How to Motivate Players
- 1). Assess your team and the situation. Figure out what kind of personality each player has, as this will determine your approach. Everyone responds differently to varying techniques, and there is no one right answer. If you are coaching student athletes, it's wise to place a strong emphasis on their performance in the classroom as well.
- 2). Set goals as soon as possible. If you coach a peewee team, focus on having fun and learning the value of sportsmanship. Also, the mastery of fundamentals is important at every level, even the pros. For older players, perhaps you want to make the playoffs or win your division. It all depends on whom you're coaching and the specifics of your league, but the entire team needs to be unified in achieving common goals.
- 3). Look for outside influences. This may be as simple as finding a motivational speaker to talk to the team after a practice or before a game. Other methods, however, can work well if your players are particularly competitive, as evidenced by the classic "bulletin-board material." For example, if the team that you are about to play has made derisive or dismissive comments about your team, let your team know about it to ensure that they'll be more focused, with a better edge.
- 4). Seek moral victories. No matter what level you coach, it's important to find a reason to compete and have fun. If your team is out of the playoffs but about to face a rival, emphasize pride and bragging rights. Also, embracing the spoiler role has worked well for many teams. For instance, if you are playing a team that is barely hanging on to a division lead, relish the fact that you can play with nothing to lose and possibly knock them out of the race.
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