Motiv Girl
11-27-2009, 01:39 PM
A loss in interest could be a natural progression
If an athlete is not enjoying the sport they should not be in it. Most will agree this is a fair comment. If we agree that it is the athlete who comes first and is the reason for the coach being there, we must also agree that the coach has a responsibility to an athlete when interest wanes.
Lack of interest may be short term, it may be permanent, it may apply only to certain events, to specific periods, or signify a loss of confidence, mental staleness or performance anxiety. Or it may mean they have had enough of bowling and want to try something else.
This is when a coach must understand
To start with, do not let the athletes get down on themselves if interest goes. It might only be temporary and if not, do not expect them to carry on just pleasing others or in fear of hurting someone's feeling. If passion for the sport is no more, accept it and help the athlete move on. And let us face it, not everyone holds a lifetime interest in a sport or subject. Some do, but not all - look at all the train sets, stamp albums, roller skates, golf clubs and Harry Potter books hiding away in cupboards because interest was supplanted by something else. And do not worry about so called "burn out". If there is love for the sport they will not burn out. A loss in interest could be a natural progression. No one ever called losing interest in collecting stamps a "burn out".
More often lack of motivation is short term and the most frequent causes are staleness and pressure, or more frequently a combination of the two. The pressures of training and racing can and often do build up until the athlete becomes stale. This is the mental equivalent of over training. Physical fatigue is fixed by easing back or resting and the same goes for mental fatigue. The brain simply says "enough".
The brain can handle a certain number of stresses, add another and there is a shut down that can vary from a loss of interest to mood changes (temper outbursts) to withdrawal and denial (how many times have we ignored something bad hoping it will go away - it never does of course).
Often the one stress too many is the stress of competition. Adding the stress of a tournament or commitment to training can add more stress. So the brain gets overloaded. In this situation the solution is simple. Do not bowl. Ease off. Let enthusiasm return. Or suggest the athlete bowl without expectations. Obviously if motivation does not return the athlete needs to move onto other interests, as mentioned at the beginning.
Perhaps the most common pressure is the pressure athletes put on themselves - the fear of failing. It happens to everyone. But this is one stress that must be faced and not avoided unless it starts to affect other aspects of life such as exams or relationships. If the fear of losing starts to dominate an athlete's bowling they must learn to focus on what they can control, which is
bowling the best they can and not let exterior factors (i.e. the rest of the field) dominate their thoughts.
When lack of confidence or performance anxiety is a concern, the athlete should be encouraged to have fun rather than go for a performance. - "get out there and enjoy it" may be a better last word than "give it everything" or a discussion on tactics. A reminder to "keep concentrating, remember the tactics we worked out" is preferable to "you can win this".
… Losing is just as much a part of life as winning. It is critical to realize that failure is as much a part of the picture as success. No matter how hard you compete, you ultimately have to absorb losses.
So if motivation decreases, do not let it worry you or the athlete (that only adds another stress to the list). A little understanding and consideration will have an athlete leaving the sport feeling positive about it, and may well return. Leave with guilt feelings or with a sour taste in the mouth because the coach lacked understanding, applied pressure and the athlete will probably never return.
The only time interest-loss becomes a concern is when it is an excuse to not push oneself when there is no overload. That is just being lazy, and lazy athletes never make good athletes.
If an athlete is not enjoying the sport they should not be in it. Most will agree this is a fair comment. If we agree that it is the athlete who comes first and is the reason for the coach being there, we must also agree that the coach has a responsibility to an athlete when interest wanes.
Lack of interest may be short term, it may be permanent, it may apply only to certain events, to specific periods, or signify a loss of confidence, mental staleness or performance anxiety. Or it may mean they have had enough of bowling and want to try something else.
This is when a coach must understand
To start with, do not let the athletes get down on themselves if interest goes. It might only be temporary and if not, do not expect them to carry on just pleasing others or in fear of hurting someone's feeling. If passion for the sport is no more, accept it and help the athlete move on. And let us face it, not everyone holds a lifetime interest in a sport or subject. Some do, but not all - look at all the train sets, stamp albums, roller skates, golf clubs and Harry Potter books hiding away in cupboards because interest was supplanted by something else. And do not worry about so called "burn out". If there is love for the sport they will not burn out. A loss in interest could be a natural progression. No one ever called losing interest in collecting stamps a "burn out".
More often lack of motivation is short term and the most frequent causes are staleness and pressure, or more frequently a combination of the two. The pressures of training and racing can and often do build up until the athlete becomes stale. This is the mental equivalent of over training. Physical fatigue is fixed by easing back or resting and the same goes for mental fatigue. The brain simply says "enough".
The brain can handle a certain number of stresses, add another and there is a shut down that can vary from a loss of interest to mood changes (temper outbursts) to withdrawal and denial (how many times have we ignored something bad hoping it will go away - it never does of course).
Often the one stress too many is the stress of competition. Adding the stress of a tournament or commitment to training can add more stress. So the brain gets overloaded. In this situation the solution is simple. Do not bowl. Ease off. Let enthusiasm return. Or suggest the athlete bowl without expectations. Obviously if motivation does not return the athlete needs to move onto other interests, as mentioned at the beginning.
Perhaps the most common pressure is the pressure athletes put on themselves - the fear of failing. It happens to everyone. But this is one stress that must be faced and not avoided unless it starts to affect other aspects of life such as exams or relationships. If the fear of losing starts to dominate an athlete's bowling they must learn to focus on what they can control, which is
bowling the best they can and not let exterior factors (i.e. the rest of the field) dominate their thoughts.
When lack of confidence or performance anxiety is a concern, the athlete should be encouraged to have fun rather than go for a performance. - "get out there and enjoy it" may be a better last word than "give it everything" or a discussion on tactics. A reminder to "keep concentrating, remember the tactics we worked out" is preferable to "you can win this".
… Losing is just as much a part of life as winning. It is critical to realize that failure is as much a part of the picture as success. No matter how hard you compete, you ultimately have to absorb losses.
So if motivation decreases, do not let it worry you or the athlete (that only adds another stress to the list). A little understanding and consideration will have an athlete leaving the sport feeling positive about it, and may well return. Leave with guilt feelings or with a sour taste in the mouth because the coach lacked understanding, applied pressure and the athlete will probably never return.
The only time interest-loss becomes a concern is when it is an excuse to not push oneself when there is no overload. That is just being lazy, and lazy athletes never make good athletes.