Overcoming Crises with Effective Coping and Emotion Regulation

Defining the scope of a “crisis” in sport is complex, as crises can refer to individual or team performance problems, significant events such as injuries or retirement, or broader issues such as doping, abuse, or the covid-19 pandemic. Given this complexity, determining the best coping or emotion regulation strategies to cope with a crisis in sport is equally complex. This chapter will review the different coping and emotion regulation strategies that can be used to manage crises in sport. First, theoretical frameworks and research on coping and emotion regulation strategies will be reviewed. Following this, we discuss the issue of determining what is considered “effective” emotion regulation or coping, and how to evaluate the effectiveness of a strategy in crisis prevention and management. Finally, we provide recommendations and suggestions for athletes to develop more effective coping and emotion regulation strategies to deal with crises in sport.