There are a countless number of athletes who have the misfortune of suffering a serious injury during competition and having to deal with the physical and emotional demands of rehabilitation. Rob is a high quality athlete competing at a nationally ranked institution where he most likely has high expectations of himself. But all that can change with an injury as serious as his. Now Rob has to adjust to not competing and continuing with his rehabilitation. Both of these will affect his self esteem, self efficacy, and overall athletic identity and physical self-worth. This review will discuss options to help Rob get past these challenges and move forward in his rehabilitation efforts and reach his goal of returning to the court.
As a coach, I have encountered many athletes in the same boat as Rob. Each athlete dealt with their injury a little different than the other. Some of that is because of the seriousness of the injury, and therefore the duration they would not be able to compete. But a lot of it is based on their emotional state and how the athlete deals with their injury. The main issue Rob needs to deal with is his physical self-worth. Gill (2008) describes physical self-worth as general feelings of happiness, satisfaction, pride, respect, and confidence in the physical self. In Rob’s case, he was happy and confident before the injury and he probably started his rehabilitation program with high expectations. But over time he began to question his self-worth and therefore his self-efficacy decreased. In rehabilitation settings, self-efficacy is a determinant of physical activity behavior (Gill, 2008). He can’t do the things he used to be able to do, and it is frustrating over time.
When an athlete hits a point in their rehabilitation when they begin to question their self worth, coaches and physical trainers need to step in and take action. Motivation is a big part of this, and is key to the success of the physical and mental recovery of the athlete. Fox (1997) talks about five main motivational elements; direction, persistence, continued motivation, intensity, and performance. Rob first needs to find a direction, and make a choice about his rehabilitation. He is only a freshman and with successful rehabilitation he could still have a very strong collegiate athletic career. As a coach, I think setting mini-goals during Rob’s rehab will help motivate him continue in his direction. If Rob can see himself succeeding with these mini-goals, he will be able to progress more quickly.
Persistence is Rob’s second motivation factor. This refers to his “degree of sustained concentration or involvement in one task” (Maehr & Braskamp, 1986). This is a choice that Rob will need to make daily. In order to help develop his physical strength and necessary muscle development he will need to be consistent with his rehabilitation. This will also be a part of redeveloping his athletic identity. The third motivation element Fox (1997) refers to is continued motivation. Rob lost some of his sense of athletic identity when he was injured and could not compete. A key part of his overall direction needs to be regaining what he believes he lost. “Athletic identity is the degree to which a person identifies with the athletic role and looks to others for acknowledgement of that role” (Gill, 2008). As a coach I need to reassure him of his place on the team and the importance of why he is training so hard. Remember, he is only a freshman and I still see him as an asset to our team now and in future years. Intensity is another indicator of motivation. We have to remember that Rob is a college level athlete and is used to being challenged and trained hard. He will gain a sense of accomplishment when he is pushed in his rehabilitation exercises. A combination of direction, continued motivation, persistence, and intensity bring us to our final indicator of motivation; performance (Maehr & Braskamp, 1986). This is the ultimate goal for Rob. He is working so hard each day in his rehabilitation so he can reach his previous level of performance. Ultimately in doing this, Rob will also regain his self-esteem, physical self-worth, and athletic identity.
In conclusion, the overall goal is to help Rob regain his sense of physical self-worth and athletic identity. So many athletes today deal with these issues even if it is not directly related to an injury. The pressures of sport today lead athletes to additional stressors, and when things get in the way of their success they can battle with decreased levels of self-efficacy, athletic identity, and overall self-worth. For Rob, tennis has been a big part of his life for so many years, and to suddenly not have the identity of being “the tennis athlete” is terrifying. In developing a continuous plan and working with Rob emotionally as well as physically, we are able to help him reach his goal of getting back out onto the court.
REFERENCES:
Fox, K.R. (1997). The physical self: From motivation to well-being. Champaign, IL:
Human Kinetics.
Gill, D.L., & Williams, L. (2008). Psychological dynamics of sport and exercise (3rd Ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Maehr, M.L., and Braskamp, L.A. (1986). The motivation factor: A theory of personal
investment. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.
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