often compared to gladiators and warriors. They are described as being in the trenches and battling it out. Last night in frustration, Dallas guard Jason Terry released his anger by shoving Laker Steve Blake to the ground. Matt Barnes rushed to his team mate’s defense and by the end of the night a total of 5 players were ejected and may be facing further suspensions. Immediately after the fight the Dallas Mavericks cut into the lead by going on an 8-0 run.
Can anger give you an edge?
Can anger give you the edge in athletic competition? Can a hard foul or a coaches tirade spark a fire in a lackadaisical team. The short answer in yes, but keep in mind this edge is often temporary.
Fight, Fright, Freeze
When we are angry a part of our brain called the amygdala goes into hyper drive. This part of our brain is very old and takes over when we feel threatened. It produces adrenaline which in turn increases blood flow throughout or body. At this time we can react fasters, see better, run and jump harder, but when things calm down we often feel depleted and exhausted.
Your Brains Executive Center
At the same time our frontal lobes go dormant. Your frontal lobes are the executive center of your brain. This part of your brain helps you to make decisions that are conducive to your long term benefit. If you notice during the Lakers vs. Mavericks grudge match Kobe Bryant the Lakers star guard and Captain refused to let his team mates on the bench join in on the fistacuffs. Why? Because his frontal lobes were in action. He understood that if his team emptied the bench to join the fight in the long run they could loose the war in the game and soon coming play offs. Even Ron Artest, the NBA’s poster anger management student had enough forethought to stay out of trouble.
Anger is not the problem
Anger is never the problem. Whether in a hard fought game or in life, we will get angry. The key is to manager your anger to your advantage. Allow your anger to motivate you into action. Anger is only a problems for those who can not control it. For those of us who have mastered it, anger becomes a powerful force to harness.
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