So, what do you answer when coaches ask you how they can motivate their athletes?

At first, my answer isn’t very comforting, and it often leaves coaches in disbelief. When coaches ask me, “Christian, how can I motivate my athletes?” I always answer, “It is not our job to motivate others!” This is the moment where I usually receive puzzled looks. “But Christian, this is what I tried all these years.” Yes, that may be true, but again, it is not our job to try to motivate others.

Many coaches think their job is to motivate athletes directly. But real, lasting motivation comes from within. Instead, our job is to create an environment where athletes can cultivate their own motivation, where they can motivate themselves! It might seem like a small distinction, but it makes all the difference. If I feel responsible for someone else’s motivation, what happens when I see that they are not motivated? Probably, I will try even harder to motivate them. If I’ve done this repeatedly and still fail, it will impact my own motivation—potentially leading to burnout, as research has shown in various studies over the years.

Thus, our and a coach’s job is to create a climate in which athletes feel safe and know that their opinions are heard and considered. So if we can’t force motivation, how do we create the right environment for it? This is where research on motivational climates provides valuable insights.

​Joan Duda​ developed the concept of a motivational climate while researching motivation in students in schools. From there, the concept was transferred to other contexts—including sports—and has been further developed in recent years, referring to empowering climates today (instead of “only” motivational climates).

A key aspect of motivational climates involves task orientation and ego orientation. In a task-oriented climate, athletes focus on self-improvement, effort, and mastery of skills. Success is measured by personal growth rather than comparison to others. This approach fosters resilience, intrinsic motivation, and long-term engagement. On the other hand, an ego-oriented climate emphasizes outperforming others, winning at all costs, and external validation. While this may drive short-term results, it can also lead to anxiety, fear of failure, and a decreased sense of autonomy. An empowering climate encourages task orientation by valuing progress, effort, and learning rather than placing excessive emphasis on rankings and results.

Now, based on this concept, Joan Duda further developed the notion of the development of empowering and disempowering motivational climates. Duda’s research, grounded in ​Self-Determination Theory​ (behind this link is a free pdf I found from the book Handbook of Theories of Social Psychology with “all” current important theories in social psychology – you don’t want to miss this source…!) and ​Achievement Goal Theory​, highlights how the way we structure the sport environment influences athletes’ motivation, well-being, and performance.

An empowering climate is built on autonomy support, task involvement, and relatedness. This means athletes have a voice in their training and decisions (autonomy), are challenged appropriately and see progress in their development (competence), and feel connected to their coaches and teammates in a supportive environment (relatedness). Conversely, a disempowering climate often relies on controlling behaviors, outcome-based evaluation, and punishment for mistakes. This not only stifles motivation but can lead to burnout, anxiety, and even dropout from sport altogether.

Research shows that athletes in empowering climates report greater motivation to ​continue their sport​ and a stronger commitment to their sport, as well as lower ​sexualized violence​. On the other hand, disempowering climates have been linked for example to increased ​fear of failure, higher dropout rates​, ​psychological violence​ and a greater likelihood of engaging in unethical behaviors like ​doping​.

Too often, sports environments lean toward a controlling climate, where success is dictated by external rewards, punishment, or rigid expectations. While this might drive short-term performance, it rarely cultivates long-term motivation, personal growth, or a love for the sport. Instead, research has shown that an empowering climate, one that supports autonomy, competence, and relatedness, creates the conditions for athletes to truly excel.

Well, as we all know, it’s one thing to understand the theory, but how do we put it into practice? Creating an empowering climate as a coach isn’t just about changing a few words in our feedback; it’s about shifting the entire culture around motivation. Over the years, I’ve come across a number of different ways in the literature and on the pitch that can help integrate the ideas of empowering climates into coaching work:

Giving Athletes a Voice Rather than dictating every aspect of training, coaches can involve athletes in decision-making by seeking their input on training plans, game strategies, and goals. This doesn’t mean athletes control everything—it simply means their perspectives are valued. For example, instead of instructing a player on exactly how to correct a mistake, a coach could ask, “What do you think happened there? How could we adjust?”

Emphasizing Effort and Improvement Over Outcome We could encourage coaches to reward persistence, creativity, and learning rather than just wins and statistics. This helps athletes stay engaged and focus on progress rather than just results. However, this doesn’t mean that outcomes don’t matter at all—only that effort and improvement should be the priority. For example, instead of solely praising a goal or a win, acknowledge an athlete’s strategic decision-making or resilience after a mistake, such as saying, “I really liked how you adjusted your positioning after the first half. That change made a big difference.”

Fostering a Safe Environment for Risk-Taking Athletes need to feel that making mistakes is part of the learning process, not something to be punished or feared. We could support coaches in creating an atmosphere where players feel comfortable experimenting and learning from their errors. However, this doesn’t mean mistakes go unaddressed—rather, they become opportunities for growth. For example, after an error, instead of criticizing, a coach could say, “That was a great attempt—what did you learn from it?” This shifts the focus to reflection and improvement rather than fear of failure.

Creating a Supportive Team Culture Encouraging collaboration, team reflection, and social support fosters motivation and resilience. We could guide coaches to build an environment where athletes uplift each other rather than compete for attention or approval. However, this doesn’t mean competition is bad—it just means that teamwork and mutual support should also be emphasized. For example, we could encourage peer feedback sessions where athletes highlight each other’s strengths, such as teammates sharing one thing they admired about each other’s performance in a training session.

Modeling and Reinforcing Empowering Behaviors Coaches and staff members must practice what they preach by showing vulnerability, openness, and adaptability. We could help them understand that leading by example is one of the most powerful ways to create an empowering climate. However, this doesn’t mean they need to share every struggle—just demonstrating growth and learning can be enough. For example, a coach could share personal challenges they’ve overcome, saying something like, “I remember struggling with this as an athlete too. Here’s what helped me work through it.” This normalizes effort and perseverance.

As sport psychology professionals, we are in a unique position to bridge the gap between theory and coaching practice, helping coaches develop environments that not only enhance performance but also support long-term well-being. Returning to the initial question, a more constructive way to frame it would be for example: How can I create a climate where my athletes can motivate themselves?

Now, please take a moment to reflect: How are you helping coaches create an environment where athletes thrive? What’s one small change you can implement today to make a lasting impact?