Reinforcement (positive and negative) in the sports field

Currently in most matches of any sporting discipline we tend to hear a large amount of indications that may have a positive or negative tint, by coaches, family members and even the public.

It is about those external variables that, although they seem innocuous, can influence the performance of athletes.

The concept of reinforcement and punishment

The reinforcement is what increases the probability that a certain action or behavior will be carried out more frequently or strengthened. These are forms of reward that can consist of prizes, such as winning a trophy, receiving a salary at the end of the month or any certification; There are also other kinds of rewards that are not tangible, such as congratulations from the coach or applause from the audience (social reinforcement).

On the other hand, we have verbal punishments, which are probably the ones that cause the most negative consequences, and Knowing how to fit them will be essential to have good mental health within any sports field professional. A good example would be the criticism of the press or any reproach that the public makes for your performance.

Taking into account the above, some examples would be: “Very good!”, “You did it perfect” when a player manages to score a goal or performs a good attack action. Or "that mistake can cost us the game" in the event of a failure.

Reinforcers need to be properly managed

In this common way, all those people who surround any sport discipline tend to react. The role of a coach, sports psychologist or even the athlete himself is to know how to manage these reinforcements or punishments in an always positive way, to get the most out of it. Praise and criticism are two kinds of reinforcement in sport, and they have different consequences for the athlete.

One of the main objectives of the coach is to ensure that his interaction with the players is dynamic and fluid, so that they manage to consolidate certain patterns of conduct or desirable behaviors and eliminate others that do not They are. Teach a set of skills to make the most of the capabilities of each of its players individually, and as a whole of the entire team.

So. In order to obtain the desired performance from each athlete, it is essential to have as many instruments as possible. One of them is the management of reinforcements, both positive and negative.

Analyzing the reinforcement

The concept of reinforcement in the sports field is extremely important, since it comes to influence certain intrinsic variables such as self-confidence, which is essential to be able to deploy all the resources available to any athlete.

A positive reinforcement from the coach, at a key moment of the game, can make the difference between getting a good result or not. Therefore, each coach is aware that one of his most important objectives is to effectively teach a set of skills necessary to succeed both individually and collectively using various strategies including: reinforcement.

Positive reinforcement improves performances

It has been shown in numerous studies that positive reinforcement is any consequence that increases the likelihood of subsequent response occurrence. Therefore, a reward applied after an action implies that the individual has acted correctly for what contributes to consolidating the action or response and, consequently, to achieving an improvement in performance and performances.

This is the main goal of positive reinforcement or rewards.

There are two important considerations to keep in mind in relation to positive reinforcement

• The degree to which they are interpreted as rewards by those to whom they are awarded.

• The degree to which the appearance of the reinforcements is contingent on the action that is desired.

Having said that, It is important to know that in sports practice the most used reinforcements are social reinforcements. However, it is not conclusive, since there are players who find praise reinforcing in the presence of others, while others would find this situation uncomfortable. This is why it is essential to know the preferences of each athlete to be able to administer the reinforcements productively.

Concluding

In summary, the management of reinforcements has a major influence on the development and performance of a professional athlete.

One of the great virtues that high performance athletes have is to manage both the reinforcements and the criticisms that can affect them. That is, to achieve an ideal balance in the face of these external variables; taking advantage of those reinforcements that add something to your game and discarding those that do not. With this strategy they get the most out of it in any circumstance.