Harnessing Motivation in Athletes
What is Motivation?
Let’s all get on the same page. What is motivation? I doubt that there is a single motivation theory that explains all aspects of human motivation, and the intricacies of our individual differences. I will however, attempt to best articulate it from teachings in psychology research, and from my own experiences as an athlete and of course, as a human.
The field of motivation psychology looks at biological, psychological and environmental factors , and how they relate and contribute to motivation. How does our body and brain contribute, what mental processes are going on there, and what incentives are available to us?
To be motivated means to be moved to do something, take action (Ryan and Deci, 2000). We are pushed into action by a motive, or pulled (or dragged) into doing something due to the incentive or reward dangling above us.
Motivation in Sports Psychology
There is a plethora of broad motivation theories that you could spend weeks flicking through and considering, such as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory, or you could delve into good old Skinner’s operant conditioning theory. I’m going to talk about sports psychology, and how an athlete might harness motivation for optimal performance and consistency.
Get in the Zone
Let’s talk about arousal (not sexual arousal, you dirty pig), understanding how physiological and psychological arousal plays a part in our behaviours and actions. Arousal is being in a state of alertness and anticipation that prepares the body for action. Physiological arousal refers to the excitement of the body (sweaty palms, increased heart rate), and psychological arousal is more subjective and refers to how the individual is thinking and feeling about the upcoming task.
So how does arousal help us in sport? I’m so glad you asked – this is one of my favourite topics in my mindset coaching classes. The zone of optimal arousal has been identified as where an athlete performs at the best of their ability (Hanin, 1989). If you are not at all aroused before a game, chances are you will play like shit. You’re not ready for the physical and / or psychological warfare of your chosen sport. If you are too aroused, you will be impaired by your anxiety. You need to find this Goldilocks zone of optimal arousal that’s juuust right. The diagram below nicely portrays the inverted-U relationship between performance and arousal.
Regulating Arousal
Alright, well now we know what we have to do to perform at our best… so how do we do it? This is very personal and individual to you, there is no blanket statement that I can give to ensure that you are putting yourself in the zone of optimal arousal. Well, for physical that’s pretty straight forward – make sure you do an appropriate physical warm up that is specific for the activity you are about to undertake, and ensure you have met your nutritional needs. Let’s talk about ‘getting your head in the game’ (cue High School Musical number).
Get to know yourself, and what works for you. You might be a pretty chilled and laid-back person by nature and find that you need to really psych yourself up to get to the zone of optimal arousal. Or are you on the other end of the spectrum? Are you the one who is throwing up in the bathroom from pre-match anxiety, or unable to think straight because of the pure rage you feel for your opposition? Mate, you need to calm the fuck down or you are going to play like shit, or let your teammates down by getting sent off.
The good thing is, once you are able to recognise where you are in terms of arousal then you can work on getting into your zone. So firstly, are you under-aroused or over-aroused? You may be under-aroused if you are moving slowly, your mind wandering off to other things, or generally lacking enthusiasm. Conversely, you may be over-aroused if your movements are jerky, awkward, you feel tense, having negative thoughts or you have a really high heart rate.
Some techniques to increase your arousal levels:
Move! Get up, walk around, increase your breathing rate and get the blood pumping.
Fake it ‘til you become it! Act the part and the rest will follow (look up Amy Cuddy’s TEDTalk on body language – so good!)
Listen to music! The type that will rile you up and get you PUMPED!
Visualise it! Think about making that first tackle, that run, try, goal, serve, set play. Visualise it in your minds eye and picture yourself completing it again and again – then go out there and just do it!
Some techniques to reduce your arousal levels:
Breathe! Do some mindful breathing exercises – my favourite is ‘square breathing’. Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 4, breathe out for 4 seconds, hold for 4. Repeat this a few times.
Smile! Goof around (mindful not to disrupt others’ preparation though), smile, laugh, dance around the changing rooms and enjoy this time with your team.
Listen to music! The type that will calm you down, and help you focus.
Visualise it! Think about the job – the technical aspect of your game and focus on putting what you learned at training into action.
Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation
Cast your mind back to GCSE Sports Studies in high school – yes, I am making the blanket assumption that the vast majority of people who take an interest in my blogs, also have an interest in sport– if not, I hope you are still able to take something away from this and apply it to other areas in your life.
I remember, it was one of my first ever classes in this subject that first introduced me to the psychology of motivation, and sparked an interest in the general field for me, and a few years later I went on to study and complete a BSc (Hons) in Psychology at the University of Stirling. I genuinely believe it was this class that got me hooked, line and sinker to psychology geek life. Anyway, I digress…
So there I was, year 10 at Tavistock College, and one of my favourite teachers, Mr Forster (who also happened to be my rugby coach), introduced my class to the concept of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and how it relates to sport. The most basic distinction is that intrinsic motivation refers to doing something purely because it is inherently interesting, satisfying or enjoyable, and extrinsic motivation refers to the action being done as a means to an end, to gain something from doing it.
Psychologists preach that to ascend to the level of being a professional athlete, a high degree of intrinsic motivation is needed. Intrinsic motivation pushes athletes to train harder, create and maintain good healthy habits, and never give up in their quest to be the best at what they do. Reaching flow is the ultimate and highest level of intrinsic motivation. When you become so immersed in an activity or sport to such an extent that everything else disappears. This state appears when you have the precise ability to meet the demands of the activity, and is an immensely pleasurable experience for an athlete, which further intensifies motivation. If someone was to say “I watched the tennis last night, geez she was on fire!” unless, of course there was some mix up with the pyrotechnics, chances are that Ash Barty was in flow and dominated the match.
Focus on starting
I’m currently listening to the audio-book of Mark Manson’s ‘The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck’ (definitely recommend it!) and I took an interest in his take on motivation. He says that “action isn’t just the effect of motivation, but also the cause of it”. He goes on to talk about the ‘Do Something’ principle… anything! Just start, and then momentum will build motivation. If you have trouble with motivation, just focus on starting.
I hope that I have given you something to think about regarding your own personal motivation. Get in touch if you’d like to book in a mindset coaching class for your team or club to learn more about the technical side of motivation!
Be kind to each other - Kirst
Kirsty McCall
Sports Therapist & Mindset Coach
Scout Coaching & Therapy
Kirsty@scoutco.com.au