MOTIVATION
See also Quotes.doc, Stories.doc.
Table of Contents
MOTIVATION........................................................................................................ 1
80 Ways to Say "Very Good!"............................................................................ 1
Motivation .......................................................................................................... 3
Player Incentives ............................................................................................... 5
Motivation Is More Than a Question of Winning and Losing. ............................ 6
Motivational Materials........................................................................................ 9
Reading to the Team ....................................................................................... 10
Motivational Poem “I Can” ............................................................................... 10
SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY ................................................................................... 12
Sport Psychology and Avoiding Burnout ......................................................... 12
NSCAA 2000 -- Success is a State of Mind .................................................... 15
NSCAA 2000 -- Integrating Sports Psychology ............................................... 18
NSCAA 2001 -- Winners Are Different ............................................................ 20
NSCAA 2003 -- Sports Psychology Symposium: Leadership as a Function of
the Coach, Part IV ........................................................................................... 24
11 Rules for Kids ............................................................................................. 26
MOTIVATION
See also Gene Pitstick's Motivation site http://www.cchsirish.org/IWS/Motivation/motivation.htm
80 Ways to Say "Very Good!"
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998
From: Gary Rue
I took the following from a 1991 article in Soccer Journal that was initially printed
in "Growing Parent," January 1983. Actually, it was 86 ways, but I edited a few
out. 80 Ways to say "Very Good!"
1.
Good for you!
<doc name>
page 1 of 27
printed 03/02/16
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
51.
52.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
Superb
You did that very well
You've got it made
Terrific
That's not bad!
Couldn't have done it better myself
Marvelous!
You're doing fine
You're really improving
You're on the right track now!
Now you've got it figured out
Outstanding!
That's coming along nicely
I know you can do it
Good work
You figured that out fast
I think you've got it now
I'm proud of the way you worked today
Tremendous!
You certainly did well today
Perfect!
Nice going
You've got your brain in gear today
Now you've got the hang of it
WOW!
Wonderful!
You're getting better every day
You're learning fast
You make it look easy
That's much better
Nice try
Super!
You did a lot of work today
Keep it up!
Congratulations
Exactly right!
Nice going
Excellent!
Sensational!
That's better
You haven't missed a thing
Fantastic!
You outdid yourself today
You're doing a good job
That's the right way to do it
That's better
<doc name>
page 2 of 27
printed 03/02/16
58.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
72.
73.
74.
75.
76.
77.
78.
79.
80.
Right on!
That's the best you've ever done!
That's RIGHT!
You must have been practicing!
Great!
Keep working on it... you're getting better
You remembered!
That kind of work makes me very happy
You're really working hard today
I knew you could do it!
I'm very proud of you
One more time and you'll have it
Fine!
That's good
Good job
You really make this fun
Good remembering
You are doing much better today
Keep on trying
You are really learning a lot
You've just about got it
I've never seen anyone do it better!
You are very good at that.
Motivation
Date: Sun, 13 Sep 1998
From: Gary Rue
Coach, if you come across this secret, please share it with me. Because I would
like to believe that a coach can make a difference, player motivation is one area
that frustrates me the most. I have come to the conclusion that the best a coach
can do is provide the right environment for his players to motivate themselves,
but it is ultimately the players that must be responsible. If your leaders are good
leaders, then the chances are that things will be positive. If your leaders are
negative influences, then the resulting play will tend to be negative. BTW, the
leaders I'm talking about may not necessarily be the ones the coach chooses. I
have seen many situations where a certain player has destroyed the team behind
the scenes, because he has followers.
There are several books on sports motivation. One example is "Coaching and
Motivation" by William Warren. Another good book is "Positive Coaching" by Jim
Thompson. Almost all of these books are based on positive reinforcement of the
good and constructive critique of the bad. A common mistake in coaching is to
be too negative in the search for excellence.
<doc name>
page 3 of 27
printed 03/02/16
I have a couple of personal rule of thumbs that I use. Understand that I do not
think of myself as a great motivator. My goal is try to reduce the distance
between the maximum peaks and valleys of emotions. At the same time, I want
to raise the mean between these points into the emotional high range a little bit.
Here are my ROTs:
* Objectively analyze your team's and individual's capabilities, strengths and
weaknesses; if a player is not fast, you can't expect him to keep up with the
world's fastest human in cleats.
* Recognize individual play within the framework of the team; that is, a player that
did something wonderful was given the opportunity because of his teammates.
* Be excited when something wonderful happens; offer suggested option(s) when
something bad occurs.
* Do not accept negative thoughts or play; replace them with positive
approaches.
* Strive for excellence, not perfection; address the problem areas, but spend as
much if not more time building on the positive.
* Enjoy wins, analyze loses, correct the negatives at practice--it's okay to tell a
team that won that their play was ugly, but save the hard lecture for the next
practice.
* Make sure the players accept their responsibility for the good and the bad;
NEVER use the officials as the reason for a bad result--official's decisions are
part of the game, even though you may not agree with them. Remember, your
players must accept and adapt. If you allow them to blame others or make
excuses, then they will never be at fault.
* Remember that you need to make mistakes before you can improve--good
decisions are a product of many bad decisions; then try to make more bad
decisions at practice than you do in a game.
* Train the players to separate their focus; when they step on to the game or
practice field, they are a soccer player 100%; when they become a "civilian" then
they can think about anything they want.
* One game, one practice, one good or bad experience does not make a season;
target your objectives and go after them, one game, one practice, one
experience at a time.
* Love your players, no matter how big of jerks they are from time to time; treat
your players like they are your children with both discipline, praise and especially
understanding.
