Tennis champions cultivate intrinsic motivation and de-emphasize extrinsic motivation

Here is another psychological secret of the tennis champions from the book Maximum Tennis by Nick Saviano.

Similar to performance goals, you should cultivate your motivation inside yourself and not be concerned with things that lie outside yourself. Two basic sources of motivation exist: intrinsic, which comes from inside a person, and extrinsic, which comes from outside a person. In the long run, intrinsic motivation is the more power motivator.

If you are intrinsically motivated, it means you are personally striving to master the sport or the skill at hand. The emphasis is on being the best you can be. It means you are constantly striving to improve your performance, your skills, and your mastery of the game.

“I believe that, if you cultivate and emphasize your intrinsic motivation and de-emphasize the extrinsic factors, it will help create a formula for you to reach your full potential.”

Here’s what Andre Agassi says about motivation: “The goal of getting better (intrinsic motivation) has to be the most important motivation because if it’s to simply win a tournament (extrinsic motivation) and then you win it, what do you do then? For me, it’s to see if I can play better now than I did yesterday.”

Players who are intrinsically motivated develop a true passion and love for the game. Once again, the emphasis is on things you can control. Extrinsic rewards, such as trophies, victories, rankings, and public adulation, are strong motivators, but the feelings they engender tend to fade away quickly.

In the long run, they are not as powerful a motivator as intrinsic ones. In addition, external motivators are the things you cannot control. By striving for and accomplishing objectives you can control that are cultivated from within, you will derive a greater sense of satisfaction.

I believe that, if you cultivate and emphasize your intrinsic motivation and de-emphasize the extrinsic factors, it will help create a formula for you to reach your full potential. Basically, it ties right back to getting yourself psychologically into the ideal performance state. Focus on what you can control, and challenge yourself to see how well you can play and compete. People who truly strive for excellence are predominately intrinsically motivated.

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