How to Motivate Your Young Athlete to Get Better
Many parents contact us each week because they struggle to motivate their kids in sports or how best to motivate their athletes. We receive many questions from sports parents and coaches, such as from this hockey parent who asked, "We know the talent he has is far greater than what he delivers. How do we motivate our child to have more heart and be mentally stronger?"
We believe that coaches and parents should understand the best ways to help their kids be motivated or how to instill self-motivation in their athletes.
Understanding Motivation
Motivation is the desire to achieve a goal. Athletes may be motivated to win a tournament, to play well or to improve their skills. Motivation is critical to achieve success in sports. Many top athletes attribute their success in sports to high motivation and continued commitment.
What Motivates Athletes
The first step to improving your athletes' motivation is to know what gets your athletes motivated. You also need to understand what causes athletes to lose motivation and want to quit.
Kids who are motivated:
Love to practice and compete
Like to work on weaknesses so they can improve
Get excited about competition
Want to win and hate to lose
Have high expectations for their performance
Are dedicated to their sport
Stay committed even when challenged
Go after their goals with intensity
How are your kids motivated to participate in sports?