Robert, the scene you describe is a familiar one from personal experiences.
When a coach doesn't know what to tell his team, often he rips them on their
intensity. Unfortunately, I have never been able to find the magic words that
change ugly ducklings into princes. Sometimes it happens, other times it doesn't.
What I try to do when we are playing well is to focus very hard on the things we
are doing well and not dwell on the negatives. I do not put a lot of stock in
<doc name>
page 4 of 27
printed 03/02/16
halftime talks. The best thing about halftime is they get to take a rest and drink
water.
Player Incentives
>>>>>>
I'm considering starting some kind of "player of the game" award with my
U10G rec team.
<<<<<<
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 1998
From: Peter Drivas
I've tried incentives for the first time this year with my U9s and here's my
experience so far. I have a number of different incentives that are offered, so
everybody gets to take part.
1. Stickers for an outstanding game, practice or accomplishment.
I give two or three stickers every game or practice for outstanding play. I also
give stickers for an accomplishment. For instance, they can win 20 stickers if
they complete 1000 minutes of practice on their own over the season using Dan
Roudebush's book. I actually allow time credit for any play on their own. At the
end of the season at the party, we will have enough prizes for everyone on the
team. The kid with the most stickers gets to pick a prize first, and so on down the
line. They do not know what the prizes are, but they might range from anything
like a gift certificate for a Nintendo or Sega game (or to Toys R Us) down to a gift
certificate for McDonalds. I've been careful to make sure that all the kids were
recognized early in the season (i.e. they all got stickers). As the season goes on,
I use merit more and they begin to differentiate.
I think I'm a year or two early with this kind of incentive program. The kids have to
be able to delay gratification and be able to look into the future a little more than
they do now.
2. Playing they're favorite game as a warm-up if they beat the "team touch" total
for juggling at check in.
They love this incentive and work hard to beat the number every practice. I saw
someone mention having the coaches run laps if the kids beat the number, but
my team decided they would do laps with the coaches anyway and the incentive
wore off. Now they get to play "Doctor, Doctor" if they beat the number or get to
do my boring old dribble warm up if they don't. It works like a charm.
3. Candy or some other giveaway at the end of each practice for correctly
answering questions about the practice.
<doc name>
page 5 of 27
printed 03/02/16
They love this incentive and have been eager to answer questions now that they
get the idea (it took a few practices). I always vary the candy or giveaway so the
kids that get to pick first get a chance at the better choice (Nerds and Airheads
seem to be the rage). Everyone gets at least some thing at the end of practice.
4. Dunking the coach with water after a game if they make a specific goal (with
us it's usually the shot total).
A subtle reminder at the end of each quarter usually results in a flurry of shots.
They've dunked me in two out of the last three games. Their current bogey is 16
shots but I may raise that soon, especially if they can consistently beat it. It's also
about to get pretty cold up here in New England! As a word of advice, make sure
they use only wide mouth kinds of containers so that you get dunked quickly.
Last game they brought gallon jugs with little one inch openings and I sat there
for what felt like hours getting ice water dribbled over me.
For older kids (U12 and above) a coach told me about a system he uses that
rewards good practice play with a starting spot. He runs his drills as contests, so
each player can get points from each drill. In other words, if a player scored 2
goals in a 1v1 drill, he gets 2 points. At the end of practice, the players line up in
pairs, so that the players with the most points are at the front. Since the first 5
pairs plus one player from the sixth pair are the starters, players know exactly
how they stand and will work hard to either maintain their spot or beat out a kid to
win a spot. Players with higher point totals are also paired for drills, so this
incentive also acts as a way to balance skill levels at practice. The point count is
carried over from practice to practice and players are responsible for
remembering their number. If they forget, they go to the back of the line.
Motivation Is More Than a Question of Winning and Losing.
Coaching
Motivation Is more than a question of winning and losing.
By Darren C. Treasure, Ph.D.
Special to SoccerTimes
(Tuesday, January 26, 1999) -- I once played soccer with a kid named Mark.
Mark was a very successful youth soccer player who was always one of his
team's better players. Indeed, Mark represented the national schoolboy U-15
team.
About one year later, however, Mark dropped out of soccer. He said that soccer
had stopped being fun, as he wasn't the best player anymore. It was clear that
<doc name>
page 6 of 27
printed 03/02/16
Mark could only feel successful if he was number one and did not want to play if
he could not achieve this goal.
This anecdote illustrates how important it is for coaches and/or parents to
understand the ways in which their players perceive success in soccer, and the
significant effects these perceptions may have on their motivation to play the
game. Specifically, how hard they try in practice and during games, whether they
persist when the going gets tough, and whether they practice skills that will help
them get better even if they are not presently very good at them.
Research has found that for children under the age of 10, high ability is generally
implied by learning or by success at tasks they are uncertain of being able to
complete. They do not judge ability with reference to performance norms or
social comparisons. They can be induced to adopt another's performance as a
standard, but normally they make self-referenced rather than social normreferenced judgments of ability. For young children, when more effort is needed
for success, this implies more learning which means more ability in their world.
In a real sense, effort is ability for children under the age of 11. Because young
children cannot differentiate effort from ability, they do not have the cognitive
ability to understand winning and losing. If you do not believe me, go watch any
under-9 game and listen to the first question a child asks as he or she comes off
of the field. If it is not "Where's my snack?", it will be, "Did we win?" The child at
this age understands that winning is important, loves to compete, but does not
understand winning and losing in any systematic sense. Because of this, they will
not feel sad until a parent or coach informs them that they lost and accompany
this information with a positive or negative emotional reaction.
