ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the sporting career stage of sampling, or initiating involvement, with a focus on the concepts of intrinsic motivation and physical literacy. The text unpacks and debunks the notion that focusing one sport from an early age – termed early specialisation – is the best way of creating a future world champion, arguing instead for late specialisation or even ‘multi-specialisation’. This argument leads to the consideration of the importance of physical literacy, and becoming physically literate for lifelong engagement in health-promoting and fulfilling movement and physical activity. We then move on to note the close alignment between the concepts of physical literacy and intrinsic motivation and draw on real-world applied examples of how to pursue physical literacy and enhance intrinsic motivation.
