How are the Players Motivated
Is it always us as Coaches who are trying to motivate players or should we also make them aware that they will also need to learn to take ownership and responsibility for it themselves.
One Definition of Motivation
Direction: What am I going to do?
Persistence: How hard am I going to work at it?
Perseverance: How long am I going to work hard at it?
There is only a certain amount we can do as coaches to try and ensure that the players we work with are motivated.
Some of which are below…
1. Knowing the players you work with
Understand their background: Learn about them as an individual, other interests, dislikes or what they find challenging, it will help to build trust and rapport with them.
Identify their strengths and areas for improvement: Tailor your coaching to help them grow holistically. Technically - Psychologically - Physically - Socially
Learning preference: How do the players like to receive the information, is it visually, whiteboard, diagrams etc, it could be verbally with us explaining clear and concisely, or by taking part in a practice or game?
If we can incorporate all three ways into all our practices, we should be able to help everyone.
2. Recognise their individuality
Acknowledge personal preferences: Allow players to express themselves in how they play or contribute to the team.
Adapt to different personalities: All of the players will have certain needs and wants and we need to know what these are.
Celebrate unique contributions: Highlight to the players how their individual skill sets contribute to and benefit the team.
3. Positive reinforcement
Provide specific feedback: Instead of generic praise, explain what they did well, what the outcome was and why it matters.
Acknowledge small successes: Celebrate incremental progress to build their confidence. “Teddy that’s great, you couldn’t do that at the start of the practice”.
Reinforce positive behaviour consistently: Ensure reinforcement is immediate and tied to their actions. “Billy thank you for doing that, it’s really helpful”.
4. Praise effort as well as outcome
Highlight hard work: Acknowledge their dedication and persistence, even if results aren’t immediate.
”Isla you never stopped making those runs today, that was brilliant, well done”.Show resilience is valued: Encourage them to focus on how effort leads to improvement over time. “I love the way you keep trying to do that Megan”.
Encourage self-reflection: Help players recognise their progress, regardless of the final result.
“I’d like everyone to think about two things you did really well today”.
5. Creating the right environment
Foster inclusivity: Ensure everyone feels welcome and part of the team.
Minimise pressure: Create a balance between competition and enjoyment.
Provide stability: Maintain consistency in routines and expectations to help players feel secure.
6. Encouraging teamwork
Promote collaboration: Use activities that require players to rely on one another.
Teach communication skills: Encourage clear and positive interaction during practices and games.
Build trust: Organise team-building exercises that help create a bond.
7. Make sure they enjoy themselves
Include fun games: Use creative games and challenges to keep practices engaging.
Be enthusiastic: It’s important for us to have a positive energy, it can set the tone for sessions and can be contagious.
Provide variety: Use plenty of varied activities to help stop players getting bored, keeps enjoyment levels high and helps with behaviour management.
8. Setting achievable goals
Goal Setting: Ensure that the goals we set are both realistic and relevant.
Personalised objectives: Set challenges that stretch and challenge players. Not too easy, not too difficult.
Review and adjust goals: Regularly evaluate progress and make changes when necessary.
Consider what the points mentioned above mean to you and how you might put them into your context.
If we can try and incorporate some of these, then the players will, depending on age need to have some ownership and responsibility for their motivation. They will all be motivated by different things and will all be at different stages of development psychologically, which will also need to come into the equation.
I hope some of this information is helpful, let me know with a comment.