Personal Trainers Forum

[nishpaul]

Sport psychology – the motivational dynamics of sport

The 34th President of the US, Dwight D. Eisenhower once said that "motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it". Motivation is an internal energy force that determines all aspects of our behaviour; in sport, high motivation is widely accepted as an essential prerequisite in getting athletes to fulfil their potential. But given its inherently abstract nature, motivation is a force that is often difficult to exploit fully.

However, according to new PP contributor Dr Costas Karageorghis, understanding motivation in terms of a popular and widely tested theory called 'Self-determination Theory' can provide athletes with the necessary techniques to enhance their personal participation in sport, and coaches with the tools to enhance the performance of others.

Costas begins by outlining Self-determination theory, which is based on a number of motives or regulations that vary in terms of the degree of self-determination they reflect. From the least to the most self-determined, these regulations are amotivation, external regulation, introjected regulation, identified regulation, integrated regulation and intrinsic motivation.

He then goes on to explain that intrinsic motivation is considered to be the healthiest type of motivation because it reflects an athlete's motivation to perform an activity simply for the reward inherent in their participation. A very recent study cited shows that intrinsically motivated athletes developed task-oriented (positive) coping strategies, whereas extrinsically motivated athletes tend to avoid dealing with key issues and are far less likely to achieve their goals.

But how can athletes use Self-determination Theory to improve motivation and subsequent sport performance? Costas answers this all-important question by outlining a number of motivational techniques, which fall into the following categories:

Goal setting;
Using extrinsic rewards;
Music;
Self-talk


What the papers say

Elsewhere in this issue, Isabel Walker has been scouring the science journals for the latest sports performance research and reports the following findings in 'What The Papers Say':

Injuries in synchronised skating – new research indicates that the number of injuries, and in particular head injuries, sustained by synchronised skaters is growing alarmingly. The authors of this study suggest reasons why this might be so…

Antioxidants compared - Intense and prolonged aerobic exercise can generate destructive chemicals known as reactive oxygen/nitrogen species, which can overwhelm your body's natural antioxidant defence system. Antioxidant supplements are often recommended for athletes to support the defences, but a new US study has compared antioxidant vitamin supplements with a naturally antioxidant-rich fruit and vegetable juice extract and come up with intriguing findings…

Concussion in football – the World Cup is over, but the incidence of football injuries looks set to remain as high as ever as the new season gets underway. One of the greatest concerns is the risk neurological damage caused by multiple concussions to a footballer's head, for example when collisions occur, or through repeated heading of the ball. But now a new Australian study seems to contradict much of the previous research on this subject…