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Becoming A Master Motivator

By MN Hockey, 01/13/16, 1:00PM CST

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Becoming a Master Motivator

01/12/2016, 12:30pm CST

By Minnesota Hockey

 

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.

            Tips for setting SMART goals for this offseason

Our children should be encouraged to set goals – big and small, short and long term.

“It’s the No. 1 motivator for people, no matter the age,” said Eric Eisendrath, lead trainer for Positive Coaching Alliance, a nonprofit organization aimed at improving the youth sports experience.

But it’s important to set goals smartly. Sometimes that requires a little help and guidance from parents and coaches.

“I remember one kid’s goal in basketball was to dunk,” said Eisendrath. “Is it measurable? Yes. Relevant? Well, it’s a skill that’s relevant to the sport of basketball. Is it attainable? No. It’s not going to happen. The kid is 4-foot-2.

“Remember that the goals have to fit the criteria.”

The criteria Eisendrath is referring to stems from the moniker SMART Goals:

Specific: Is the goal tangible and specific? Will I know if I’ve done it?
Measurable: Is the goal easily measured?
Attainable: With hard work, is the goal in the realm of possibility?
Relevant: Is the goal relevant to where I am right now?
Timely: Is there a definitive completion date?

Here’s an example illustrated through the SMART Goals Pyramid:

http://cdn4.sportngin.com/attachments/photo/4674/3646/GoalsPyramid_medium.png

Sample SMART Goal (Remember to follow the SMART criteria)

Outcome: Make the A team next year.

Two goals that lead to my SMART goal: 1. Improve my skating. 2. Improve my passing.

Two goals that lead to my sub-goals: 1. I want to improve my quickness and agility. 2. I want to learn how to saucer pass and improve passing/receiving on my backhand.

Two things I can do every day/week to achieve my sub-goals: 1. Run 15 40-yard sprints and do four sets of box jumps three times each week; three sets of Russian boxes and three sets of ladders each week. 2. Practice passing 100 times each day over a barrier in the driveway; pass a ball or roller-hockey puck against a wall while aiming at an exact target 100 times each day, and, whenever you do have ice time, make a point to send and receive passes on your backhand.

Focus on Effort

Too often people focus on outcomes rather than effort and performance.

“You can control effort and performance, but you can’t control outcomes as much,” said Eisendrath.

It’s the performance- and effort-based goals that help achieve the outcome; the drills, practice and discipline in sub goals that allow you to succeed. Effort and performance goals are the meat and potatoes.

“You can’t just power skate every day this summer and expect to be better,” said Eisendrath. “If you’re not falling down, if you’re not pushing yourself to the max, if you’re not pushing your boundaries, then you’re not putting in enough effort.”

Parents and coaches should work with the child to help set these goals, and to focus on the effort, not so much the outcome.

Rewards

Be careful about offering rewards to your child for accomplishing goals. Don’t make them too enticing. Eisendrath recalled a time when a lacrosse player was hogging the ball, scoring boat loads of goals and refusing to pass to teammates. When the coach asked, “What’s going on here? Why aren’t you passing?” The kid said that his parents would buy him a new lacrosse head if he scored 20 goals.

“And that’s when you just shake your head,” said Eisendrath. “So the coach said, ‘Hey, look, I won’t tell your parents you told me that, but if you get 20 assists, we’ll get you the new lacrosse head anyway.’

“When it comes down to it, you hope accomplishing your goals is rewarding in itself.”

Keep Offseason Goals in Perspective

Overuse injuries are up 75 percent the last decade. Burnout is up considerably among young athletes. Setting hockey goals for the offseason is encouraged, but be sure to include some non-hockey goals – baseball, general athleticism, academic, social, etc.

It shouldn’t be all hockey all the time. Remember, they are just kids. Early specialization has proven to be detrimental to long-term development and enjoyment.

Your kid won’t fall behind if they don’t skate all summer. They may be a little behind when the season starts, but it won’t take long before they catch up and even surpass the kids who have been playing hockey (or any sport for that matter) year-round.

And finally, PCA has three tips for young athletes setting goals, whatever they may be:

  1. Write it! Put it down on paper.
  2. Tell it! Make teammates aware of the goal.
  3. Chase it! Be relentless.

 

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.