Importance Of Motivation In Sports Performance

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Aims and Objectives
Stress and motivation play a very important role in an athletes life. An little too much or too less of stress can be very decisive in an athletes performance in almost every activity they do.
1 The aim of my term paper would be to discuss and define motivation and stress :
Stress is simply a reaction to a stimulus that disturbs our physical or mental equilibrium. In other words, it 's an omnipresent part of life. A stressful event can trigger the “fight-or-flight” response, causing hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol to surge through the body. A little bit of stress, known as “acute stress,” can be exciting—it keeps us active and alert. But long-term, or “chronic stress,” can have detrimental effects on health. …show more content…

Anxiety control is another technique that is obtained through muscle relaxation exercises as well as mental relaxation through modalities such as meditation or listening to music. Practice for perfection is necessary but as we talk about anxiety control, too much practice can actually lead to overpressure which obviously leads to anxiety beyond the optimal level necessary for the given task. In addition, self-doubts regarding one 's performance and a desire to impress others will create a high level of anxiety which leads to "choking" as the athletes ' focus on the game is lost as is his/her physical control (18). Athletes that maintain a proper combination of honing their physical skills and developing their mental game are able to adapt to any unfamiliar situation/circumstance that they encounter. As an Olympic champion stated: "My fingers and feet were damp and freezing cold. I felt weak, my breath was short and I felt a slight constriction in my throat... I just wanted to get the whole thing done with. The waiting was agony, but my mind conditioned through long training and experience warned 'wait to warm up! Wait! Wait! '" (26). According to research, elite athletes use these "equalizing" techniques in some combination before, during, and after competition, and this gives them the greatest chance to thrive, even when the game is on the line (17).
Motivational techniques for coaches and

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