2 common factors for this is Achievement and Friendship
Achievement
Most participants that take part in sport do it for the achievement side of things so they can get recognition for the hard work they put in to achieve a goal. This could be simple or complex achievements. For example, if the participant is not that good at a certain sport, if they work hard and see they are improving or even getting a mention from the coach they get a sense of self achievement because they have been noticed and know the hard work they have put in has paid off. On the other hand, a serious competitor winning a tournament and getting medals or trophies is also a way of seeing the achievement and progression of the performer. These achievements either simple or complex achievements both give the performers the motivation to continue their hard work and succeed to a greater extent.
Fitness
Most people participate in sport or sports for fitness reasons and less go for ego or to be popular. Most motives for adult participants are they want to stay in shape, get physically fit and to get exercise.
ENHANCING MOTIVATION
2 methods to enhance motivation is by The use of role models and Goal Setting
Use of Role Models
A method of enhancing motivation is by using role models such as a team captain or if your group of participants are younger you could ask a first team player to come to a training session to watch your players, by doing this the individuals will be motivated in order to impress the first team player and also just because the first team player is at their training session.
Goal Setting
A technique to enhancing motivation is to set goals which give the participants something to work towards and motivates them to succeed.
BEHAVIOUR MODIFICATION
A way of doing this is by Positive Reinforcement and Punishment
Positive Reinforcement
By using positive reinforcement as a method for behaviour modification allows you as a coach to see the results. Using positive reinforcement helps the participant enjoys their athletic experience more, like their coaches more and experience greater team cohesion a research demonstrates. This research was in Smith&Smoll, 1997. Reinforcement is done in loads of ways. Reinforcement can be as simple as praise, smile, pat on the back or the coach giving the performer a mention when the group is together. Also, playing a game rather than doing drills or taking a trip to play another team
Punishment
Punishment controls a lot of aspects of a performer’s outcome both inside sport and out. Coaches believe that if you punish a participant for a mistake then you will be able to remove the common mistakes from the performers. This works because if the performer has a fear of making a mistake they will try harder not to make them.
Reference
- Foundations of sport and exercise psychology. (Weinberg and Gould)
- Peak performance online
