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The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.
Vince Lombardi

]]>Sun, 21 Feb 2010 12:35:31 -0800http://championsedge.org/1/post/2010/02/champions-edge-blog-dare-to-be-great1.htmlMOTIVATING ATHLETES IN YOUR STRENGTH PROGRAM- Part 2

• Create a Sense of Urgency
“ The pace of the race is set by the lead dog.” Instill in the athlete the importance of achieving the goals they have set. Their attitude in achieving their goals will be reflected in the emphasis you put on them. Constantly be enthusiastic and energetic in regards to your athletes reaching their goals. Setting short term and long-term goals will contribute to assisting the athlete in reaching their full potential.

• Visualize Successful Goals
Impress upon the athlete the importance of visualizing himself or herself successfully achieving their goals. Achieving goals is believing mentally they can reach them. Belief in achieving the goal is the key component to reaching them. If the athlete doesn’t truly believe they can reach the goal, then in all likelihood they won’t.

Education
Explain and teach exactly what it is you expect them to do. This speeds up the learning curve but also leaves no doubt as to what, why and how you want them to do something. The better job you do communicating to your athletes what you want them to do, the more effort they will give to your program. Giving positive feedback after an athlete demonstrates correct technique or gives a great effort will encourage the learning process to continue. The goal is to increase learning and exercise competence. According to the research, individuals who perceive themselves as highly competent demonstrate the greatest motivation.

Testing/Evaluation
It is imperative that you test your athletes periodically to make them aware of their progress and to show them that their efforts are being monitored. Athletes are competitive by nature, so we as coaches need to provide constant feedback in their quest for excellence and improvement. Testing helps to give them an idea of where they not only stack up against their previous efforts, but also at their position and within the framework of the team. The athlete should be tested at the end of each training phase (off-season, pre-season and in-season) when possible. Usually the end of one phase is typically the beginning of the next. Just knowing that they will test often is enough of a motivating factor to keep an athlete committed with your program. Having various record boards that show how the athlete compares with and against his peers is a great way to motivate your players.

Ownership
An important component in getting your athletes motivated is to give them a sense of ownership of the training program. By taking input from your athletes periodically regarding the program it gives them a sense of a personal stake in the outcome of the training. They are then more likely to make a more conscious effort to do everything in their power to make sure the training program succeeds. Today’s athletes do not always respond positively to coaches who don’t take the time to get input from them.

Player/Coach Relationships
The athlete must believe that the coach truly cares about them not only as a person, but also as a student-athlete. As in any relationship you must first build a bridge before you can cross it. You can’t talk before you listen. If you listen first, you will motivate much more effectively. And when building a good coach-athlete relationship use an approach that recognizes, appreciates and respects each athlete’s individuality. You will quickly gain the respect of athletes because they appreciate you are trying to know them for who they are. This relationship is one that must be built on love and trust. An athlete will truly run through a wall for you if they know you care for them and their well being.
]]>Sun, 21 Feb 2010 12:32:35 -0800http://championsedge.org/1/post/2010/02/post-title-click-and-type-to-edit1.htmlMOTIVATING ATHLETES IN YOUR STRENGTH PROGRAM -Part #1

Ask any strength and conditioning coach to name their primary objective, and almost all will say motivation. In my experience as a strength and conditioning coach, the true foundation for optimal strength and conditioning is effort. And the major factor contributing to effort is motivation. Effort is the key to attaining the goals and objectives you have set as a coach for your program. In order for a coach to motivate any athlete they must develop relationships, trust and coach-athlete trust. A strength coach is like a used car salesman, trying to convince the athlete that the vehicle you have to sell them is the best buy for their money. You let them kick the tires, but they are never allowed to start the engine. The intangibles involved with the sale is that the athlete must trust you in telling them that the car you are trying to sell them is the right car for them at this time. They must believe in you, your program, and have developed the bond and trust necessary to take their physical prowess to the next level. During the sale the only thing the athlete knows is that the car looks good, but must trust you that it runs smoothly and efficiently. If the athlete thinks that you can be the vehicle that gets them to where they want to go, they will commit to you and the strength program.


What is Motivation?

Motivation is a process that starts with a physiological or psychological deficiency or need that activates behavior or a drive that is aimed at a goal or incentive. Attitude forms the basis for motivation in athletes. Athletes must be receptive to instruction, being motivated they must tune the coach in. The aim in motivating athletes is to provide incentive for the athlete to give the effort necessary to achieve attainable goals. Within a strength and conditioning program, these goals may include improving strength, power, speed, explosion, flexibility and conditioning. There are two types of motivation – extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic motivation is something external to the athlete that benefits them. For a player it may be material benefits, such as a scholarship, awards, tee shirts and peer recognition. The motivating impact of extrinsic motivation usually wears off because it is usually temporary. The effect that it can have on an athlete can vary from day to day, week to week, and even season to season. This can cause a fluctuation in long-term discipline and performance of some players. Intrinsic motivation comes from within. Highly disciplined players are intrinsically motivated because they have a burning desire to excel. Their discipline is unwavering and relentless regardless of the circumstances. They give you great effort consistently all the time and give the team the chance to succeed long-term.

Goal Setting
“If you fail to plan, then plan to fail.” Goal setting should always focus on the positive and be specific. The research tells us that goal setting can offer the following advantages: (1) goals can enhance skill development; (2) goals improve athetes efforts; (3) goals increase athlete’s persistence; (4) goals enhance the development of new learning strategies.

• Set Specific Goals
Have the athlete set goals at the beginning of each training phase to help motivate and direct their efforts. The goals need to be realistic based on past progress. Goals should be stated in very specific, measurable, and behavioral terms. This meeting is a great opportunity for the coach to have personal interaction that may even include issues outside of strength and conditioning.

• Goals Should Be Challenging
Realistic goals are difficult enough to stimulate and challenge the athlete while remaining attainable. The goals will have little meaning if little effort is required to achieve them. You, the coach, must strive for a balance between challenging goals and achievable ones.

• Set a Time Frame for Achieving Goals
Make sure the athlete knows the time frame involved in the training cycle to achieve the goals they have set. Sometimes athletes will set goals without having the full concept of how long they will have to achieve them. ]]>Sun, 21 Feb 2010 11:33:03 -0800http://championsedge.org/1/post/2010/02/champions-edge-blog-dare-to-be-great.html ]]>Fri, 05 Feb 2010 09:02:51 -0800http://championsedge.org/1/post/2010/02/post-title-click-and-type-to-edit.htmlThis is your new blog post. Click here and start typing, or drag in elements from the top bar.]]>Tue, 15 Dec 2009 04:15:45 -0800http://championsedge.org/1/post/2009/12/first-post.html