Game Motivation
In lawn bowls the application of the knowledge and techniques of sports science especially when using motivational psychology and sociology to understand the team player’s attitude and behaviour can be an overwhelming task for any sports motivator, partially when dealing with ambitious, determined or energetic people. Game motivation is the act of bringing together the psychology and sociology of all lawn bowling team members to a level that makes them perform as one continuous controlled and effective playing unit throughout an entire game.
LEVELS OF MOTIVATION
All Coaches or Motivators of teams must try to introduce the correct level of motivation; this in itself is no mean task because each and every individual has their own level, in fact some lawn bowls players do not require motivation because the level of inducement is within them from the moment they step into the arena. Coaches can over-excite players or fail to see that they require stimulus, both of which will mean an erratic performance. Coaches must attempt to motivate their teams by a mixture of methods; emotional excitement, reason and conditioning, to get players to focus in specific ways, both on their own and as a team in order to unite as one controlled and effective team unit. Individuals vary in their pre-game preparation and the process of getting set starts as soon as the bowls player begins to think about the forthcoming match, which may be weeks, days or hours before the first bowl is played. Teams should be prepared on the basis that they will either play against a team that is stronger, equal or weaker. The preparation for various strengths of their opponents could be different and the following motivational points should be considered.
TRIAL GAMES
Self control: In most trial games the emotional excitement, reason, conditioning and playing skills pan out fairly level. Players will focus first in their own specific ways and status in early lawn bowling games as individuals, but in latter trial games, team and individualism will begin to coordinate in different tactical situations over subsequent ends i.e. gaining experience, acceptance of their fellow team member’s performance and getting to know you on the green episodes!
FIRST GAME OF THE SEASON
Vulnerability: This is your most difficult match to play because almost every player fails to see what level of motivational stimulus they require which means an erratic performance during the early stages of the game. They will have a solid reason and good conditioning but odd levels of very high, medium and low emotional excitement, mixed with unstable team and individual performance skills. This type of vulnerability will not allow them to unite into one controlled and effective bowling team unit. Cool, calm and collective leadership is a strong requirement for this game particularly when what you ask for is not happening.
SECOND GAME OF THE SEASON
This game will have been reinforced by the after game debriefing and prior training to improve their performances weaknesses (not their strengths). Bowls team members will have a better understanding of the skips leadership and tactics
PLAYING AGAINST STRONGER TEAMS
Pre-training: When playing against a stronger lawn bowls team, it is wise to motivate the bowlers along the theme of being the underdog which tends to give your team a psychological advantage. This should also include your superior tactics and performance skills, and an outline of where the weaknesses of the opposition lay to tactical siege
PLAYING AGAINST EQUAL STRENGTH TEAMS
Pre-training: Motivation should be towards pushing that psychological advantage by challenging the lawn bowls team to rise above their present performance to show that they are better performers than the opposition bowlers. This should also be supported by their pre-week training to overcome the previous game weaknesses.
PLAING AGAINST WEAKER LAWN BOWLING TEAMS
Pre-training: Training must be towards the danger of over-confidence. It must be emphasised to play hard, but with decorum, and under no circumstances should they lower their guard in sympathy or passion.
Danger signs: Thinking that they will win with ease, bowlers tend to subconsciously relax and lack of enthusiasm and lethargy will set their game performance into a lower level, and the consequences will be the lowering of their motivation throughout pre-training and the game.
The awakening: The awakening period in most cases comes too late, because when they do start to realise the predicament they are in, they often find that they cannot lift their motivational levels to retrieve the bowls game.
THE WAKE
Remorse: This is often accompanied by drinking and feasting, a doleful occasion to rid the shame of their inept performance. Lawn bowls coaches must resist the temptation of extra training or going at them like a bull at a gate, particularly if they were previously tutored on this subject, but accept that the lesson has been learnt by the bowling team
Recovery: Coaches must look at the degree of motivation in relation to the recovery of the team and themselves. Factors such as confidence in his own lawn bowls team’s ability, the closeness and importance of the forthcoming match and expand on the psychological training to prevent a reoccurrence.
Filed Under: lawn bowls,lawn bowls coaching,gt for bowls,lawn bowling,Performance Lawn Bowls,Macka Jensen,Lawn Bowls motivation,Motivation Bowling
