At 292 Performance, we know that athlete buy-in is essential for progress. But how do you truly get athletes to commit to their physical development with the same intensity and dedication that we, as coaches, expect? It’s not enough to tell them to train harder or push themselves harder. The key lies in identifying the behavioural barriers that prevent them from fully buying into the process.
In this post, we’ll break down the factors that drive commitment and the practical tools we use to address these barriers, all from the perspective of the 292 Performance philosophy.
The Challenge of Athlete Buy-In
Training with intent is a crucial aspect of performance, but there’s a gap between recognising its importance and actually achieving it. For us at 292 Performance, a common question we encounter is: “How can we get athletes to commit more fully to their physical development?”
We recognise that athlete commitment isn’t just about asking athletes to work harder or train more intensely. It’s about creating the right environment and understanding the deeper motivations that drive behaviour. The traditional approach might assume that athletes will train with intent simply because they understand its importance. However, we know that real buy-in requires more than just knowledge — it requires a holistic understanding of the athlete’s mindset, experience, and barriers.
Athletes, much like anyone else, have unique motivations, experiences, and obstacles to overcome. As 292 Performance coaches, we recognise that not all athletes are driven the way we are. While many of us are passionate about training, most athletes are in the game because they love the sport — not necessarily because they enjoy the training process. This is a key insight that shapes the way we approach athlete engagement at 292 Performance.
Different Environments, Different Needs
The 292 Performance philosophy stems from a wide range of experiences with athletes across multiple sports. In environments such as elite judo, training is always done with maximal intent. However, when working with team sports like hockey and football, the challenges can be different. Some athletes hesitate to train intensely, fearing it will leave them sore or fatigued, which might affect their on-field performance.
That’s where understanding the athlete’s mindset becomes critical. As strength and conditioning coaches, we might assume that if athletes know what’s good for them, they’ll just do it. But the reality is more complex. Athletes often don’t lack knowledge — they lack experience, motivation, or the right environment to fully commit to the process.
At 292 Performance, we use the COM-B Framework to help us understand and influence athlete behaviour. Here’s a breakdown of the three critical components:
- Capability: Do athletes have the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to train with intent? Have they actually experienced what high-intensity training feels like, and can they replicate it?
- Opportunity: Does the athlete have access to the right facilities and resources? More importantly, is there a supportive social environment that encourages training with intensity?
- Motivation: Does the athlete have the drive and internal desire to commit to the work required?
For us, this framework is essential. It’s not just about telling athletes what to do; it’s about ensuring they are capable of doing it, have the right opportunities, and are motivated to commit to the work. We believe that, for an athlete to truly buy into a training process, they must first experience the value of training with intent and intensity.
Opportunity and Motivation: The Key to Engagement
While capability is important, the 292 Performance philosophy also emphasises the importance of opportunity and motivation. Opportunity doesn’t just refer to physical resources — it’s about the social environment as well. Is the environment conducive to hard work? Is intensity viewed as productive, or just as “being too eager” or “busy for no reason”?
Motivation is a crucial factor that often gets overlooked. At 292 Performance, we believe motivation is not simply about wanting to push harder. Through our work with athletes, we’ve come to realise that motivation is often linked to three key factors:
- Autonomy: Do the athletes have some ownership in their training? Are they involved in the decision-making process, or is the training completely top-down?
- Connection: Do the athletes know that what they’re doing is specifically connected to their success? Do they understand how their training will help them improve as individuals?
- Progress: Can athletes see tangible results from their effort? Is there visible, measurable progress that motivates them to keep pushing?
When we assess the situation with an athlete, we often find that one of these elements is missing. Whether it’s a lack of autonomy, a sense of disconnectedness from their goals, or a failure to see progress, it’s crucial to address these gaps in order to drive greater engagement and commitment.
The 292 Performance Sequence for Driving Commitment
Based on our experience at 292 Performance, we’ve developed a simple but powerful sequence to guide athletes toward greater commitment and intensity in their training:
- Problem: Identify the issue at hand — for example, a lack of intensity in the gym or on the pitch.
- Experience: Have the athletes actually experienced what this intensity feels like? Do they know what’s expected of them and why?
- Social Environment: Is the environment conducive to hard work? Is it seen as positive and productive, or are athletes avoiding effort due to social perceptions?
- Autonomy: Do the athletes have a sense of ownership in their training? Do they feel empowered to make decisions about their process?
- Progress: Can they see themselves improving? Is there clear, tangible evidence of their hard work paying off?
At 292 Performance, if we identify that any of these questions are met with a “no,” we take it as a cue to revisit how we engage with our athletes. Whether it’s through clearer communication, greater involvement in their training plans, or fostering a more supportive environment, our goal is to make sure that athletes not only understand why intensity matters but also experience its benefits firsthand.
Practical Takeaway
Think of an athlete that you work with who isn’t delivering the right intensity in the training environment. Do they have the knowledge and skills of intensity? Does the sport, environment or social group encourage intensity? Are the tasks you set connected to their vision? Do they have autonomy and can they see themselves improving?
If you’re struggling to get buy-in from a particular athlete or group, work through these questions. It’s not just about pushing harder or expecting more effort. It’s about understanding the deeper factors that influence an athlete’s engagement and commitment. Start with these key areas, and you’ll likely see a shift in how they approach their training.
At 292 Performance, we believe that driving greater intent and commitment starts with creating the right conditions for athletes to thrive. It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach — it’s about truly understanding each athlete’s needs and guiding them toward sustainable, impactful development.
This blog was written in collaboration with Output Sports who 292 Performance work closely with when providing individualised training.