Mental energy: promotion of emotional substance
Motivation, self-confidence and the explanation of the causes of success and failure are the energising psychological aspects of sporting performance. Together they form the emotional substance.
Motivation
All processes that trigger mental and physical processes and keep them going are referred to as motivation. It drives human behaviour. If a person can experience positive feelings through sport (and avoid negative ones) and satisfy the need for competence, autonomy and belonging, they are motivated. Motivation is also central to sport because coaches want to encourage their athletes to train hard, improve and show all their skills in competition. In order to maintain motivation, it is always important to remember that enjoyment (of the game) is at the centre; sport should be fun.
Self-confidence
Self-confidence is an essential prerequisite for people to tackle challenges in the first place. It forms an important foundation for sporting performance. Stable and strong self-confidence is the result of high self-esteem. Knowing what you can and cannot do, what your strengths and areas of development are, forms the foundation of your own self-confidence. A realistic self-assessment strengthens self-confidence and promotes the setting of challenging goals (cf. motivation). Achieving self-imposed goals leads to a sense of achievement, which in turn strengthens self-confidence. However, excessive, unrealistic (and therefore too high) self-confidence can also have negative effects, as, for example, the commitment and perseverance in training are lower when overestimated (see explanation of causes).
Explanation of causes
Successful experiences and positive feedback are enormously important for the motivation and self-confidence of athletes. However, it is not the case that success automatically leads to self-confidence. Rather, it depends on how the athlete interprets the experience of success. Athletes who are afraid of failure often have a specific pattern of interpreting their own achievements. They tend to look for the reasons for failure in themselves, unfavourable factors that do not lie with the person themselves are classified as stable and global (e.g. I am untalented), or the reason for success is often attributed to luck. This pattern of explanation is called the pessimistic attribution style. It leads to a lack of self-confidence, fewer positive feelings and no increased motivation to practise the sport. Athletes who are motivated by success are completely different, as they generally have an optimistic attribution style. They explain failure due to external causes (e.g. bad weather, strong opponent, bad luck), the reasons are seen as unstable and not global and success is derived from internal, stable and global causes (e.g. I was successful because I am so talented). This interpretation leads to self-confidence being built up, positive feelings being perceived and the motivation to practise sport being strengthened. This leads to a long-term and stable increase in emotional substance. These personal patterns of explaining success or failure are the result of recurring explanations of causes by oneself and others (e.g. coaches, parents, fellow players). In principle, a realistic and not an optimistic attribution style should be aimed for. Self-confidence and motivation should be strengthened, but mistakes and the need for change should also be recognised and addressed. The coach can influence the athlete's explanation of causes by providing possible reasons for success.