Although everyone requires basic abilities to play a sport at a recreational level, if you want to be an elite performer, further ability is not the only requirement. The other main factor is your attitude towards the game. This is known as motivation, and it can influence our decisions and performance. For example if you are not in a positive psychological state then your performance may not be as good, even if you have the ability. In order to have a successful competitive performance you need to have both ability and motivation within you performance. This suggests that there is no real difference in importance between motivation and ability, and that if there is it is not a large one.
If a performer wants to compete and is motivated either intrinsically or extrinsically, they will not perform well if they do not have the ability in the first place. This also works the other way around, if a performer has the ability to do well but is not motivated, their lack of interest will mean their level of performance will decrease. Many people believe that your psychological state can improve your performance more than your natural ability. Your level of confidence is more important than your ability because without motivation and confidence you will not want to play, however even if you don’t quite have the ability to be an elite performer, with motivation you are more willing to learn and try an improve your skills.
There are two types of motivation, extrinsic and intrinsic. Performers who are extrinsically motivated become motivated by factors outside them such as rewards like money, trophies and recognition. It is thought that although this motivates performers to begin with it is not enough to keep them motivated on their own, there has to be an element of intrinsic motivation. Performers who are intrinsically motivated perform for themselves, for enjoyment. It is thought that this type of motivation means performers have the will to carry on playing for longer.
Arousal is also another psychological factor affecting our performance and it is closely linked to motivation. It has physiological and psychological effects which can be both positive and negative, and the levels of our arousal have a big affect on the level of a performance. According to Yerkes and Dodson (1908) as levels of arousal increase, so does the level of our performance. However this is only up to a moderate point, an optimum, after which over arousal causes a decrease in the level of our performance. This is because if we are not very aroused then we are lacking in confidence and so we do not perform to the best of our ability. But if we are over aroused then we become anxious about our performance.
A performer has to want to perform, because if they are forced to show their ability the outcome may not be as good as if they are motivated instead. A performer will show a higher level of ability in a performance if they are motivated rather than being forced to play. As I have already mentioned, a successful competitive performance does not always involve winning, but simply showing the best of your ability, which without motivation you cannot do.
I have come to the conclusion that both ability and motivation are essential for a successful competitive performance, however one is a more important factor than the other. I feel motivation is slightly more important than ability, because without motivation you would not be playing in a competitive environment in the first place. Without motivation you would have the wrong attitude to be playing competitively. It is also true that without ability you would not be able to play competitively, however with motivation you can attempt to learn and become better by developing and improving your self-confidence through positive feedback. Performers who are motivated but don’t have so much ability are often seen as having a more successful competitive performance than those who have the ability but are not motivated. This is because performances are often merited on effort as well as attainment, and there is also the possibility of someones performance improving if they are motivated, whereas if someone is not motivated but has the ability, their ability will not improve during the performance.
