Off-Season Motivation-A Key to In-Season Success

Gone are the days of the true off-season. Gone are the days when the only time we would see our players between December and August is when we passed them in the halls. As more programs become year round endeavors, the term off-season has more appropriately been replaced by the phrase ‘out of season; that is, a time when athletes are expected to begin preparing themselves both physically and mentally for the upcoming season. With out-of-season months being filled with strength training and conditioning programs, the key question becomes “How do we keep our athletes focused and motivated to give the same effort we expect in-season, even though the next season may be seven or eight months away?”

The answer has to be built into our out-of-season programs. Simply telling a high school athlete that next year’s success will be built on what we do now may not be enough. We as coaches have to find out and utilize ways to get to our players into the weight room and excited about the out-of-season programs any way we can.

Here are a few ways we have found successful…

T-SHIRTS

We test our players every eight weeks to char their progress in the weight room. To keep them focused on their workouts, we set levels that they can try to reach and surpass.
When we test, we look at the results on the Power Clean, Parallel Squat, and Bench Press.
Once all three are properly calculated and recorded, players are awarded t-shirts based on their performance. For starters, those under the 700 lb level receive a basic white strength-training shirt. Those that score between 700-849 lbs receive a different, more elaborate white strength-training shirt. Scores between 850-999 lbs earn a gray shirt with a completely different design. Anyone between 1000-1199 lbs gets a forest green and white (our school colors) shirt with a very special design on the front. Lastly, anyone that scores over 1200 lbs receives a black shirt with a multi-colored design on both sides. Since we started using the shirts as motivation, we’ve constantly seen our scores rise and team unity go up. It’s incredible to see 30 players cheering one player who is attempting a lift that will take him to the next level. The great thing is that everyone gets something for his effort and the team has recognized the effort it takes to move through the different levels.

ATTENDANCE CHARTS

At the start of our out-of-season workouts, I post an attendance chart on the wall. On it is posted every player’s name and the corresponding out-of-season months. Each month a player achieves perfect attendance, with one allowed excused absence, he receives a small sticker of our team mascot placed to his name in the appropriate month. Those that achieve one month of perfect attendance receive a green ribbon with our mascot on it and an inspirational slogan. Two, three, and four months perfect attendance earn players a different pin for each month achieved, with each pin being more elaborate than the last. Finally, those that reach five months perfect attendance receive a pewter football helmet
key chain. As players see what they had the chance to earn yet missed, comments like ‘I’ll get that next year’ can be heard throughout the crowd.

In addition to our Monday, Wednesday, and Friday lifting schedule e hold a voluntary plyometric clinic on Tuesdays and Thursday that lasts for 12 weeks. Those who have a perfect attendance for the entire 12 weeks, with one allowed excused absence, earn a green team lanyard. It is a truly coveted item. Again, those not earning it this year already began making comments to me that they will definitely get one next year. What more could I ask for: players already planning for, and excited about, the next out-of-season workouts.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

It is important to recognize individuals for their effort, especially those that go above and beyond. The team gets recognized in-season by our Win/Loss record and whatever happens in the newspaper. During our out-of-season, everyone is on the same level and not just the stars get a chance to be recognized. When we award new level shirts, we take about 20 minutes prior to lifting, on the day following our lifting test, and award each new shirt, one by one. At the start of each out-of-season month, we take 20 minutes to recognize and present the attendance awards, again, one by one. Players, regardless of true talent, get their moment in the sun so to speak. Applause from teammates is not uncommon during these award presentations. Additionally, because I run the team web site (www.ridleyfootball.com), I post many of these achievements on our site. Through the website, parents, friends, and anyone who views it can see the achievements our players make. Our kids go to the site often to see their names or pictures online and can be proud of what they achieve.

While the awards we give are not very expensive, their worth to the players is immense because of what they represent. We used money raised through various fundraisers I run specifically for the team, not from the boosters, to buy what we need. Ultimately, their financial cost is minimal to us compared to their payoff for the players and the team.

If you have any questions about how we do what we do, email me at brian_bowden@ridleysd.k12.pa.us and I will be happy to get back to you.