Around the age of 11-12 years, however, children develop the capacity to
differentiate ability from effort and now understand that effort can only help their
performance up to their current level of ability. For example, at this age a slow
player recognizes that no matter how hard they try, they will not out-run the
fastest player on the team. As a consequence of this developmental change,
after the age of 11-12, individuals can choose to define success in two different
ways, namely in a childlike fashion in which improvement and effort are critical,
or a more adult way in which outperforming others is stressed.
These different ways of perceiving success manifest themselves in an
individual's task or ego goal orientation. Ego-oriented individuals perceive
success in terms of winning and outperforming others, and believe that if they
outperform someone with minimum effort they have demonstrated an even
higher level of perceived ability. These individuals believe that success is
determined by ability and that cheating and deception may be acceptable
behaviors if they enable them to achieve their goal of winning.
<doc name>
page 7 of 27
printed 03/02/16
In contrast, task-oriented individuals perceive success in terms of getting better
and trying hard. Research has demonstrated that task-oriented individuals will
remain motivated even in times of adversity, for example when they are losing,
as they perceive success in terms of trying hard and attempting to improve. For
example, the center forward who misses a few chances will continue to run into
space in the attacking third of the field and accept the responsibility of taking
shots at goal.
Ego-oriented individuals who are successful are likely to engage in the same
positive behaviors. However, when ego-oriented individuals begin to doubt their
ability they are likely to begin to withdraw effort and engage in negative behaviors
to protect their perceived soccer ability. For example, you may find ego-oriented
forwards drifting further and further back after they have missed a few chances.
They may explain this by stating that they want to "create from the back," or
begin to blame their teammates for their inability to get the ball to them in the
attacking third of the field.
Although this behavior may seem illogical to you, it makes perfect sense to the
player as they are attempting to preserve their now fragile perception of ability.
After a while it could be that these ego-oriented individuals who doubt their
perceived ability, much like my friend Mark, choose to drop out of soccer all
together as it no longer provides them the opportunity to feel successful as they
do not achieve their goal of being the best compared to others.
In an activity in which performance during childhood and early adolescence is so
closely linked to physiological, motor skill, cognitive and other psycho-social
developmental issues, it seems sensible, to promote task orientation. By
emphasizing outcome and winning (ego orientation), less mature children are
likely to make inappropriate perceived ability assessments when the
demonstration of high ability is restricted to those children who are currently the
top performers.
Small children who struggle to compete against their bigger, quicker peers may
choose to drop out of soccer prematurely because winning is the only way they
can feel successful. In addition, task orientation should be fostered with those
children who are currently the top age group performers. Why is this important?
As in other activities, children move from one soccer team to another, from one
competitive level to another, and from one age group to another. When this
occurs it is unlikely that the hierarchy of ability within the respective context will
remain constant. In such instances, if the demonstration of ability is continually
based on the comparison of ability to others, an individual's perception of high
ability may weaken which may lead to maladapted behaviors, including,
potentially, withdrawal from the game.
From a motivational perspective, therefore, it is important that we as parents and
coaches attempt to promote task orientation in our young players. By providing
<doc name>
page 8 of 27
printed 03/02/16
ways of defining success other than winning, we can ensure that our players
remain motivated throughout their soccer career. Research with elite level
athletes has shown that these individuals are high in both ego and task
orientation. They feel successful when they win and outperform their competitors,
but they also appreciate the fact that this may not always be possible. There may
be occasions when they lose and/or perform badly and in these times of
adversity it is important that they view success in terms other than outcome if
they are to remain motivated.
The issue remains, however, of how to enhance the motivation of our players by
encouraging the development of task orientation. Research has shown that the
parent and/or coach is critical in the active construction of a child's perception of
what is valued in the youth soccer context. Parents and coaches should critically
evaluate what they do and how they do it in terms of task and ego goals.
For example, how do you define success for your players? Is it in terms of
development and effort, or winning and losing? Do you design practice sessions
that challenge your players which will lead to development, or do they repeat well
learned skills that, although, increasing the probability of winning, may delay
development? How do you evaluate performance? What behaviors do you
consider desirable? Do you congratulate players when they win and outperform
others or when they try hard and improve? How do you react when the team wins
or loses?
Persuasive evidence exists to suggest that by making certain cues, rewards, and
expectations salient a parent or coach can encourage a particular goal
orientation and in so doing affect the way a child perceives the soccer
experience. If we are to ensure that all youth soccer players are optimally
motivated coaches should, therefore, work hard to establish an environment that
promotes task goals: a developmentally appropriate environment in which
children are evaluated on their skill development and effort and not their
comparative performance and ability.
Darren C. Treasure, Ph.D., is an adjunct faculty member of the United States
Soccer Federation national coaching staff and is an assistant professor of sport
and exercise psychology at Arizona State University. This article originally
appeared in U.S. Soccer Magazine. For a two-year subscription (eight issues),
send a check for $20 to U.S. Soccer Magazine, 1801 South Prairie Avenue,
Chicago, Illinois 60616.
Copyright © 1999 Davidson News Group. All Rights Reserved
Motivational Materials
Date: Sun, 24 Mar 2002
<doc name>
page 9 of 27
printed 03/02/16
From: GenePitstick
I have compiled a group of motivational materials that may be useful to soccer
coaches and have published them on my teams website www.cchsirish.org/iws/. When you visit the site click on the word "Motivate" in
the left column menu. I have began trying to organize the materials but most are
still classified under the "other articles" and "other quotes" sections. You may
find the search tool a good way to locate something specific. The Star Gazing
article I transcribed this Saturday from a NPR Morning Edition segment should
be useful to get players to open their minds to new possibilities.
