Intrinsic motivation in sport and what you should consider as a coach

In sport, coaches often have to deal with questions and terms of motivation.

• How can I motivate my team, like the athletes?
• Why do some seem rather unmotivated in training, while others are fully motivated?
• Why are athletes rather demotivated in training, but highly motivated in competition?

These are some examples and questions from the everyday life of most coaches.

When it comes to the question of motivation, i.e. the question "why" someone does something (e.g. running a marathon or playing football for 90 minutes in heavy rain and cold wind), we can distinguish between 2 types of motivation:

1. intrinsic motivation, i.e. the inner, personal motivation from within
2. extrinsic motivation, which works through external influences.

And in this differentiated view lies a key to better performance or better training participation. The fundamental question that every coach should ask themselves is:

Why do the athletes come to sport, specifically to this sport and this club? What motivates them?

Definition of intrinsic motivation

Intrinsic motivation is the motivation of a person that comes from within. It is the internal motivation to do things for their own sake, without additional external factors and influences.

Examples:

• Intrinsically motivated means doing something for fun and for your own sake, and they achieve their goals through joy.

• Extrinsically motivated people have (success) goals that they want to achieve and that is their main motive.

Let's look at children's and youth sports, i.e. the beginning of a sporting career. And let's exclude the children who are "forced" to do sport by their parents or other third parties because their mom or dad were or are active too. These children who are forced to do it do not come of their own accord (intrinsic motivation) but are motivated by external factors.

In this article, however, we only look at intrinsic motivation, i.e. we take the kids who voluntarily and of their own accord join the football club, volleyball club or athletics group.

They have consciously decided that they want to do exactly this sport.

This is wonderful for coaches, because the fire that burns in the young athletes only needs to be kept burning, while in the children who have to do sport it first has to be ignited.

And it is because of this conscious decision that they are in the club. They want to do their sport, learn how to do it properly, how they can get better. They want to do sport with others, play and have fun together.

Tip: As a (football) coach, I should always be aware that the children are not coming to club training for the passing lane, the Cooper test, the long queues between a few ball contacts or the complaining and stress of the coach, especially not in the area of ​​popular sports. They want to kick. Quite simply, kick the ball a lot and often, shoot at goals, run, sweat, cheer, try tricks?

As a rule, they don't come because of me as a coach. That's why it makes sense to question your own role, your own importance, your own expectations and the resulting behavior and work every now and then and to give each other feedback with other coaches.

How do I know if someone is intrinsically motivated?

Well, as described, by the fact that the person is participating voluntarily. In addition, these athletes have a lot of fun and enthusiasm, put in a lot of effort, try harder and are not discouraged by failures. They usually have a tangible and tangible fun in sport for the sake of sport! They want to be as good at their sport as possible, master the techniques and know everything about it.

They are not primarily motivated by medals and trophies, success, fame and recognition, but by the sport itself, the exercise and the fun.

What advantages do I get as a coach?

As a coach, I just have to take these athletes with me. The fire, the passion for the sport is there and in them. As a coach, I have to keep it burning, that is, maintain and increase motivation.

Some advantages of working with intrinsically motivated athletes are:

• that they are very willing to perform
• are happy to put in more effort and put in more effort
• have a high willingness to learn
• have a high level of participation and willingness to train
• are happy to lead in team sports (leader)

It is very easy to work with these athletes and some of them can even be led into competitive sports. But even without competitive sports thoughts and demands, the training is a lot of fun.

Don't break it!

As pleasant as working with intrinsically motivated athletes can be, it is still not a sure-fire success for coaches. Because even these athletes who are passionate about a sport can be spoiled by me. Think back to the beginning of this article and the question of why. Why the athletes chose this sport and this club. What their expectations were and are. And first and foremost, there is the enjoyment of the sport, the task. The curiosity, the willingness to learn and the desire to learn.

If you as a coach cannot meet these expectations with your training and competition organization, then the fire and passion in the athletes will slowly die out. In the best case, they may look for another coach or another club, in the worst case, they may give up the sport and the sport.

But that is the worst case! With clever training, tailored to the needs of the athletes, the passion can be used for great sports training.

Can intrinsic motivation be increased?

Because this basic motivation can also be increased. Or, in the case of extrinsically motivated athletes or those who are still neutral or undecided, this inner motivation can also be awakened. Because, to look at the needs again, having fun is something that all athletes actually have in common. Both those who are intrinsically and extrinsically motivated and basically also those who are still rather undecided about whether sport or this sport is their thing.

The key lies in training planning and training that is fun and together. The passion that is demonstrated and the interaction with the coach that is perceived as pleasant.

With team sports and sports games, the simple rule is: let them play! The younger the athletes are, the more! And pack the desired training content into the games.

• Instead of passing lanes, small groups and passing gates.
• Instead of standing in line and then shooting at the goal once in 3 minutes, small playing fields, small groups and several goals.
• Don't overwhelm, but adapt, put together and manage training groups, content and goals so that there is as little or no over- or under-challenge as possible.
• Always set goals individually and realistically and define them in such a way that they are challenging but achievable.
• Always keep the fun and enjoyment of sport in focus!

If, as a coach, you always keep the needs, goals and wishes of the athletes in mind, i.e. think about the reasons why they want to do sports, then you can achieve the goals you have set together with the athletes without being a grinder and keep the fun of the sport, the motivation, the ambition and the hunger for success high.