Have you ever coached a team or an athlete who showed up with energy, stayed motivated through setbacks, and actually enjoyed the process – even when the results didn’t go their way?
If yes, you were likely doing something right – not just with your drills or strategies, but with the environment you created. In sports psychology, we call this the motivational climate.
It’s not about adding new tools or theories to your coaching – it’s about becoming more aware of how athletes feel when they train with you. Because the ‘vibe’ you create may be doing more to shape your athletes than you realise.
What is Motivational Climate?
Motivational climate is the psychological environment athletes perceive during training or competition. In simple words, it’s the tone you set as a coach – through your feedback, your focus, your body language, and even your silence.
Every coach creates a climate – whether they mean to or not. And it can either help athletes thrive or make them feel like they’re always falling short.
The Two Types of Motivational Climates
1] Mastery Climate (Also called Task-Oriented Climate)
Here, the focus is on learning, effort, improvement, and teamwork.
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Mistakes are seen as part of the learning process.
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All athletes feel valued, not just the most talented ones.
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Encouragement is personal, effort is noticed, and every athlete matters.
Example: “You’ve worked hard on that technique – it’s getting better every week. Let’s keep going!”
2] Performance Climate (Also called Ego-Oriented Climate)
Here, the focus is on winning, comparison, and being the best
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Coaches unintentionally reward only the top performers.
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Athletes fear mistakes because they might be punished or ignored.
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Teammates often feel like rivals fighting for attention
Example: “Why can’t you be more like your teammate? They never mess up like this.”
A caring, mastery-based climate doesn’t just make athletes feel better – it actually improves performance, mental health, and long-term commitment to the sport.
Athletes in a mastery climate:
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Try harder and choose challenging tasks.
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Stay motivated during rough patches
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Learn to take feedback constructively.
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Show greater resilience and confidence.
In contrast, athletes in a performance climate often:
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Avoid difficult challenges.
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Fear mistakes and criticism.
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Feel anxious, less confident, or even burnt out.
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Drop out of the sport altogether – especially if they don’t see themselves as ‘stars’
“Athletes don’t just remember what you taught them – they remember how you made them feel.”
Reflection Box: What Kind of Climate Are You Creating?
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Do I praise effort and learning, or only results?
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Do all athletes feel involved, or only the top few?
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How do I respond when athletes make mistakes?
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Do I compare players out loud – even casually?
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Do athletes feel they can speak up or ask questions?
You don’t have to get it perfect, but becoming aware is the first step toward making your coaching environment more inclusive, encouraging, and effective.
What Can Coaches Do? Using the TARGET Framework
The TARGET model (Roberts & Treasure, 1997) is a practical way to structure your coaching environment so that it supports learning, motivation, and long-term growth. Each letter stands for an area where coaches can make simple but powerful changes.
T – Task: Focus on Learning, Not Just Results
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Design drills and training tasks that allow athletes to develop specific skills, rather than just focusing on who finishes first or scores most.
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Include varied and challenging activities that help players master the process – not just chase outcomes.
Say: “This drill is about improving your control, not about finishing first.”
A – Authority: Give Athletes a Voice
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Involve athletes in small decisions – like setting goals, choosing warm-ups, or giving input on new drills.
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Giving athletes a say builds autonomy, ownership, and accountability.
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Simple democratic touches – like creating team rules together or choosing match-day routines – make athletes feel respected and responsible.
Say: “What do you think we should focus on in tomorrow’s session?”
Associated Research: Autonomy enhances motivation, responsibility, and long-term engagement (Ryan & Deci, 2000)
R – Recognition: Acknowledge Effort and Growth
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Give individual praise for effort, improvement, and teamwork – not just top performance.
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Make it personal and genuine. Avoid public comparisons.
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Use effort-based praise rather than outcome-based praise, which focuses only on results and can create pressure.
Say: “Ankit, great focus on your footwork today – it’s come a long way since last month.”
G – Grouping: Build Cooperation, Not Competition
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Create mixed-ability groups where athletes help each other and work together to solve challenges.
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Avoid always grouping by performance level, which can increase rivalry and pressure.
Example: Team up older and younger athletes in a drill so that they can learn from each other.
E – Evaluation: Measure Progress, Not Just Rankings
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Use individual feedback based on personal improvement, not just who performed the best.
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Set process or performance goals (e.g., good form, mental focus, technique execution), rather than only outcome goals like winning.
Say: “Your backhand follow-through is getting stronger – great job working on that.”
Associated Research: Athletes who focus on self-referenced improvement show higher confidence and motivation (Weiss et al., 2009)
T – Time: Be Flexible with Learning Pace
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Not every athlete improves at the same rate – give space and time to develop without pressure.
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Allow for extra reps or follow-up opportunities after mistakes, and celebrate consistency over quick results.
Say: “Take your time with this drill – our goal is to master the skill, not to rush it.”
Conclusion: You Set the Tone
As a coach, you do more than plan practices and manage games. You shape how your athletes feel about themselves, their sport, and their potential. The climate you create can either build a team that’s thriving or surviving.
It starts with simple changes: a bit more encouragement, a little more patience, and a shift in focus from being the best to getting better.
Because when athletes feel supported, they don’t just play harder – they stay longer.
Brief about Author: Neha Parekh is an aspiring Sport Psychologist currently pursuing her MSc in Counselling Psychology. She is passionate about the mental and emotional development of athletes, with a special interest in team dynamics and how the sporting environment shapes motivation and well-being. Neha is currently interning at Simply Sport Foundation and conducting research on self-compassion among young athletes. She is also interested in supporting student-athletes as they balance academics and sport. Through her future work, she hopes to help create environments that support both performance and personal growth.