Write your search in the input below and press enter.
Esc to close.

The Sports Doc Chalk Talk with Dr. Chris Stankovich

Peak Performance:
Not Just for Sports, for Life

  • Products
    • Toolkits
    • Audio
    • Videos
    • Books
    • Apps
  • Services
  • Chalk Talk
    • Recent
    • Athletes
    • Coaching
    • Sports Parenting
    • Sports Administrators
    • Life
    • Administrators
  • About Dr. Stankovich
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Products
    • Toolkits
    • Audio
    • Books
    • Videos
    • Apps
  • Services
  • Chalk Talk
  • About Dr. Stankovich
  • Testimonials
  • Contact

Hello. Sign In

My Account
  • Login
  • Register
0
The Sports Doc Chalk Talk
Subscribe
The Sports Doc Chalk Talk with Dr. Chris Stankovich
  • Recent
  • Athletes
  • Coaching
  • Sports Parenting
  • Life
  • Administrators
Home / Blog / How to Motivate Your Team with these 3 Easy Principles

How to Motivate Your Team with these 3 Easy Principles

By: Dr. Chris Stankovich | @DrStankovich | May 02, 2016

No Comments

iStock_000000584019XSmall

One of the greatest challenges coaches are tasked with is inspiring the team to find the motivation needed work hard every day.  While it might not take much to fire up the team on game days, what about long practices, film study, and training hard in the weight room?  Often the less glamorous aspects of sport competition are the toughest to get players excited about, making the idea of motivation a key challenge for coaches.

The old saying “you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink” is very applicable to coaches.  For example, it’s not difficult to stand in front of the team and give an emphatic “rah-rah” speech, but does that approach always motivate players?  In fact, coaches can do all kinds of things to motivate players, including bringing in guest speakers and creating various team-bonding opportunities, yet still find it incredibly challenging to get players to “buy in” and increase their motivation.  This task may be especially difficult for youth sport coaches who regularly battle things like video games, cell phones, and various other social media interests kids have while trying to get them to live a disciplined life, make healthy choices, and train without being told to do so.

Fortunately, the field of sport psychology offers ideas that can help coaches motivate players to succeed:

  • People move to gain pleasure or avoid pain.  The famous behavioral psychologist BF Skinner introduced operant conditioning, a theory that posits human behavior is a direct function of reinforcement.  For example, in theory, if you are rewarded for doing something you are more likely to repeat the behavior (assuming the reward was something that you valued).  Similarly, we stop doing things that are painful or that we don’t find worthwhile.  The key, therefore, is taking time to understand your players individually, including what inspires them.  For one kid it might be a chance at a future scholarship, while another teammate might be motivated to play hard for a chance to impress his peers and thereby build his self-esteem.  The point is that we are all motivated by different factors, and coaches who take the time to learn these differences often excel at motivating players to succeed.
  • Lead by example.  If you want your players to make good decisions and work as hard as they can, then you must model those very same behaviors.  There are no shortcuts here — kids are far more likely accept your direction when they see that it’s not lip service (so make sure to “walk the walk”).
  • Listen – empower – motivate.  There’s another good saying “your players don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”  Talk to your players, listen to what they say, and try to incorporate some of their ideas within the team, if possible.  Listening is the single most influential skill when it comes to communication and persuasion, and the best part is that it is something we can all do by simply zipping up and tuning in (empowerment).

www.drstankovich.com

 

 

building, coach, motivation, psychology, sport, success, team

  • Author
  • Comments
  • Details
Get to Know the Author

Dr. Chris Stankovich

Dr. Stankovich has written/co-written five books, including Positive Transitions for Student Athletes, The ParentsPlaybook, Mind of Steel.

Latest Blog Posts

  • March 22, 2023 Nature or Nurture? Exploring the Psychology of Sport Success
  • March 20, 2023 Morning Sports Practice Before School is Becoming the Norm, but is this Healthy for Kids?
  • March 14, 2023 Understanding Intelligence: Putting Knowledge into ACTION!
  • March 13, 2023 3 Important Tips for Today’s Multi-Sport, Youth Sport Athlete
  • February 26, 2023 The Most Important Sports “Ability” Might Surprise You

Comments are closed.

PREVIOUS POST

Studies Show Dangerous Interactions Between Prescription Drugs and OTC Supplements

NEXT POST

Learn About the Psychology Behind Sports Uniform Numbers

Category

Amateur , Athletes , Athletic Counseling , Boys Sports , Coach , Coaching , Communicating with Coach , Evaluating Talent , Girls Sports , Life , Playing Time , Prep , Sport Philosophy , Sport Psychology , Sport Sociology , Sports Administrators , Sports Parenting , Sports Performance Science , Team Building , Team Chemistry , Training and Development , Uncategorized , Youth and Interscholastic Sports , Youth Sports

Tags

building, coach, motivation, psychology, sport, success, team

  • Recent Posts
  • Most Read
  • Nature or Nurture? Exploring the Psychology of Sport Success
  • Morning Sports Practice Before School is Becoming the Norm, but is this Healthy for Kids?
  • Understanding Intelligence: Putting Knowledge into ACTION!
  • 3 Important Tips for Today's Multi-Sport, Youth Sport Athlete
  • The Most Important Sports "Ability" Might Surprise You
  • The Psychology Behind Breaking Bad Habits
  • What has Happened to Free Play and Recreational Sports for Kids?
  • The Importance of Efficiency Applied to Success & Productivity
  • The Most Important Sports "Ability" Might Surprise You
  • Accident Prone & Forgetful? Poor Stress Coping May be the Reason
  • The Sports Doc on TV

    Catch Dr. Stankovich’s tv, radio, and print interviews and columns here!

    Dr. Chris Stankovich Watch Videos
  • Sport Performance Assessment

    Dr. Chris Stankovich Quickly and accurately test your level of mental toughness in just a few minutes using the Sport Performance Assessment.

    (SPA), an easy-to-use sport psychology system specially designed to help you REACH YOUR FULL ATHLETIC POTENTIAL.

    learn more
  • SportsSuccess360

    Life strategies for performance and character development for coaches, parents, and student athletes competing in youth and interscholastic sports.

    Life Strategies learn more
  • Contact Dr. Stankovich

    1395 Grandview Avenue Suite 6, Columbus OH 43212

    (614) 561-4482
    Media & General Inquiries
    information@drstankovich.com
    Sales & Product Support
    sales@drstankovich.com
  • About Dr. Stankovich

    • Media
    • Blog
    • Testimonials
  • Products

    • Toolkits
    • Videos
    • Books
    • Audio
    • iPhone Apps
  • Services

    • Athlete Performance Training
    • Parent Community Forum
    • Coach Education & Development
    • Athletic Crisis Response and Intervention
    • Drug & Alcohol Assessment
    • Life Success Programs
    • Counseling & Consulting Services
  • Blog
  • YouTube
  • twitter
  • facebook

All rights reserved © 2023 Advanced Human Performance Systems™

↓ ↓