Hit Me Again: A Qualitative Examination of The Lived Experience Of Anger in Mixed Martial Arts

<p>Anger has often been suggested to be debilitative to sport performance (Isberg, 2000). Conversely, Harpold et al. (2011) observed that anger may in fact be a facilitative factor in helping Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters experience optimal performance. Moreover, Woodman et al. (2009) found when angry, extraverts' peak force increased more than introverts. In concordance with these findings, Murphy (2005) mentions a significant need to better understand the effects of anger during sport performance. Thus, the purpose of this study was to use qualitative methods to existentially understand the phenomenological experience of anger as it pertains to competitive mixed martial arts fighters during combat. The research question for this investigation was “What is the lived experience of anger as used by competitive mixed martial artists for competitive fighting matches?” Main themes found included anger being facilitative, anger being debilitative, and a clear and controlled mindset being the ultimate goal. Co-participants responses portrayed a constant interaction between the facilitative and debilitative uses for anger. This interaction was moderated by the calm and controlled mindset as being the ultimate goal.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science in Kinesiology (M.S.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis (restricted to Georgia Southern)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Department of Health and Kinesiology

Year dc:date.available

2014

Author dc:creator

• Jewell, Skylar E

Contributors dc:contributor

• Brandonn Harris
• Trey Burdette

• ETD
• Anger
• Mixed martial arts
• Controlled Mindset
• Facilitative
• Debilitative
• Sports Studies

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/1104

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu:etd-2152