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AFM Magazine


Coach to Coach: The Art of Effective Motivation

by: Bryon Hamilton
Head Coach, Foothill High School, Palo Cedro (CA)
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I was watching the Baltimore Ravens dominate the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first half of a playoff game this weekend with my dad. I was surprised at the lack of energy and focus that Pittsburgh team had displayed for the entire first half. On the first possession of the second half, sure-handed Baltimore running back Ray Rice fumbled and the Steelers recovered. The home fans were filled with a rush of excitement and the Pittsburgh players, despite a two touchdown deficit, displayed a renewed sense of determination and focus. Two plays later the Steelers scored a touchdown and a come from behind victory put Pittsburgh into the AFC Championship game. Immediately after the touchdown, I turned to my father and said, “They had that level of play in them all day. I wonder why it took a fumble recovery to bring it out?”

Motivation and momentum are strange things in sports. Why the Pittsburgh players played the first half the way they did is a mystery. I am sure at halftime they were wondering the same thing. In another game this weekend, the New York Jets traveled to Boston to take on the New England Patriots, the NFL’s top-rated team. The talk leading up to the game was dominated by the Jets coach Rex Ryan’s proclamation that the winner of the game would be determined by his personal coaching match-up against Bill Belichick. The media took the bait, hook, line, and sinker and Coach Ryan was the focal point of the vast majority of pre-game discussions for the entire week. Not many folks outside of New York gave the Jets a realistic chance in the game, but the Jets played with great passion and won the game. Coach Ryan seemed to know exactly how to motivate his players for that big game. I believe his statement was intended more for his team than for the media. His proclamation had placed him on an island that only his players could rescue him from. His bravado needed backing and his players were up to the task. 
    All coaches know that motivating their players is a key component to winning in football. But how it is effectively achieved is an art form. Knowing how to motivate players is an essential component of any successful coach’s bag of tricks. Interestingly enough, those in the media never really understand this. They tend to think that comments or predictions from players or coaches are about ego or self-promotion. In reality, it is usually an orchestrated part of the mental game plan and, when executed properly, can and does play an important role in the outcome of games. 
    This past season, our team was playing a strong, cross-town rival in the second round of the playoffs. Their QB was an outstanding player and he was racking up video game numbers every week. We had faced him in the regular season and he had a great game against our team. When the media interviewed me in the week leading up to the game, I made a statement that no one could stop this player especially when he played on turf. The media reported that even I thought he would have his way with us. In reality, my defense knew that we had a great game plan to stop this key player. My quote in the paper was a strategic attempt to raise the confidence of the opposing quarterback and coach to unhealthy levels. I wanted them to think that the game would take no special preparation on their part and that it would be business as usual. At the same time, I was challenging our defense to prove to everyone that we could accomplish what others had not been able to. Our defensive coaches set what most would consider as unrealistic goals for the game. Our team responded, and the electric player who had led his team to a 40-point scoring average, was held to one offensive touchdown and our team achieved a 35-point victory.
    I do subscribe to the notion that talk from coaches or a player prior to a game is rarely a factor once the game begins. However, I firmly believe that talk or other motivational tactics have a profound effect on the week-long preparation. And, if my often recited notion that the “hay is in the barn” come game time is correct, then motivation and challenging players to prepare via creative means can play a huge role in the outcome of games and seasons. 

Here are four ways you can motivate your team: 

1.  Set lofty goals prior to the start of the season.

    This sounds simple enough, but often these goals lack specificity and are too “comfortable” in nature. Set goals that those outside of the football team would think are impossible to achieve. Get out of your comfort zone and set the bar high.
    In 1993, I was fortunate to be an assistant coach on a team that achieved “impossible” success. The previous season the team had gone 0-10. During the first team meeting early in the new year of 1993, the head coach told his players that they would concentrate on the number 12 because that is how many games that they would win the following year. 
    For the entire off-season, all drills, weight lifting sets, jumping jacks, etc., would be done in repetitions of 12 as a constant reminder of what the goal was for the team. For the people outside of our circle of players and coaches, the thought of a 0-10 team winning 12 games (the number of games necessary to win a Northern California Section Title) must have seemed crazy. Our head coach, however, didn’t and his thinking was contagious. Our team won all of our regular season games and a playoff game to finish the season 11-1. The team set the California state 10-game scoring record as well. An 0-10 regular season to 10-0 and a state scoring record – no one would have predicted that. The lofty goal had been set early on and our players and coaches believed it and set out to accomplish it. That lesson was very important to me as a young coach. Since that special season, I have always set my personal and team goals very high. Lofty goals are a great way to motivate players and coaches. 

2. Remind your players of the great players and teams that have preceded them and what they accomplished. Challenge both the entire team as well as individual players to become great. 

      History can be one of the greatest motivators. In today’s local paper, the All-Media football team was announced. The defensive MVP was one of my linebackers who had had a great season and a great three-year varsity career. When he was moved up to varsity as a sophomore, he was replacing a linebacker who had set most of the team’s defensive records and was recognized as the best linebacker to ever play at our school.
    A picture of this player along with all of his stats and accomplishments adorned our Wall of Fame that separates the meeting area from the player locker room. Every day for the three years that this linebacker walked to his locker, he was reminded of the excellence that had preceded him. The numbers were incredible, the championships were evident and the expectations were on the wall for every linebacker to measure themselves against. Three years later, that sophomore linebacker had rewritten the record books and now his picture and statistics are on the Wall of Fame for the next young group of players to aspire to. 
      
3. Use bold and specific “if” and “then” statements.

    “If we keep the quarterback under 100 yards passing, then we will win the game” – “If you rush for 125 yards, then we’ll control the game and win”. These are just examples of specific “If and then” statements. Keep the focus and goals tough, tangible and timely. Too often coaches are reluctant to be bold for fear of being wrong. Being wrong or right is not the objective - FOCUS and MOTIVATION are. Who cares if you are wrong? Rex Ryan wasn’t worried about the scrutiny of his statements. He was focused on winning the game by any means necessary. Some people have a problem with that but apparently his players and coaches did not. 

4. The old “us against the world” mentality has always been an effective motivational tactic.

      There is something in competitive people that want to prove everyone who doubts or challenges them wrong. My 8-year old daughter is one of the most competitive people I know. All I have to say is “I bet you can’t -” and she’ll try with all her might to prove me wrong. She’s all of a couple of feet tall but if I said “I bet you can’t dunk a basketball” she would try to prove me wrong. Reality plays no part in her thinking. In her mind she could fly if I told her I didn’t think she could. Your players are probably like this as well. 

      No matter what age or level you coach, your players want to prove that they can accomplish something that others doubt possible. I remind my players on a regular basis of those who doubt their ability to accomplish their goals. I bank things that are said in the media and by opposing players or fans to use when I feel my team needs an “I’ll show you” moment. If others around me or my team provide motivational material, I have no problem using it. Does it matter during the game? No. Does it matter during the week of preparation? I believe it does.






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