INTRODUCTION: Motivation and its typology have been researched by sport psychologists worldwide. Problems in sport performance related to motivational overpressure or lack of optimal motivating result from improper analysis of athletes` psychical states conditioned by motivational processes. METHOD: Achievement motivation( task and ego) was examined using the Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire (TEOSQ). The sources of motivation were assessed with the Sport Motivation Scale (SMS). The study also involved an analysis of subjects` results of skiing practice and theory tests achieved during specialist courses. The tasks included a technical skiing test, sports test (slalom and giant slalom) and theory test. Each task was scored from 0 to 10. The assessment criteria complied with the training guidelines of the Polish Skiing Association (PZN). The study sample comprised 198, 138 men and 60 women at the mean age of 21 years. RESULTS: The main source of skiers` motivation was found to be intrinsic motivation and displayed highest positive correlations with slalom scores among women (0.31*) while amotivation turned out to influence slalom scores negatively (-0.41**). Achievement motivation in skiers was mostly conditioned by their task approach rather than ego, regardless of gender however task motivation was positively correlated with technical scores among men (0.17*). DISCUSSION: The skiers do not expect sheer rivalry nor are they motivated by a simple desire to be better than others. They took the skiing tests in order to execute them correctly rather than to overcome other competitors. Higher level of task motivation to participate in skiing training than ego motivation was also noted pointing less competing approach. CONCLUSION: Coach-athlete communication could be more effective, if coaches or teachers could act in accordance with the characteristic types of motivation to enhance the commitment and to strengthen their satisfaction of performance despite demotivating failures.
© Copyright 2014 Abstract Book of the 6th International Congress on Science and Skiing, December 14 - 19, 2013 St. Christoph am Arlberg - Austria. Veröffentlicht von University of Salzburg. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.