Request - If you have a quote, article, story, poem, joke, prayer or other
motivational material that may be useful to other coaches, I would be happy to
add it to the collection and give you credit. I'm convinced that training the mind is
as important if not more important than skill development and tactics when
striving to be an effective coach.
Reading to the Team
Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2001
From: Tom Bourne
I read this to my U-14 boys each seasons. (Sometimes more than once a
season, depending on their need for attitude adjustment.)
The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me,
is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education,
than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other
people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or
skills. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable
thing is, we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for
that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people
act a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is
play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude... I am convinced that life
is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is
with you... we are in charge of our attitudes.
--Charles Swindal
Motivational Poem “I Can”
Date: Thu, 3 Dec 1998
From: David Graham
The head coach of our university women's team included this poem as a cover
page for the training plan he distributed to the players recently after the end of
<doc name>
page 10 of 27
printed 03/02/16
our season. I had not come across this text before and thought some of you
might enjoy it; it is credited to "Anonymous" on the typescript but if anyone can
give me an author I'd be grateful.
Figure it out for yourself,
You've all that the greatest have had;
Two arms, two hands, two legs, two eyes,
And a brain to use if you would be wise.
With this equipment they all began -So start from the top and say, "I can."
Look them over, the wise and the great,
They take their food from a common plate,
And similar knives and forks they use,
With similar laces they tie their shoes.
The world considers them brave and smart,
But you've all they had when they made their start.
You are the handicap you must face,
You are the one who must choose your place.
You must say where you want to go,
How much you will study, the truth to know.
God has equipped you for life, but he
Will let you decide what you want to be.
Courage must come from the soul within,
You must furnish the will to win.
So figure it out for yourself,
You were born with all that the great have had;
With your equipment they all began,
So get hold of yourself and say, "I can."
Don't Quit
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must--but don't you quit.
Life is queer with it's twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
<doc name>
page 11 of 27
printed 03/02/16
Don't give up, though the pace seems slow-You might succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than
it seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the strugler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup.
And he learned too late, when the
night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out-The silver tint of the clouds of doubt-And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit-It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.
Robert Service(?)
SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY
Sport Psychology and Avoiding Burnout
Date: Tue, 15 May 2001
From: Brian Dougher
I receive this newsletter every once in a while. It is from Competitive Advantage,
written by Dr. Goldberg. The website is www.competitivedge.com
"Battling Burnout"
What coach doesn't like a motivated, happy athlete. Her positive attitude and
work ethic is infectious and lifts the level of your entire squad. Her energy and
love for the sport makes doing your job a real pleasure. If only coaching were so
simple that you could order up an entire team of like-minded, highly motivated
individuals.
Unfortunately, this is not how the real world works. More often times than not,
you have a tremendous mix of skill levels, personalities, energy levels and
motivations on your squad that challenges your patience and sanity. Add to this
the reality that you have to find a balance between teaching the proper skills of
the sport, pushing your athletes outside of their comfort zone to improve and get
in good condition without killing their love for the sport and their motivation and
you really have your work cut out for you.
<doc name>
page 12 of 27
printed 03/02/16
This is why good coaching is an art form. You have to sell your athletes on the
pursuit of excellence and the love of hard work, while at the same time making
sure that you continue to kindle their passion for the sport. Any time you regularly
put athletes in a position where they have to consistently step outside of their
comfort zone, both physically and emotionally, (Remember, you can't get better
unless you GET COMFORTABLE BEING UNCOMFORTABLE, unless you get
used to challenging yourself with tougher competition, harder workouts, more
challenging drills, working on your weaknesses, etc.) you risk pushing them too
hard and them becoming a burnout statistic.
To counteract this it's your job as a coach to closely monitor your players'
physical and emotional "fuel tanks." When either gets too low you need to be
able to help them "fill up." Burnout is a product of "running on empty" for too long.
Good coaching is not just about knowing the sport and how to teach the skills. It's
about being in tune with your athletes and having some sense of where they are
physically and emotionally. It's virtually impossible to be an effective teacher
when your audience is not receptive because of burnout.
So what can you do if you begin to detect the "running on empty" symptoms of
burnout, (low energy, more then normal squabbling between players, too many
team crises dujour, bad attitudes, incessant complaining, repetitive poor
performances, no fun.)? Try the following burnout busting strategies:
#1 USE VARIETY - There's nothing that feeds burnout as much as boredom and
repetition. If you run your practices the same way all the time, do the same old
drills, in the same old order, you'll bore your athletes to tears and kill their
enjoyment. Instead, mix things up. Introduce variety in your training. Try new
drills. Do different workouts. Shuffle things up. The more variety, the more
interest. The more interest, the more enthusiasm. The more enthusiasm, the
higher quality of training your athletes will have.
#2 BE UNPREDICTABLE - Unpredictability goes hand in hand with variety but
refers more to YOU. Along with repetition, predictability feeds boredom and can
fuel burnout. Dare to be different as a coach. Take risks. Change your behavior
and do the unexpected. Bring in outside speakers or visiting coaches. Give an
unexpected break or play a popular goal oriented game when the team is
expecting a brutal workout that day. Unpredictability feeds excitement.
#3 BE FLEXIBLE - The coaching era of "my way or the highway" is dead and
gone. You can have a highly motivated, discipline group of athletes without being
an inflexible, hard headed, old fashioned tyrant. Be willing to look at things from a
variety of perspectives. Your way is NOT always the best way no matter how
talented or experienced you may be as a coach. Frequently when you are right in
the middle of something you lose perspective. Be open to feedback. Listen to
your coaching staff. Listen to your athletes. Be willing to change your behavior.
