Recognition and Competition: Motivating Players in the Off-Season

There is no magic formula for motivating players and yet it is considered a crucial part of any team’s success. Athletes are unique in their psychological needs for external motivation and even those needs change as each athlete matures.  To complicate matters further, each year a team’s motivational needs change based on previous successes and a host of other variables. The following three successful coaches shared how they, through trial and error, found the sweet spot in motivating their athletes during the off-season. While the motivational techniques were unique to each coach, the similarities were striking. Individual recognition and use of competition were at the source of each coach’s approach.

The Reality of High School Athletes

Mo Moriarity has coached both high school and college football for over 30 years and during that time has acquired sage-like knowledge of how high school athletes function. “Most young kids don’t think past this weekend so you have to motivate them so they are prepared for the next fall and not just tomorrow,” he said. “You are always trying to find ways to motivate your kids during the off-season. You are encouraging them to get stronger and faster—to do the things to get better as an athlete. But at the same time, you want to motivate them in a way that is fun.”

Tactics & Techniques

In an effort to keep players motivated during a time when training is primarily conducted in the weightroom, he uses strength gain milestones to recognize his players. Athletes earn specific shirts and shorts when they achieve the 1,000 lbs. club, for instance. He also recognizes effort in the weightroom by awarding a “Lifter of the Week” with a highly coveted practice shirt.

In the pre-season, coaches draft teams comprised of sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Each coach’s first pick is a senior captain. The teams then compete during pre-season to earn as many points as possible. Points are awarded for being on time to events, wearing their issued gear, and demonstrating effort in any team-based activity. The winning team is treated to a steak dinner. 

Moriarity noted that from spring break to the end of the school year is typically the most challenging period of time to keep his players motivated. He stressed the importance of seeing his players in the weightroom on a daily basis to ensure they are reminded to make good decisions and encouraged to stay motivated. Each year he and his assistants review what worked and what didn’t and adjust accordingly.

A Crusade To Motivate

Coach Jim Hilvert is entering his eighth season as the head coach of the Thomas More Saints where he approaches motivation in an intentional and tactical manner.  When asked how important motivation is in building a successful program, he stated, “Motivating your kids to have that chip on their shoulder or something to prove everyday is critical to being a championship team. Obviously during the season you get the gratification on Saturday afternoon, but in the off-season, you have to be creative and keep things in your kid’s minds about what they are working toward.”

Tactics & Techniques

Hilvert is a fan of the countdown clock. He utilizes it for big events such as their spring challenge and their first opponent. He has a second clock focused on the Saints’ arch rival.  This theme of visual motivators also includes quotes posted in the locker room captured from various social media platforms.

Like Moriarity, Hilvert relies on competition to keep his players motivated in the off-season.  Players are arranged into teams that compete for points earned by attending other athletic events, completing community service, and receiving good grades in their classes. Other competitive events include hard-core challenges, such as the strong man contest, to more recreational-based games, like dodgeball.

It is the “Dog Soldiers” event, however, that raises the excitement level of the team. Each March his players compete in three to four days of bootcamp-inspired challenges designed to build mental and physical toughness. He stressed that all of these events are designed to both motivate and build a specific culture. “We want them to be motivated to live the ‘Saint’s Way,’” Hilvert stated. 

Crystal Clear Expectations

Retiring with 35 years of coaching experience, 28 of those years as an assistant coach, Mike Sabock truly was a master of his realm.  His approach to motivating his players was simple yet incredibly effective. “I would tell them, ‘My goal is to get you to play to your potential—effort wise—every single play’…I expected that effort regardless of if it was in the regular season or in the off-season.”

Tactics & Techniques

Sabock was crystal clear from his first meeting with his players regarding his expectations. He shared, “It was a daily thing. I talked to them about it. I explained it in detail and I held them accountable.” He not only preached the importance of effort, he coached effort.  “As a coach, you stress what you believe in,” stated Sabock, “And I believe in effort.”

Sabock always spent half of his film time grading effort. He used a scale ranging from 1-5 to evaluate each player’s effort on every play or drill they executed. He would recognize top effort winners each day on their message board in the locker room. He pointed out, “Once I explained to a kid why he got a 2.5 on a particular play and his buddy got a 4, he would start earning 4s the next day.” He also shared, “While putting names on the board doesn’t motivate everyone, it motivated my guys who played the next week.”

Recognition and competition are at the heart of these three coaches’ motivational success.  When creatively applied, motivation can be functional and fun. Find out what makes your players tick and use it as a force multiplier to create motivational opportunities.