What is motivation?

• A. The energy for physical effort.
• B. A state of happiness.
• C. The drive to achieve goals.
• D. The ability to train hard.

Answer: (C)

Motivation is the drive to achieve goals and sustain effort toward them. In sports, it explains why an athlete starts training, keeps pushing through fatigue, and sticks with strategies to reach a target, whether that target is winning, improving a skill, or meeting a personal standard. It can come from within (intrinsic) or from outside sources (extrinsic). It’s not simply energy for physical effort, which is about how hard you can work, nor is it happiness, which is a mood, nor is it the ability to train hard, which is about capability.