<doc name>
page 13 of 27
printed 03/02/16
Being flexible does NOT mean that you are wishy-washy. Every one of your
athletes is different. Your skill and effectiveness in reaching each one depends
on your flexibility to meet them at their own model of the world.
#4 MODEL ENTHUSIASM/PASSION FOR YOUR SPORT - Good coaches are
passionate about what they do. Burnout can't happen when love and passion are
present. If you love what you're doing and you model this, you will have happier,
better motivated athletes. If you're in the drone zone as a coach and you're bored
out of your gourd, just going through the motions, then you'll put your athletes to
sleep and contribute to them losing interest in what they are doing. Love the
challenge, love your job and be passionate about the sport and you'll be doing a
whole lot to combat burnout.
#5 HAVE FUN - You can have fun and allow your athletes to enjoy themselves
without detracting from your mission and the hard work necessary to be
successful. Fun is an important ingredient in peak performance and is present in
every healthy coaching environment. If you are too serious all the time, you'll
being doing your part to inadvertently contribute to the burnout process in your
athletes. Athletes learn much faster and are better motivated when they are
having fun. Be creative. How can you integrate fun into what you have to do on a
daily or weekly basis. The younger the athletes you work with, the more critical it
is that you build this into your program.
#6 EMPHASIZE THE PROCESS, NOT THE OUTCOME - Burnout gets fueled by
an overemphasis on outcome. If you over stress the importance of winning and
instill a fear of losing, you will distract your athletes, tighten them up and interfere
with them performing to their potential. Furthermore, the pressure that comes
from overemphasizing winning will kill your athletes enjoyment of the sport and
contribute to them burning out. Instead, teach the importance of the process.
This means that you want to stress proper execution, technique, strategy, etc. If
you spend more energy on these process elements, the outcome will take care of
itself.
#7 ENCOURAGE YOUR ATHLETES TO ENGAGE IN OTHER SPORTS - If you
are working with athletes under 14 years of age, it's in your best interest to allow
them, if they so desire, to participate in other sports. Overspecialization at too
young an age contributes to getting stale later on. Forcing a young athlete to give
up additional sports that they love so that they can practice and compete all year
long is a BIG mistake on your part. Participating in other sports during the off
season keeps the athlete's interest and enthusiasm high. Sometime during early
adolescence the athlete may need to chose just one sport. However, you should
never force a younger athlete to make this choice.
#8 BUILD IN TIME OFF AND "VACATION" DAYS - It's important that you
recognize and appreciate the need for time off. It's critical that you not only
encourage your athletes to take breaks but that you let them do this with your
<doc name>
page 14 of 27
printed 03/02/16
blessings. Making an athlete feel guilty for taking time off is a mistake. Having
days and weeks off built into your yearly program is important to maintain high
enthusiasm and motivation. Springing periodic surprise "vacation days" is also
important. A vacation day is when the athlete comes for a regular workout and
you spend the practice time playing something that most kids love.
#9 TAKE TIME OFF YOURSELF - To keep yourself from becoming a victim of
burnout you must practice what you preach. Have a life. Take time off. Go on
vacation yourself. Do things that YOU love which allow you to get away and
recharge your physical and emotional batteries. If you take care of yourself it will
be a whole lot easier for you to prevent burnout in your athletes.
#10 BE EMPATHIC - Get to know your athletes as individuals. Try to temporarily
put yourself in their shoes to tap into what they are feeling. If you truly
understand your athletes and can communicate this understanding to them, you
will be able in a far better position to head burnout off at the pass so-to-speak. If
you are oblivious to your athletes feelings and don't care about what's going on
for them, then burnout has some fertile soil to grow in.
NSCAA 2000 -- Success is a State of Mind
Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2000
From: Gary Rue
Success is a State of Mind
Bill Beswick, Sports Psychologist, Derby County
NSCAA Convention
Jan. 14, 2000
The clinician recommended using video to create positive attitudes—shape
attitudes. His videos in this session always had a song where video clips related
to the words.
1. Performance follows attitude at all levels
- used an example of a lesser team scoring a leading goal, only to have the other
team score a goal immediately afterwards. Reestablish the focus (after the
celebration) that the team will regain possession of the ball within 3 passes of the
kickoff.
2. Realize importance of mental attitude of a player.
- control is a more important role than passion
- interview of a coach (2 questions)
* Describe the perfect game?
- may demonstrate lack of vision or philosophy if the interviewee can't
adequately respond
* What is the complete player?
<doc name>
page 15 of 27
printed 03/02/16
The complete player is made up of the following factors.
- Step 5 - Emotional - Emotional Quotient may be more important than
Intellectual Quotient (IQ)
- Step 4 - Mental - confidence, concentration, composure; game playing
intelligence
- Step 3 - Technical
- Step 2 - Physical
- Step 1 - Lifestyle
All five steps must be part of coach's agenda to take players to the highest level.
Coach's mission statement--To help players develop a healthy lifestyle and wellshaped mental and emotional attitudes to maximize their physical and technical
potential.
"Talent may have gotten you here--but it's character that will keep you here."
Create the environment that shapes positive attitudes--make players want to
come to practice.
In a bad situation, look to the future. For example, don't fret a game against an
opponent you aren't supposed to win, missing several main players and will be
played in bad weather. Get through it, then put your efforts into the next game
that is a "must" game.
When a coach substituted out a trash talking player, the player asked, "Why did
you take me out of the game?" The coach's response, "I didn't take you out of the
game. You took yourself out of the game, I just took you off the pitch."
