Anger before play adds more 'punch' to boxer's punch

Toronto, Jan 1 (ANI): New British research on boxing suggests that high temper before entering the ring can add an 'extra punch' to a boxer's job.

The study was conducted by researchers form the University of Bangor to find how emotions affected an athlete's performance.

The findings were published in the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology.

According to the study's lead author Tim Woodman, a professor in the university's School of Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences, anger often added more enthusiasm to a kick or a punch.

"We found that effort and performance both increased when we induced a sense of hope of success or anger in our participants," the Globe and mail quoted him, as saying in a press release.

The volunteer athletes recreated a whole set of emotions, from happiness to hope to anger, before their performance. It was seen that angry athletes improved their play by nearly 25 percent when they were punching or kicking.

However, Robert Crjte, executive director of the Canadian Amateur Boxing Association pointed out that professional boxers are discouraged from getting into a temper before a bout.

He said: "It would work for the average day-to-day person who wants to hit the bag and get rid of his frustration," he says.

"However, athletes are in a different league." (ANI)