Internal Motivation, How To Develop And Enhance It

Internal motivation, how to develop and enhance it

The development of internal motivation is a very beneficial exercise to increase the performance of the athlete. Motivation positively influences other psychological variables such as concentration, self-confidence and commitment.

Internal, intrinsic motivation, is linked to the pleasure that an activity is experienced, and does not depend on external factors. Motivated athletes internally train with a positive mood, show good disposition to challenges, and seek the improvement of their own abilities. Given the importance of having the athlete motivated in training and competition, in this article guidelines will be given to develop intrinsic motivation.

How to enhance internal motivation

This type of motivation is long -lasting and more stable. But it has the disadvantage that the efforts to increase it are slow and you need to be constant. Even so, we must not be discouraged since there are effective strategies to influence the athlete’s motivation.

Establish joint goals

When objectives are established, it is better for them to be done with the an athlete’s opinion instead of the coach set them authoritatively.

The athlete’s participation in the establishment of objectives increases its commitment to the activity. This is because the person perceives the goals as important for her, is identified with the need to achieve those objectives for the improvement of their performance.

Promote varied activities

On many occasions a state of low motivation is originated because the activities to be carried out do not coincide with the personal tastes of the athlete. It is very difficult to obtain a high level of intrinsic motivation if the person has to do an activity that he does not like.

Regarding this, the solution would be to offer different activities for the same purpose, so that the person can choose the one who likes the most. For example, to work the aerobic capacity, activities such as running, jumping or making circuits could be offered in pairs.

Explain the purpose of the activity

You have to be very careful with how to explain the exercises to athletes. If it is done taking into account some aspects the explanations can be a powerful source of intrinsic motivation.

When entering a new exercise, it is preferable to refer to aspects already worked or known, and transmit confidence to athletes promoting their participation. In addition, it is also very important to explain the purpose, why this activity is beneficial for performance.

Create a motivational climate that favors the feeling of control

A very effective way to increase motivation is to increase the perception of athlete control. That is, that he is aware that he has control of the process and that his actions have consequences on him.

To do this, it is very good for the athlete to become aware of the relationship between his efforts and achieve objectives. If achieving the objectives depends on the person’s efforts, it means that it has control over the process and influences it. Finally, the feeling of control transmits tranquility and security to the person.

Provide constant verbal reinforcements

• Verbal reinforcements have a lot of impact on behavior. The words of mood, highlight progress or encourage effort are examples of verbal reinforcers that coaches can use easily.
• Strengthening a behavior means that we want it to be repeated in the future. For the athlete few things feed more his motivation that his progress is recognized and feel loved by his coach. The power of the reinforcement lies in what is a behavior with low cost but that has a lot of impact on the person who receives it.
• Develop internal motivation to achieve your goals
• Increasing intrinsic motivation will positively influence personal performance and well -being. Motivation is gasoline that moves, maintains and directs the behavior of the athlete.
• From a practical point of view it is true that it is easier to encourage the external motivation of the athlete through prizes and material rewards. But this type of motivation is more unstable and does not generate a change in the values of the person.
• The motivated athlete internally identifies with the activity and assumes it as part of it. He wants to strive and give his best because he feels that this activity makes him grow as a person.