* remind players that they are winners
* minimize distraction
* practice relaxation
* visualize star performance
* only positive self-talk
* use inspirational material
* maintain perspective
* review personal team role
Follow familiar routine--trust habits and enjoy
Why hurt/yell at players when they are not capable of competing or performing at
the competition's level--lower the standards enough to be challenging, but not
impossible. (ed. Are you as coach capable of recognizing a player's or team's
level of play compared to the other team?)
<doc name>
page 16 of 27
printed 03/02/16
3. Coaching for attitude
* Coaches get the players they deserve
- you're the role mode; take care of your health and energy
- enthusiasm is important
- look good, feel good, coach good
* every practice has opportunities, mental and physical
- if you don't observe and talk to the players, they can't improve
- practice is fundamental to emotional toughness; teammates must challenge
teammates--players can't hide
* Sell, don't yell
- excellence is a SHARED journey; bottom line is to be world champions
* Can't shape unless you communicate
- hot spots are communication breakdowns
- see a problem and deal with it...early
- teach players to self reference--ask them how they played instead of telling
them how they played
- help players to say thank you when you give them criticism
* Coach performance, not results
- separate "can't do" from "won't do"
- empathize with creative players
- 3 kinds of players--make it happen; see it happen; "What happen?"
* Deal with mistakes versus react to mistakes
- how do players react after a mistake
- coaches should deal with mistakes, not react to them
- don't get (mentally) defeated by bad results or mistakes--it's part of the dance
* Don't forget power of fun
Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2000
From: Gene Pitstick
I sat beside Gary and got a few additional things in my notes:
Bill played a video accompanied by "The Winner Takes It All" music
EQ is more important than IQ - emotional intelligence
Shape attitudes, attitudes lead to emotions, emotions lead to victory (triangle to
visual)
Teach players self management
<doc name>
page 17 of 27
printed 03/02/16
Always visualize yourself as the star of the performance - success is a state of
mind, remember you are a winner, only positive self talk, use inspirational
materials, Minimize distractions, practice relaxation, maintain perspective, review
your personal and team role, follow familiar routines, trust your habits and enjoy
What gets noticed gets repeated, what gets rewarded gets …
Clear the mind - clear the feet
Players have to challenge other players to get better
Don't yell, sell
Sell excellence as a journey
Observe when they make the grade - let a player know when they achieve a
goal
You don't shape attitudes unless you talk to your players especially individually
If you see a problem then you must deal with it early
Teach players to self reference - teach self motivation
Empathize with creative players - give them confidence, takes guts to coach
artists - don't criticize mistakes
Take the loses off of the players don't lay it on them - Dean Smith
Mistakes are common place
Coaches shouldn't react to things - they should deal with things
Mistakes are part of the dance - mistakes are the key to learning
Most important thing I've learned was to forget and forgive myself – Dan O'Brian
Olympic gold medalist in decathlon (only won 1 of the 10 events)
Don't forget how to smile!
NSCAA 2000 -- Integrating Sports Psychology
Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2000
From: Gary Rue
Integrating Sports Psychology into Your Coaching Session
April Heinricks (Clinician)/Dr. Colleen Hacker (Session Assessor)
NSCAA Convention
Jan. 14, 2000
What is the purpose of a Sports Psychologist (SP)? How does s/he fit into a
program. To answer these questions, a 45 minute practice session was run. The
trainer and the players were observed by the SP. At the end, the notes taken by
the SP were summarized and presented to the trainer, the players and the
session attendees.
Note: only a few key points normally would be brought out in the average
trainer/team/SP post activity conversation; however, greater content was
presented, because of the audience.
Session Theme--Penetration, Playing Ball Behind Opponents
<doc name>
page 18 of 27
printed 03/02/16
Warm-up:
- individual dribbling in an area
- pair up, dribbler attempts to "nutmeg" partner
- half team in a circle with ball; inner players check away then to ball for pass;
turn with ball and pass to another player in the circle
10x20 grid
- 1v1; add small goals
- 2v1; add large goals
- 2v2
Coaching points:
- use outside of near foot
- face defender
- no square passing
- stay on balance, don't show pass when on ball
Assessor Comments
To the coach<Of course the new US national women's coach was perfect in her training
session :-), so the SP just noted some of the things she looks for during a
session. There was no real critique, other than to point out the positive areas
displayed by the trainer..>
* How does the coach respond to desirable performance? Did the coach catch
the players being good? The coach must ignore the "I expected that" thoughts or
forget to recognize good performance, just because a player does something
well consistently. How did the coach respond to mistakes?
* Coach for change:
- Feedback Sandwich
> You did this well...
> BUT you did this... (the meat of the sandwich should be delivered in less than
10 seconds)
> You should have done this and here is why
To the players-1. Start pre-game psychology from day 1; players need to start practicing
controlling what they think.
2. Extra players--don't wait your turn, imagine play through your teammates; pick
a player that is a level or two above yours.
3. Quick decisive action; mental skill that can be practiced; 33% of WC goals
were in less than 5 seconds.
4. Take responsibility yourself; e.g., "When is game time?"
5. There is a difference between getting ready and being ready.
<doc name>
page 19 of 27
printed 03/02/16
6. Keep cognitive and physical training together.
7. Is good enough to get by...good enough? Do you want to get done or get
better?
8. Players must hold themselves accountable; e.g., how many double teams did I
get in the game?
9. Intensity is only a shell and can be learned.
10. What do you do when no one is looking?
11. Details matter.
12. "Act as if..."; what image do you want to project to your opponent?
