Changes in Motivation Across Athletic Career Stages " What are you seeking through it?" [Part 1]

Kia Ora,


 This is Hiro.

Today’s blog is Part 1 of Changes in Motivation Across Athletic Career Stages

“What are you seeking through it?”

We start sports for many reasons: for health, fun, as a core part of life, for social connections, for the satisfaction of beating others, for money, or for social recognition.

When I was a child, I was obsessed with seeing my times improve every day. That directly fuelled my motivation. I was satisfied thinking, “I can get faster, I can get better.” That was my first reason to start and become hooked on running. Many runners probably share similar experiences from the early days of their sporting lives.

However, our motives and goals change across different phases of an athletic career. In this article, I’ll introduce the concept of career phases and explain where motivation comes from at each stage. Understanding these ideas can help you adapt your coaching style to athletes’ developmental stages or rethink your own running and training approach. These phases apply not only to runners but to everyone who enjoys sports.

 

This article is Part 1.
If you’d like to skip ahead to Part 2, “The Power of Ego Orientation in Elite/Pro Careers,” [click here].

What attracts you to your sport?


What is SDT (Self-Determination Theory)?

First, let’s explore where motivation comes from and how it drives our behavior.

Self-Determination Theory (SDT) states that intrinsic motivation is strongest when three basic psychological needs are satisfied:

  • Autonomy (feeling you choose your own actions)
  • Competence (feeling capable)
  • Relatedness (feeling connected to others)

However, factors like expectations, evaluations, rewards, or even money can shape our motivation or create conflict and pressure. That’s why the same action, “I’ll go for a run today.”  can arise from very different motivational backgrounds.

The types of motivation are:

  • Amotivation (no motivation at all)
  • Extrinsic motivation (doing something for rewards, pressure, or obligation, e.g. training to avoid punishment from a coach)
  • Intrinsic motivation (doing something because you enjoy it or find it satisfying, e.g. you like the feeling of running)

Intrinsic motivation is the strongest foundation for fully enjoying sport and engaging wholeheartedly.

 

 

What is AGT (Achievement Goal Theory)?

Our motivation sets the goals for our behaviour, and those goals then stimulate our motivation.

Achievement Goal Theory (AGT) focuses on the kinds of goals people pursue and how they define success. In sports, these might be:

  • “Finish this race.”
  • “Run 50 km every week.”
  • “Sub-10 minutes for 3000m.”
  • “Win this race.”
  • “Qualify for the Olympics.”
  • “Win at least two NCAA titles and turn professional.”

AGT explains where the motivation for these goals comes from and how it affects our mindset. It proposes two main goal orientations:

  1. Task orientation (more intrinsic): success = improving your own skills, mastery, personal growth
    • e.g. “I ran 50 km every week,” “I achieved a sub-10 3000m,” “I improved my pacing”
    • Usually under your control with effort
  2. Ego orientation (more extrinsic): success = outperforming others, proving superiority
    • e.g. “Win the race,” “Become a professional and rank higher than other runners”
    • Usually depends on comparison to others, which is harder to control

 

A Strava Example

If you use Strava, think about how you share and compare your training:

  • A task-oriented athlete is happy to have run 10 km every day this month.
    • They build self-efficacy through their effort. Friends may encourage and praise their process, reinforcing intrinsic motivation.

→ Task-oriented athletes feel successful when they beat their own goals.

  • An ego-oriented athlete feels happy only after beating everyone else’s records on the course.
    • They see themselves as faster or superior. Their motivation is fueled by being better than others.

→ Ego-oriented athletes feel successful only when they outperform others.

 

 

SDT vs AGT Comparison

From the Strava example, you can see how we hold both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.

  • SDT describes why we are motivated (needs: autonomy, competence, relatedness).
  • AGT describes how we define success (task vs ego orientation).

A good coach should build intrinsic motivation through SDT while also managing extrinsic motivators through clear, appropriate development steps.

 

 

Career Phases and Changes in SDT/AGT

Our motivation is never fixed. As mentioned, external stimuli, like evaluations, social pressures, and comparisons, affect our motivation over time.

Especially from the teenage years through our twenties, many of us develop a sense of “I’m better than others in this field.” That changes how we engage in sports.

Let’s explore these shifts:

What are you aiming and where are you going?

 

Phase 1: Early Career / Youth & Junior

In this phase, athletes often find joy in “being able to do what you couldn’t do before.” Confidence grows, and motivation is mostly intrinsic.

SDT (intrinsic):

  • Developing competence
  • Experiencing autonomy
  • Building relatedness (team, coach)

AGT (task orientation):

  • Skill development
  • “What can I do? What can’t I do yet?”

 

Phase 2: Peak Performance / Junior, Youth, Senior

At this stage, comparisons become stronger. Even in junior leagues, parents, teams, and coaches emphasize “winning” from a young age.

AGT (ego orientation, extrinsic):

  • Results
  • Medals, money, contracts
  • Social comparison
  • Proving superiority

AGT (task orientation, intrinsic):

  • Joy of improvement
  • Self-challenge

While ego orientation can drive achievement, projecting too much self-worth onto outcomes or recognition can cause major stress and even identity loss. I’ll cover these pitfalls more in Part 2.

 

Phase 3: Late Career / Masters

With maturity, athletes often evaluate their skills more realistically and rediscover joy in new challenges.

SDT (resurgence of intrinsic motivation):

  • Maintaining health
  • Connecting socially
  • Enjoying new challenges

AGT (ego orientation, still extrinsic):

  • “Can I still compete?”
  • Age group rankings
  • Masters category events
Summary Table: Career Phase and Motivation



Thank you for reading Part 1.
Next time, I’ll share “The Power of Ego Orientation in Elite/Pro Careers” and coaching strategies. [Click here] to jump to Part 2.


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