Current Research and Compilations in Sports Sciences


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Türkmen E., Baydar Arıcan H. Ö.

Eğitim Yayınevi, İstanbul, 2024

  • Publication Type: Book / Research Book
  • Publication Date: 2024
  • Publisher: Eğitim Yayınevi
  • City: İstanbul
  • Gazi University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

The importance of motivation in increasing athlete performance has been emphasized and has caught attention by many researchers. The different types of motivation utilized by coaches in the development of motivation in athletes contribute significantly to performance improvement (Horn, 2008). In addition, coach approaches have a direct impact on athletes’ motivation. This study was conducted to examine the motivation perceptions of senior tennis coaches and their experiences of how they motivate athletes in the face of unexpected results in training, before, during and after the competition. This research was conducted within the scope of the phenomenological study design, which is one of the qualitative research designs. The purposeful sampling methods, which are criterion and snowball sampling methods, were used for the sample of the study, and 13 senior tennis coaches who were tennis coaches at the performance and national team levels formed the study group of the research. In the data collection, it was aimed to reach unobservable outcomes such as individuals’ past experiences, thoughts, evaluations and attitudes regarding the subject under investigation with utilizing a semi-structured interview form prepared by the researcher. Moreover, the descriptive and content analysis methods were utilized in the data analysis, and the descriptive analysis method was utilized to summarize and interpret the data to determine the coded themes and sub-themes. When the results were examined, the participants generally perceived motivation as a state such as being, arriving, reaching, maintaining, and it was similarly revealed that motivation was often perceived as a state of concentrating, focusing, reaching the goal, and mental and physical readiness. In the analysis, it was observed that coaches frequently utilize verbal and action behaviors and positive reinforcements to motivate athletes. In addition, it was revealed that coaches support their athletes before the competition with more technical-tactical motivational expressions, as well as motivational expressions aimed at winning and process-continuity. Moreover, it was observed that the coaches also supported the athletes with motivational expressions regarding technique-tactics, winning, process and continuity before the competition. Furthermore, it was observed that when an unexpected result was obtained in the competition, coaches usually evaluate the match and the general situation by making match analysis-critique with their athletes after the competition. Eventually, it was also noticed that coaches direct the athlete to gain a positive perspective for the next match.