How to motivate kids is always the age old question must adults ask themselves.  It is easy to coach an athlete if they are motivated, but what do you do if they are not?

In this next video in our series for coaches, Craig gives some quick strategies for how to motivate young athletes for youth sports coaches.  It is the next segment in a series of trainings videos for coaches to learn how to teach mental toughness to their athletes.

How To Motivate Young Athletes For Youth Sports Coaches

motivate young athletesWe will move on to determination and how do you get athletes motivated?  How do you get them to want to show up on days when they don’t really feel like it?   You have got to help them find their “why?” and mirror back to them.  “Why are you doing this?”

Now, when I ask athletes this, this is what they usually say, “Well, I want to get into college.”  That’s nice.  Why do you want to get into college?  And a lot of times they never thought past that.  What you can do is help them to think more about the details if what it means to go to college.

motivate young athletesThen you could ask, “Why do you just want to go to any college?”  Do you just want to go to community college?  There is nothing wrong with that, but what is cool about that?  If that is what you want to do, do they have a special program there you are excited about?  Or is it because you can live close to home?  Or do you want to go to a D-1 college?  And what would be great about that for you?”

Get them to spell it out.  Look at it.  Write it down.  Revisit it every single day.  We forget that kids get stuck on what’s wrong with me.  Comparing themselves, “I don’t know if I can beat this guy today.  I don’t know if I’m going to repeat the fault I did last week”.  Get them to look at their list of what they want… I actually tell my clients I want to see the list.  I have them bring it in.  I motivate young athleteswant you to put it next to your bed.  I want you to look at it every single day.  And as you are looking at it, you are thinking and letting whatever comes up in detail.

I remember one young woman said, “I love the uniforms they wear.  I want to wear that red and gold.”  Great! “I love the coach that is on that team.”  Think about that.  Look at that.   The thing is this has got to be habitual and a daily practice.  You know most kids don’t think about this very often.

Once you assign this to them and you see them lagging or you see them not really putting their all into a practice, you can remind them “… red uniforms!”  Just like that. Brings them right on back.

And that’s just the beginning of learning of mental toughness and how to motivate young athletes. If you want that competitive advantage for your young athlete, click here for free video training to turbo-charge confidence, build resiliency, and learn life skills through participation in sports.

What are the ways you motivate young athletes? Make sure to share in the comments below!

motivate young athletesWelcome to the Winner’s Circle!

Craig Sigl, the Mental Toughness Trainer