Power of Joy

What does a motivated person look like? How do they act?

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Picture that person. What does he or she do that demonstrates that motivation? Does that person show up engaged? Does that person give maximum effort every time a challenge arises? 

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What about transferring that enthusiasm? Does that person have an infectious energy where their motivation is contagious, inspiring others to match their energy?

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What other characteristics are exhibited by someone who is fully motivated? Relentless engagement? Enthusiasm? Positive attitude? 

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After defining motivation, think of an individual kindergartener playing tag at recess. Full effort. Infectious, unabridged enthusiasm. A commitment to continue until every ounce of energy is depleted, and then come back and do it again tomorrow.

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Not everyone who has joy is motivated, but everyone who is motivated enjoys what they do.

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Coaches sometimes lose sight of the power of joy. Gearing up for the big game with a rival, trying to improve upon last season's success, trying to turn around a struggling program, coaches often forget how important simply enjoying the activity can be.

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This does not mean coaches should not push players to be the best version of themselves, and that sometimes involves some tough love. However, it does mean that tough love, should be a tool not a culture.

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Positive reinforcement is necessary. When a student athlete makes a mistake, a good coach quickly provides input to improve the outcome for next time. The same thing needs to be true in reverse. When a student athlete does something well, or demonstrates great effort, that also needs to be called out. Student athletes need to hear the good so they will listen when it is time to hear the bad.

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Coaches also need high emotional intelligence, and this is both an art and a science. Coaches need to create rules for themselves. For example, immediately following an emotional loss is not the time to make a long speech, so a coach with high emotional intelligence makes sure to always keep it short following a game. No matter how bad you want to talk about the player that didn't run the play right at the end of the game, address that in practice pragmatically not right after the game emotionally.

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The other part of emotional intelligence is having a feel for the players and remembering they are people too. Coaches need to be connected with their kids. Coaches who know how to push and pull in the right moments are not simply good at guessing, they are connected to their team. Not every problem requires a hammer, and knowing your team allows a coach to properly manage them to keep them motivated.

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Lastly, coaches need to implement competitive ways to improve skills. Boring redundancy is part of skill development, but creating drills that foster enjoyment for competition is the best thing a coach can do. Reinforcing the notion that trying to win, not actually winning, is the true measure of competition.

 

Encouraging student athletes to enjoy competition while also competing hard to win without fearing the outcome is how coaches keep student athletes motivated and improving daily.