Let’s Talk Motivation

The key to performance

Euan was eagerly awaiting the start of the hockey season last summer.

I am a member of a goalie mom Facebook group. This group is awesome as we share something in common, we are all parents of players that occupy one of the most difficult positions in sports: the hockey goalie.

Recently, a parent posted a question about how she can put games in perspective for her young goalie – beyond the score.

This parent was using save percentage as a stat to evaluate performance beyond the win or loss and to show her goalie that he did better than the score might indicate. This opened up a huge debate about the best stat to evaluate performance and effectiveness and if stats should be tracked at all.

But I think the debate missed the point. The real question this parent was asking is how do I keep my goalie motivated and passionate about the game?

Motivation

Euan has started training off-ice.

Motivation is the key to performance in sports. Without motivation, an athlete would not be willing to put in the hard work and sacrifice that is required to improve and become the best athlete they can be.

Psychology Today summed up the importance of motivation this way: Motivation, simply defined, is the ability to initiate and persist at a task. To perform your best, you must want to begin the process of developing as an athlete and you must be willing to maintain your efforts until you have achieved your goals. Motivation in sports is so important because you must be willing to work hard in the face of fatigue, boredom, pain, and the desire to do other things. Motivation will impact everything that influences your sports performance: physical conditioning, technical and tactical training, mental preparation, and general lifestyle including sleep, diet, school or work, and relationships.

Motivation in relation to goals

Most youth athletes have goals. The goal can range from winning a certain game, to reaching a certain level of play in their city, or to become a professional athlete. The level of motivation needed to reach each goal is different.

The difficulties arise when the level of motivation an athlete may have does not match the goal.

We’ve all seen the parent, frustrated with their athlete who is consistently not performing at their best or not reaching that certain level of play. Many times this is due to a disconnect between motivation and goals as well as a disconnect between motivation and the parent’s goals.

Most athletes will reach a given level with little effort, depending on their ability. If that is the goal, motivation should focus on fun, with small, achievable goals within games and practices that help create enthusiasm and continued passion for the game. If your athlete cannot muster that level of motivation – it may be time to question why they are playing the sport at all.

But for those who want to go beyond ability, the level of motivation will determine how far the athlete will go. As a parent, you can’t force motivation in your athlete. You can use certain techniques to improve motivation like inspirational quotes, setting short-term goals, like I outlined before, or using a competitor or partner to motivate on days where motivation is low – but your role should be to set realistic goals to match the level of motivation of your athlete. Self-motivation is critical to long-term success as this article on active.com suggests.

Once the goal is aligned with the motivation – everyone will be happier.

Euan had a player on his team, this year, who has a lot of talent and has always played at a fairly high level, but he spent the summer and winter playing video games. This frustrated the other players, the coaches, the parents – but more importantly, it made the season unpleasant for that player. That particular player’s motivation changed at the end of the year and his performance improved as a result.

Motivation drives grit, determination and heart

More off-ice training with a program from Emerge Performance.

Euan is extremely self-motivated. On our way to summer hockey camp this summer, our group stopped at McDonald’s for lunch. Euan did not want to have McDonald’s. He has started watching his diet in addition to training off-ice and practicing on ice.

It may seem a little extreme. I would not have recommended this level of dedication when he was younger, but he is almost 13, and his goal is to become a professional hockey goalie – so his motivation has to match his goal.

Euan’s motivation drives his desire to learn. It is apparent in his interactions with coaches and trainers. Most coaches have taken him aside and given him more instructions and additional attention because they can see his passion and desire, which in turn enhances his performance thus fueling his success and motivating him even more.

On the last day of his summer hockey camp, a professional hockey player visited and took some shots on the goalies as well as skated with the players. At the end of the on-ice session, Euan caught the eye of the player, skated back to his post between the pipes, and put himself in the position to take a few more shots. The player smiled and let loose on him. Although Euan let most of them in – he was so excited – he said “now he knew what he had to do to reach that level.”

Euan is starting his evaluation camp in August. If it goes well, he will be invited to play AAA for the upcoming season. Last Spring, he fumbled a little during the initial evaluation, but I am not worried about the camp this Fall. I don’t know if he will succeed this time around and get an invitation, but his motivation, grit and determination will help him reach that level of play shortly – of that I have no doubt.

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