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The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of an emotional intelligence (EI) training intervention to improve EI at trait level. Sixty-seven rugby players participated in the study. One group received a specific EI training intervention, while the other group served as a control group. The intervention consisted of four face-to-face sessions over a 5-month period, with homework and follow-up procedures. Results showed that the EI training was partially successful in increasing EI, and demonstrates it is possible to enhance EI at trait level in participants while they may not have preexisting motivation to do so.

Sport competitions are likely to induce pressure and a wide range of emotional responses which have the potential to influence performance (Laborde, Raab, & Dosseville, 2013). In team contact sports specifically, emotions such as anxiety and anger are particularly common given their combative nature, furthermore, particular contact sport elements such as collisions may trigger fright (Campo, Mellalieu, Ferrand, Martinent, & Rosnet, 2012). Therefore, the need to train athletes to regulate their emotions who compete within these sports appears crucial. Two approaches can be envisaged here, a micro-level approach targeting specific emotion regulation strategies (e.g., Balk, Adriaanse, de Ridder, & Evers, 2013; Campo et al., 2015), or a macro-level approach where a broader range of emotional competences are taken into account, the latter referring to emotional intelligence (EI). More specifically, EI reflects how people deal with their own emotions and with others (Mayer, Caruso, & Salovey, 1999; Petrides & Furnham, 2003). Furthermore, in a recent systematic review EI has been shown to play an important role in sport performance (Laborde, Dosseville, & Allen, 2015). This paper aims to investigate the effects of an EI training intervention for players involved in team contact sports.

There are three levels of EI which are distinguished by the tripartite model of EI (Mikolajczak, Petrides, Coumans, & Luminet, 2009): knowledge, representing what individuals know about emotions; ability, representing an individual’s options regarding emotional situations; and trait, representing how individuals usually react in emotional situations. Recent evidence suggests...