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Becoming a Master Motivator

By Touchpoint Media, Special to Minnesota Hockey, 01/12/16, 12:30PM CST

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Hollywood has made a fortune by showcasing magical pre-game speeches such as Herb Brooks’ historic address before Team USA took on the Soviets in 1980. While these uplifting moments provide society with a fascination around the influence of coaches on motivation, those occasions are much rarer than people realize.

Players and teams that strive to experience long term success must also be inspired by another type of motivation.

Minnesota Hockey caught up with Troy Pearson, a lead trainer for Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) and an executive with the Minnesota Timberwolves Basketball Academy. Troy shared some of the best tried and true methods for parents and coaches looking to motivate young athletes.

Fun, Fun, Fun

Having fun is hands down the best motivator a parent or coach can have in his or her toolbox!

Not only has research shown the No. 1 reason why 70 percent of youth athletes quit playing sports by age 13 is they are not having fun, but watch any youth hockey player in skating drills compared to a small area game and you can see the difference fun makes in players’ effort and intensity.

Mistakes Are OK

Allow your child to make mistakes – this is a critical part of development. In other words, let them fail.

“Everything that you read about psychology is how important failure is to growth and development and adaptability and future success,” Babson College head coach Jamie Rice told USA Hockey. “Maybe sometimes we’re depriving them because of our own apprehension to let them fail.”

You may be surprised by not only the engagement of your players but also the result. After all, many of the world’s inventions (including x-rays, post-it notes, potato chips, penicillin and more) were created due to mistakes.

The Big Picture

Pearson says problems quickly arise when “motivating” turns into “excessive pushing” or “winning at all costs”.

“Athletes who only focus on the scoreboard might have a hard time staying motivated in the face of a tough opponent or when things are not going their way,” Pearson said.

Not getting caught up emotionally in the Little Picture – the wins and losses or being concerned about a child playing the right position at age 6 – are all crucial lessons for parents and coaches.

“As important as winning may seem, parents should let coaches and athletes worry about the scoreboard results,” Pearson said. “Parents have a much more important role to play: ensuring their children take away lessons from sports that will help them be successful in life.”

Encourage Goal-Setting

Teaching SMART goal-setting can really motivate a youngster and hold them accountable. Incorporating goal-setting is a skill that will pay dividends for the rest of a child’s life. Encourage and help them through the process.

Be careful about rewarding your child based on performance and results though. You want the achievement itself to be rewarding for your child. That is the long-lasting motivator that will maximize development on and off the ice.

Emphasizing Effort

One essential life lesson that both youth and high school athletes can take from sports is the value of effort.

“Throughout their lives – in sports, in school, in family and friendship and career – success will require tremendous effort,” Pearson said. “If this philosophy is enacted, players may come to view effort as its own, worthwhile reward.”

By pointing out the positive impact of players’ hard work, parents and coaches provide them with a feeling of self-control over their performance that typically increases internal motivation significantly.

Avoid Comparisons

In terms of encouraging a child, comparison to another player or even an older sibling serves as a “de-motivator” for kids.

“Kids see it as an ultimate failure of being themselves,” he said.

Internal messages such as “I am not worthy,” or “It’s not good enough that I am giving an effort and learning because I am not like him/her,” enter a child’s psyche, making it tougher to remove that train of thought.

Positive Reinforcement

If a child seems discouraged by his or her performance, reinforcing a sense of self-worth with him/her is always a go-to plan of action. For example, a recommended phrase to use is: “I know you are disappointed with the loss, but one thing I like about you is you’re the type of person who bounces back and tries hard the next time.”

At every step of the way, Pearson reiterated how imperative it is for parents to love their children.

“Unconditionally, by saying and showing it regardless of their athletic performance,” he said.

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Hollywood has made a fortune by showcasing magical pre-game speeches such as Herb Brooks’ historic address before Team USA took on the Soviets in 1980. While these uplifting moments provide society with a fascination around the influence of coaches on motivation, those occasions are much rarer than people realize.

Players and teams that strive to experience long term success must also be inspired by another type of motivation.

Minnesota Hockey caught up with Troy Pearson, a lead trainer for Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) and an executive with the Minnesota Timberwolves Basketball Academy. Troy shared some of the best tried and true methods for parents and coaches looking to motivate young athletes.

Fun, Fun, Fun

Having fun is hands down the best motivator a parent or coach can have in his or her toolbox!

Not only has research shown the No. 1 reason why 70 percent of youth athletes quit playing sports by age 13 is they are not having fun, but watch any youth hockey player in skating drills compared to a small area game and you can see the difference fun makes in players’ effort and intensity.

Mistakes Are OK

Allow your child to make mistakes – this is a critical part of development. In other words, let them fail.

“Everything that you read about psychology is how important failure is to growth and development and adaptability and future success,” Babson College head coach Jamie Rice told USA Hockey. “Maybe sometimes we’re depriving them because of our own apprehension to let them fail.”

You may be surprised by not only the engagement of your players but also the result. After all, many of the world’s inventions (including x-rays, post-it notes, potato chips, penicillin and more) were created due to mistakes.

The Big Picture

Pearson says problems quickly arise when “motivating” turns into “excessive pushing” or “winning at all costs”.

“Athletes who only focus on the scoreboard might have a hard time staying motivated in the face of a tough opponent or when things are not going their way,” Pearson said.

Not getting caught up emotionally in the Little Picture – the wins and losses or being concerned about a child playing the right position at age 6 – are all crucial lessons for parents and coaches.

“As important as winning may seem, parents should let coaches and athletes worry about the scoreboard results,” Pearson said. “Parents have a much more important role to play: ensuring their children take away lessons from sports that will help them be successful in life.”

Encourage Goal-Setting

Teaching SMART goal-setting can really motivate a youngster and hold them accountable. Incorporating goal-setting is a skill that will pay dividends for the rest of a child’s life. Encourage and help them through the process.

Be careful about rewarding your child based on performance and results though. You want the achievement itself to be rewarding for your child. That is the long-lasting motivator that will maximize development on and off the ice.

Emphasizing Effort

One essential life lesson that both youth and high school athletes can take from sports is the value of effort.

“Throughout their lives – in sports, in school, in family and friendship and career – success will require tremendous effort,” Pearson said. “If this philosophy is enacted, players may come to view effort as its own, worthwhile reward.”

By pointing out the positive impact of players’ hard work, parents and coaches provide them with a feeling of self-control over their performance that typically increases internal motivation significantly.

Avoid Comparisons

In terms of encouraging a child, comparison to another player or even an older sibling serves as a “de-motivator” for kids.

“Kids see it as an ultimate failure of being themselves,” he said.

Internal messages such as “I am not worthy,” or “It’s not good enough that I am giving an effort and learning because I am not like him/her,” enter a child’s psyche, making it tougher to remove that train of thought.

Positive Reinforcement

If a child seems discouraged by his or her performance, reinforcing a sense of self-worth with him/her is always a go-to plan of action. For example, a recommended phrase to use is: “I know you are disappointed with the loss, but one thing I like about you is you’re the type of person who bounces back and tries hard the next time.”

At every step of the way, Pearson reiterated how imperative it is for parents to love their children.

“Unconditionally, by saying and showing it regardless of their athletic performance,” he said.

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