2.4 Psychology of Competition and Coaching

Course Name-Officiating and Coaching Course Code-B.P.Ed.
-109
2.4-Psychology of Competition and Coaching
Psychology of Competition- Competitions are fun, let’s be honest. At one point or another in
your life, you probably have enjoyed being part of some kind of competition. Of course,
competitions tend to be more fun if you actually win. Competitions have the undesirable
quality of being a “zero-sum” game (i.e., in order for you to win, someone else must lose).
Nonetheless, throughout human history, people seemed to have enjoyed organizing
competitions in one form or another, from the ancient Greek Olympic Games (going back as
far as 776 BC) to modern soccer (I would say American Football, but soccer is actually the
most popular sport in the world). In fact, when you look closely, you’ll notice that
competition is everywhere in modern society. Economists tell us that competition is an
essential force in maintaining productive and efficient markets (i.e., without basic
competition between firms, evil monopolies will form). Competition also plays a major role
in domestic politics (e.g., presidential elections), foreign relations (e.g., states compete for
power and resources), most sports of course, and even the human quest for love is not free of
competition. For most people, there is something inexplicably compelling about the nature of
competition. Perhaps that’s because, as some scholars argue, “competitiveness” is a
biological trait that co-evolved with the basic need for (human) survival.
Given the seemingly powerful role of competition in human society, we might ask whether it
is possible to leverage competitions for pro-social causes as well, such as getting people to
donate to important charities or save energy to help the environment.
In a recent study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, I try to answer this
question. As an example, I analyze the behavioural impact of a popular energy conservation
competition that is administered yearly at Princeton University (the “Do-it-in-the-Dark”
campaign). During the competition period, students across all residential colleges compete to
conserve energy and the college that is able to conserve most energy by the end of the
competition period wins and usually receives a prize of some sort (e.g., a paid study-break). I
have plotted the results below (daily energy consumption across all residential colleges on the
vertical axis and time on the horizontal axis). If you look at the behavioural pattern, you’ll
quickly notice something very peculiar: once the competition starts it seems to have a
remarkably positive impact on energy consumption (i.e., people are using less energy; usage
steeply slopes down). Yet, here is the kicker: as soon as the competition ends, the trend is
reversed and energy consumption bounces right back up to the point at which it started before
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Course Name-Officiating and Coaching Course Code-B.P.Ed.-109
the competition was launched! This sort of competition is not unique to Princeton, there are
well over a hundred universities that yearly take part in the so-called “campus conservation
nationals."
A “competition," by its very nature, is what psychologists call an “extrinsic incentive."

Extrinsic simply means that the motivation to adopt a behaviour or decision is sourced
externally rather than internally (e.g., when you do something because you get a reward for
it). A fundamental characteristic (and downside) of nearly all extrinsic incentives is that they
only tend to work for as long as the incentive is maintained! In our example, students stopped
saving energy as soon as the competition ended.
Psychology of Coaching-There are two major areas in which psychology can make a
significant contribution to coaching and sports;
1-Maximizing the athlete’s performance
2-Maximizing the athlete’s personal growth and development
It is, however, becoming increasingly apparent that there is an extremely important

relationship between the two areas. In order to make significant and consistent progress in
maximizing performance plenty of attention must be paid to the athlete’s personal growth and
development. The psychology stresses that athletes have to contend with today are often
tremendous and the vast majority of athletes who consistently perform well are those that”
have their head together”. They are the ones who are psychologically mature, have stable
personalities, and whose personal growth and development have not been neglected. In order
for them to effectively do so it is critical that the coach pay particular attention to the personal
growth and development of his/her athletes.
Planning with the Athletes-Prior to conducing the planning sessions with the athletes the
coach should have done considerable preparation and homework. A fairly comprehensive list
of areas of concern should have been developed along with examples of specific goals and
possible strategies. The coach also should have listed any limitations within which the group
has to operate that season. The group should be made aware of limited practice time, required
dress code or any other organizational, institutional, or economic limitations, prior to any
goal setting or detailed planning. Clarifying these issues early result is more realistic goal
setting and avoids the frustration of these things coming up later and disrupting the group
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Course Name-Officiating and Coaching Course Code-B.P.Ed.-109
process. The group planning sessions should revolve around the same questions the coach has
been considering:
1. What are some specific goals to be strived for in each area.

2. What is the session or activity really all about?
3. What the some plans or strategies to achieve those goals?
4. What are areas of concern for the team?
Many athletes have never been asked to contribute to a process like this before and the
homework the coach has done is a big help in stimulating discussion and getting contributing.
It may be necessary to ask question of different individual and suggest possible areas of
concern. It may be necessary to give examples of specific goals and possible strategies.
Planning by the Coach-The coach should start by simply thinking about what the season or
activity is all about and what is his goals, priorities and expectations are for the group. It then
might be beneficial to start thinking about the upcoming season in three ways. First, what are
the possible areas of concern for the group this year? Secondly, what are some of the specific
goals that can be set in each of the areas. And thirdly, what might the strategies be in
pursuing these goals. The coach should also start to think about how the athletes can be
involved in this goal setting and planning activity. It is important to find out that why the
athletes came out and why they are expecting as soon as possible. If the coach’s goals,
priorities and expectations are incompatible with those of the athletes the preseason is the
time to find out so that both sides can find an acceptable solution while options still exists.
There are also other reasons for involving the athletes in preseasons goal setting and
planning.
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Course Name-Officiating and Coaching Course Code-B.P.Ed.

2.4-Psychology of Competition and Coaching

A “competition," by its very nature, is what psychologists call an “extrinsic incentive."

1-Maximizing the athlete’s performance

2-Maximizing the athlete’s personal growth and development

It is, however, becoming increasingly apparent that there is an extremely important

1. What are some specific goals to be strived for in each area.

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