Robert Audley

Educator | Author | Counselor | Coach | Parent

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MOTIVATION STRATEGIES for STUDENT ATHLETES!

Look at your player in a different way…

Let’s look at our kids like they are fixed wired…they are wired a certain way. How it developed does not matter. It may have been developed from hereditary, environmental forces, or both. How this wiring came about does not matter.

What does matter is that we understand that people have certain, specific, individualized programs that want information presented in a certain way for them to respond to…to perform at a higher level.

1. Move toward or away – ASK your player …

Do you “ACT” because you want to win the game, league/sectionals,regional/states? Do you WANT a high status with peers/parents/sport “junkies,” …OR… do you act to avoid pain, to avoid losing? Do you practice/play at a certain level to avoid trouble or because you want to win? Do you practice with intensity because you want to be prepared for a game and perform well to get the positive feeling of accomplishment…or…do you prepare for a game because you do not want to fail and you want to avoid all the negative comments from others? Do you want to avoid any negative internal talk, negative pictures of peers/adults looking at you in a disappointing manner which leads to poor feeling of the situation and self?

Coach_Motivation

2. Possibility vs. Necessity

An athlete wired for possibility moves to action because they want to. They seek options when problem solving. They seek new experiences, choices, paths. Interested in what is not known, what can happen or evolve, what opportunities may develop. An athlete wired for necessity will take what life has to offer. They do something they must do. They are NOT looking for what is possible, or infinite variety of experience. They often say, “it has to be done,” and go about their business. You can explain to them all the benefits of a rich life because they competed at a high level and won, but will not be motivated to action until it is explained to them that, “IT IS SOMETHING THAT HAS TO HAPPEN.”

3. Matcher vs. Mis-matcher

As Coaches we sometimes work with athletes who sometimes oppose ideas or directions. Very often we deal with young people who are chronic mis-matchers. They have to change their routine in order to be comfortable with their situation…OR…they have to change their routine just for the sake of changing their routine. They are probably NOT trying to cause a problem although they recognize they will probably create a problem by requesing to change the practice routine, field position, how to execute a play, stand instead of sit at the end of a practice. Recognizing this pattern in a player allows us to deal with them in a manner that is good for them. The Matcher is easier to deal with because they love to follow the same routine everyday…EASY! A Mismatcher as a Soccer Player may cause trouble for a Coach because they change their approach to the ball once in a while. This can be alarming to a Coach or teammates, BUT, if the Mismatcher continues to be successful then leave them alone and encourage their process.

When a play or drill is being taught on the field and a teammate, Mismatcher, is not quite following the play, the Matcher can find this frustrating and feel a sense of defeat. Knowing this process in a player helps us, as Coaches, to help the Matcher understand how the other players, Mismatchers, operate and how we can work together to achieve our common goal…WIN AS A TEAM!!!

4. Internal Chat

A player competing in a game, and practice, will “talk” to themselves at a rate of 2,000 words per minute. That communication is mixed with words, pictures, sounds and feelings heavily influenced by their self talk. We need to teach our players how to talk to themselves toward success on the field.

ALL of this requires practice and paying attention to all of their communication…verbal and nonverbal.

So much of what we do is paying attention to them and learning who they are and what makes them tick…our players!!!

Here’s to you and your child’s success in & out of the classroom,

Robert Audley

Educator | Author | Counselor | Coach | Parent

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Contact

7768 Mayfair Circle,
Ellicott City, Maryland 21043
315-382-7691

About Robert Audley

Robert has dedicated his life, both professional and personal, to helping kids overcome their unique obstacles. He’s worked in a broad range of education- and counseling-oriented positions, providing specialized services to challenged and at-risk students. Continued learning and work in the field gives him an ever-expanding arsenal of tools and techniques from which to draw.

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