Motivating student-athletes or athletes in general, is one of the toughest jobs that coaches have in today’s reality. There are so many forces influencing kids that if coaches are fortunate enough to get kids to participate in their sport, they may have a tough time keeping them involved and working hard. In the age of entitlement and instant gratification, the option offered to today's younger generation are such that it is important to find ways to keep them motivated and committed. if we can't they will simply go elsewhere to seek that they need or want.
Coaches can exert more influence on a student-athlete’s attitude and work habits than at any other point in their athletic career. The fact that athletic participation and academic success can go hand in hand, a university coach can use this as the foundation on which to find the motivation plan. Upon observance of successful coaches through the years, the one point that stands out above all others is the ability to get the most out of their athletes. How do these coaches do it? Is it a case of being able to motivate their squad members or is there some secret formula that they use? Certainly, the key is their ability to motivate these young men and women to “give all they have to give,” whether in practice or competition. Following are some ideas on motivation. Today’s youngsters are motivated to fulfill their needs. Psychologists tell us that the student-athlete’s two most important needs are to have fun and to feel worthy. A third and perhaps most important today would be, “What am I going to get out of it, or what’s in for me?” 1 – COMMUNICATE A coach/teacher who is honest, open and consistent will have the best opportunity to get athletes to respond to him or her. Direct praise and/or direct correction is appreciated by this generation of youngsters. Consequently, try to talk to every kid once at every practice. If you have a large squad, get assistants to help. Psychologists tell us even negative comments are better than ignoring someone. Try to make your comments positive. Sometimes that takes a real stretch. Use their name when you do. “Good job,” doesn’t mean as much to a kid as “good job, Joe!” Will Rogers said, “A person can live for a month on a good compliment!” This still holds true today. Use good communication form. Look the athlete in the eyes and be able to recognize when he or she is not listening to you. If the athlete is looking down, crossing arms or drawing a line with his or her foot, stop and use the magic word – later. “Come see me after practice.” It is usually good practice to meet with kids individually when there is a problem and listen to their ideas, complaints or problems. Putting down or criticizing youngsters in front of their peers does not motivate most athletes. Athletes will be more involved if they think they’ve had input into what’s being done. As a rule, coaches are not very good listeners. So, really listen to your kids. Help your athletes set goals for the team and for themselves. You may not be able to do this with each athlete if your squad is large, but your assistants can help. Always use performance goals, not outcome goals. You cannot control outcomes. One of Bill Snyder’s (Kansas State University football coach) favorite motivation techniques is to ask athletes after practice, “What did you do today to help reach your goal?” Tom Tutko indicates that sincere and enthusiastic involvement with the players towards common goals is the most effective form of motivation. Discipline is a must for motivation to take hold – a whole different topic, but a must. In the past, pep talks were thought to be a good tool for motivation. Pep talks still work with immature or young kids, but today’s intelligent athletes know what you’re trying to do and pep talks may have little or no effect. It may be much more effective to stay as calm as possible and be realistic and factual. Exercise specialists have proven that getting kids “fired up” can hurt fine muscle control in activities that require that physical attribute. So remember, it’s often not what you say, but how you say it. A few well-chosen words are always better than lengthy talks. No. 2 – BUILD ON SUCCESS Small successes lead to bigger ones. Coaches who stress athlete and team improvement will be ahead in the motivation game over the long run. If your athletes gave a good effort in competition or in practice, let them know it. Athletes are most open to communication at a time like this – not after a loss, a bad experience or an error. Use drills and situations in practice that athletes can handle successfully. It will carry over to game situations. No. 3 – BE CONSISTENT AND PERSISTENT Motivation that works takes a lot of effort – you have to be fired up every day – not only when you feel good or when things have gone your way. Do not let the small bumps in the road discourage you. The highs are usually very high and sometimes few and far between and the lows can come quite often. Coaching and teaching can be a very bumpy ride. If you are going to be successful at motivating others, it must start at home, regardless of the situation. No. 4 – BE CREATIVE It’s hard to motivate if you don’t love your job and look forward to coming to practice every day. Always be on the lookout for those “hot buttons.” Search for creative things to do at practice. Nothing bores kids more than doing the same warm-up or drill each day. You know what happens. They begin to get sloppy and can develop bad habits. Vary your workouts. Obviously, it is a lot easier and a lot less work to have a set routine. There is nothing basically wrong with routines, if they are exciting and interesting. If you love the game, let it show. Try to match the difficulty of skills and drills to the ability of your athletes so they can be successful. Keep practice stimulating and interesting, and use a variety of drills. Let the kids – especially your seniors – get involved in helping to plan practices. If possible, change your practice site every now and then. A change of scenery can be very motivating. Use music at practice and let the kids help choose it. You need to be careful to make sure it is appropriate. Keep everyone active, so there is no standing around waiting in line. This takes a lot of organization on your part, but is well worth it. Inactivity leads to discipline problems and boredom. Eliminate this as much as possible. Activity is motivating. No. 5 – BE POSITIVE It’s been said that, “Choices are the hinges of destiny!” You have a choice each day to be positive about yourself, other people and life in general. Be upbeat even when correcting errors. Use the sandwich approach – start with something positive (this will get their attention) and then give your correction. Finish with some praise or positive comment. An example might be: “That was a good pass, but you gave away your pass. This time don’t focus on where your pass is going. If you do that you’ll be one of our best passers.” No. 6 – FIND VALUE Coaches who can motivate find and model individual worth. They attempt to find the good in every athlete. Care, respect and love are the keys. Avoid constant instruction in practice and games. Allow your athletes to play at times. Constant evaluation doesn’t motivate kids. No. 8 – LEAD BY EXAMPLE Like any skill you try to teach, the coach needs to be the model for his team and athletes. Students will not be motivated if the coach is not. All things being equal, your athletes will take on your characteristics. Bring your love and enthusiasm to practice daily. Don’t ask them to do something you wouldn’t do yourself.
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AuthorAfter many years of coaching at various levels and with different teams, I thought I would share some of my experiences and thoughts about coaching. Archives
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