Relationship between level of physical fitness and motivation in the practice of female football

Abstract

Introduction: Among the various situations involved in sports, motivational techniques tend to improve the athlete's intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Aim: To identify the relationship between physical fitness level and motivation in female football practice. Materials and Methods: Twenty-two healthy adolescent women with a mean age of 15.9 ± 1.3 years who participated in a women's football team for more than one year answered the Sports Motivation Scale (EME) -BR), which evaluates levels of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. The physical fitness tests were also applied: body composition through the protocol of Pollock and Wilmore (1997); abdominal resistance; flexibility with the Wells Bank and classified according to the criteria established by Costa and Pires Neto (2009); the maximum oxygen consumption (VO₂ max) was determined through the "Université de Montréal Track Test" (UMTT) field test; the grip strength was performed by means of a hydraulic dynamometer. Results: There is a close relationship between specific components of physical fitness and the motivation of female football players, with emphasis on the relationship between fat percentage and demotivation (r = 0.631 p = 0.00); flexibility and strength with intrinsic motivation (r = -0.533 p = 0.01; r = -0.423 p = 0.05); maximal aerobic velocity and intrinsic motivation (r = 0.506 p = 0.05). Conclusion: The level of physical fitness of football athletes is closely related to the observed motivation, indicating that the greater the body composition, the greater the demotivation; the greater the flexibility and strength, the lower the intrinsic motivation, and the better the aerobic capacity the greater the intrinsic motivation.