The associations and age-related development of motivational climate, achievement goals, enjoyment, technical skills, and body mass index in young floorball players

The present study examined the associations and age-related development of motivational climate, achievement goals, enjoyment, technical skills, and body mass index (BMI) in young floorball players. The sample comprised 283 Finnish competitive male floorball players with a mean age of 11.49 ± .27 years in the beginning of the data collection. Players completed floorball-specific technical skill tests and questionnaires across two time points, twelve months apart. The path model showed that perceptions of task-involving climate positively associated with mastery-approach, performance-approach, and enjoyment, whereas perceptions of ego-involving climate related with mastery- and performance-approach and mastery- and performance-avoidance. The results indicated that players with higher BMI had higher mastery-avoidance and slower dribbling skill scores. However, the findings supported previous findings, as a player can have high mastery-approach and high performance-approach or high performance-avoidance at the same time. Finally, mastery- and performance-approach, performance-avoidance, dribbling skills, and passing test scores increased over time. In contrast, perceptions of task- and ego-involving climate, mastery-avoidance, enjoyment, and BMI remained stable. The findings indicated that task-involving coaching methods could enhance approach goals and enjoyment in young floorball players. All young floorball players, especially players with higher BMI could benefit, if they were encouraged to spend more time with a wide range of fundamental skill practices on their leisure time, not only during the organized sessions. This could increase their floorball-specific skills, and in turn, decline the negative perceptions of mastery-avoidance.