As we learned about in the module on Motivation in the 3D certification course, an effective way to create intrinsic motivation is to implement a strategy for modeling. The Put Up Drill allows for peer-modeling in a powerful way because kids are afforded the opportunity to model seeing and verbalizing what is RIGHT for their peers. This feeds into the other 2nd dimension applications as well. By helping athletes focus on the positive, kids are less likely to internalize negativity and evaluate their self-worth based on their performance.
After practice and/or after games, have the athletes speak to specific things they saw done well. This can be anything from running a play properly, how opponents were treated, or specific demonstrations of the three things athletes control: attitude, effort, how they treat others.
This can be an especially effective activity after a game. The tendency of coaches after games is to point out specific things that went wrong. This is unhelpful for 2 reasons:
- Unless you are going to practice them right away they will be forgotten thus it becomes a time to vent your frustrations.
- At best it isn’t helpful and can put your athletes in a negative mental framework.
This strategy helps athletes notice and encourage others in their roles on the team.
Bonus: Think about how you can involve the parents passively in this. One of the first questions the parents ask when they see their children after the contest is, “What did the coach say?” One of your first questions that you are asking is, “I wonder what the parents are telling them?” Invite the parents to stand in a circle around the team and LISTEN to what their athletes are saying. You now have set the tone for the conversation. You have now helped the parents to engage in supportive conversation after the game instead of critiquing performance.
From experience, athletes love this. At first they may not be very good at this, but it’s because they haven’t been taught to see what they or others are doing well. Most of our coaching tends to be fixing the imperfections.
This helps those that tend to be critical to also see the good, even if they are small things. You can even coach the athletes who “get it” to look for good actions from those who are starting to demonstrate attitudes and actions that come from discouragement. This teaches your team to be encouragers.
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