NSCAA 2001 -- Winners Are Different
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2001
From: Gary Rue
Subject: Prep: NSCAA 2001--Winners Are Different (Part I)
> Below are notes from a NSCAA session held on January 18, 2001. The core of
> the material were furnished to me via Lawrence Fine who received them from
> a personal friend of Beswick.
Session: Winners are different - A Psychological Profile of Elite Players
Speaker: Bill Beswick
Date: NSCAA Convention, January 18, 2001
Know where they are coming from - beyond the technical and tactical, what are
their problems? Start with the end in mind.
The Monster of Success - The Burden of Celebrity
Success yields:
*
Greater the risk of failure
*
Greater media/commercial attention
*
Greater effort needed
*
Greater expectation
*
Increased challenge
Family, coach, friends have increased expectations once a child is labeled
"talented." These forces do make them different. It will crush the young men who
can't prioritize, discriminate and aren't mentally tough and emotionally well
balanced. We shouldn't say "talented" until age 12. Their world shrinks and
winning becomes their only reality so most likely the elite that you get are not
psychologically healthy. Parents are still the biggest influence on young players.
Personality changes in the progression of top-level players
Initiation Stage
<doc name>
page 20 of 27
printed 03/02/16
Joyful
Playful
Excited
Special
Talented
Development Stage
Hooked
Committed
Drive/ambition
Learning
Fun
Perfection Stage
Obsessed
Responsible
Single-minded
Demanding
Selfish
Toughness
Celebrity
Warrior
Global
Anecdote: Beckham is showcased commercially. Though the rest of the
Manchester United starting team were told they could stay home and rest,
Beckham was told he had to go on a Far East tour in the off-season.
Roy Keane - warrior - he doesn't do friendly games. In prior years when ManU
clinched the premiership early, Keane developed game-restrictive injuries for the
season ending games. He can't get up for them mentally or physically when
nothing is on the line.
When a player is in a dysfunctional family, he may think soccer is an answer. It
gets him away from the family, but someday he will have to live in real world.
Potential for psychological problems
*
Insecurity/instability
*
Loss of identity (one day hero, next day bum)
*
Constantly changing self-esteem
*
Loss of self-belief/confidence (always players whose careers are coming to
end)
*
Stress
*
Performance fears: coming off injury, age
*
Over arousal/aggression/violence (Steel before style. Occasionally a player
will go overboard)
<doc name>
page 21 of 27
printed 03/02/16
*
Escapism - substance/alcohol abuse
*
Burnout (Need to program their "software" - little daily reminders of love of
game.)
*
Depression/withdrawal (If you can't be star, don't be clown.)
"Age of disposable player"
Give a man a reason why and he will always find a how.
WHY
*
Desire to win
*
Desire to be best - achieve mastery
*
A need for intense competition/stimulation
*
Emotional need for success - ego driven. (Good players ARE difficult. Ask
yourself are they worth it? If they are, then stick with them as long as possible.)
HOW
*
Capacity for focused concentration
*
Ability to respond to intense pressure (must like and thrive on pressure, not
just cope with it.)
*
Capacity to confront opposition aggressively
*
Courage to deal with pain
*
Consistent desire to improve
*
Coachability - ability to learn and adapt
*
Intelligence - learns to play smart as well as hard
Practice at ManU is all competition-even to leave the field after practice. Player
(Nicky Butt) was left alone with the first team trainer and Beswick one practice.
The trainer challenged Butt to hit the top bar from 40 out. The trainer missed
badly on his first couple of attempts. Butt's attempts barely missed. Finally the
trainer hit the bar and went strutting off telling Butt he needed to stay and talk to
"psycho" (Beswick) in order get his confidence back for getting beat by the
trainer. Once the trainer was off the field, Butt nailed the top bar with his next two
attempts. Beswick asked for an explanation and Butt said, "You don't want to
show up the guy that helps decide playing time."
A top person is an ordinary person with an extra-ordinary talent. They must learn
how to step on stage as a performer and then return to real world. They must do
emotional calming after a game. Teach them to move from ordinary to warrior
mentality and back again.
ordinary
==>extraordinary==>ordinary
person==>talent==>person
real self==> performance-self==>real self
Top Level Players Must Self-Manage
<doc name>
page 22 of 27
printed 03/02/16
medical/rehabilitation
family/friends
teammates
agent
psychologist
media
strength
commercial
dietician
coaches
Mental toughness starts with the ability to accept who we are. (Don't blame, but
do criticize)
Guideline for coaches - Handling top level players
*
Motivate - understand it's all about winning which is intrinsic; as a coach I
may attack you as a player, but still love you as a person.
*
Sell the vision - the reason why. It starts TODAY with the work
*
Make each player a part of the journey to succeed
*
Help each player set personal goals (e.g., Beckham to learn how to play
center midfield)
*
Find each player's sense of self-worth and help each achieve it
*
Understand whole player and the potential stress
*
Emphasize intrinsic rewards
Communicate (find the moment and sell, not yell)
*
Never be in awe of superstars; increase communication and decrease
anxiety
*
Respect each player, listen, build trust (60% listening to them, 40% talking)
*
1 vs. 1 communication may get the message across stronger
*
Be wary of criticism or praise - players self-evaluate, so too much praise is
counter productive
*
Understand each player's ethnic and cultural background
*
Give honest feedback on performance
Preparation
*
Coach smart, not hard; sell expertise and personality (always finish with
little challenge/fun game)
*
Don't limit players - let them surprise you
*
Allow players to do what they do best...that requires courage of the coach
*
Undercoaching is a skill - let players think
*
Attention to detail is vital; set pieces win games
*
Balance work and rest
*
Beware of player burnout
*
Boredom is the enemy
<doc name>
page 23 of 27
printed 03/02/16
Problem Solving
*
Limit stressful situations
*
Be proactive in dealing with problems
*
Focus on what can be controlled
*
Change negative to positive
*
Use peer pressure where possible
*
Teach player emotion intelligence. Deal with problems rather than react.
*
Build a resource team of experts to support player
*
Understand the effects of injuries on the player's mindset
Closing - If you hold a bird too tight, he doesn't have enough freedom. If you
hold a bird too loose, you lose control. In either case, you get crap on your hand.
NSCAA 2003 -- Sports Psychology Symposium: Leadership as a Function
of the Coach, Part IV
Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2003
From: Gene Pitstick
Moderator: Mel Lorback.
Jerry Yeagley, Men's Coach, Indiana U.,
Anson Dorrance, Women's Coach, Univ. of North Carolina;
Colleen Hacker, Sports Psychologist for US National Women's team and several
Pro sports teams, College Coach)
This was the fourth year for this symposium. Previous years had begun with
opening statements by each panelist and was followed by a lively question and
answer session. This year the audience question/panelist answer format was
used for the entire session. What follows is my notes on statements made that
struck me as useful. I did not try to summarize all that was said.
Mel Lorback - all leaders are not coaches but all coaches are leaders
Colleen Hacker - do team building through out the year
Anson Dorrance - North Carolina actively recruits a player with known leadership
skills for each class
Jerry Yeagley - most important trait leadership trait is honesty, one who tries to
get better each day, work with potential leaders
Colleen Hacker - put players in situations where they have success, she placed
emphasis on different leadership strengths: physical, under stress, organizational
<doc name>
page 24 of 27
printed 03/02/16
Jerry Yeagley - to choose his captains, he asks players who it should be then
makes the selection himself, Anson said he has players elect the captains then
meets one on one with the real leader and tells her to ignore the election and do
the real job of leading the team on and off the field, the elected captains handle
coin flip
Colleen Hacker - cultivate democracy but let them now where buck stops
Jerry Yeagley - kids today want to be challenged
Anson Dorrance - let parents be involved in every step, has freshmen parents
come to first week of camp so they can see exactly how their child is doing. He
said that Pat Summit, legendary Tennessee Women's Basketball coach, calls the
mother of a player and tells her that she sees potential in her daughter and is
going to challenge her daughter to rise to another level during the next practice
or meeting. When she rips the girl in front of the team and the girl inevitably
makes that tearful call home, the player then encounters a mother who supports
the coaches' challenge.
All four agreed rules need to be as few as possible but strictly enforced
Jerry Yeagley - talks with team about each rule: Do you agree with the rule? Can
you abide by this rule?
Colleen Hacker - goals must be observable, measurable, attainable,
accountable, and a definite date/time to achieve specified
Anson Dorrance - we want life to be a never ending ascension, to often life
throws us off cliff into deep valleys
Colleen Hacker - in her coaching she had players turn in goal sheets each
Monday and reviewed them with players. She stressed creating the fabric of
excellence
Mel Lorback - coaches need charisma, passion, and humor, courage is no. 1
leadership quality
Colleen Hacker -if you're green your growing, if you're ripe your rotting. Mia
Hamm is the best example of this - she wants to as good as Michelle Akers in the
air, as good as at leadership as Julie Foudy, as good at defense as ..., etc.
Anson Dorrance - suggested reading "The Leadership Moment" by Michael
Useem. He yearly conducts a leadership seminar with seniors to be during this
time of year. During one session (each supposed to last 30 minutes) they are
asked to critique the previous 3 years leaders, focusing on the best things they
did as leaders. Then they discuss the leadership legacy they want to leave. The
<doc name>
page 25 of 27
printed 03/02/16
coach steers the discussion in positive direction. Also recommended was an
Ernest Shackleton book. Take responsibility for everything.
Colleen Hacker - servant leadership -to whom much is given, much is expected
Jerry Yeagley - set goals and then talks about what we need do to achieve them
Colleen Hacker - pressure is a privilege
? - To handle pressure: focus on what you can control, do everything you can,
then at then end of the day you know you've done it.
? - To help with anxiety create pressure in practice so they learn to be successful
under pressure
11 Rules for Kids
Date: Thu, 27 May 1999
From: Bennett L. Carroll
==================================================
Charles Sykes is the author of DUMBING DOWN OUR KIDS.
He volunteered this list of things he did not learn in school, for high school
and college graduates. In his book, he talks about how the liberal, feel-good,
politically correct garbage has created a generation of kids with no concept of
reality and set them up for failure in the real world.
Rule 1: Life is not fair; get used to it.
Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you
to accomplish something before you feel good about yourself.
Rule 3: You will not make 40 thousand dollars a year right out of high school.
You won't be a vice president with a car phone until you *earn* both.
Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss. He doesn't
have tenure.
Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a
different word for burger-flipping; they called it opportunity.
Rule 6: If you screw up, it's not your parents' fault so don't whine about your
mistakes. Learn from them.
<doc name>
page 26 of 27
printed 03/02/16
Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now.
They got that way paying your bills, cleaning your room, and listening to you tell
them how idealistic you are. So before you save the rain forest from the
bloodsucking parasites of your parents' generation, try delousing the closet in
your own room.
Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers but life has
not. In some schools they have abolished failing grades, they'll give you as many
times as you want to get the right answer. This, of course, bears not the slightest
resemblance to anything in real life.
Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off, and very
few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own
time.
Rule 10: Television is not real life. In real life people actually have to leave the
coffee shop and go to jobs.
Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.
<doc name>
page 27 of 27
printed 03/02/16