Teaching your players is not enough by itself. To properly nurture their learning, you have to motivate them as well. This can be a daunting challenge for a coach, but it’s a task you want to take head on and succeed at, right? That’s precisely why you must motivate your players by challenging them.
There is an all-important distinction between challenging players and criticizing them. This makes a huge difference in reaching and motivating young players. I have become much more aware of this in the last few years. I remember back when I was playing, it was a great motivation to have someone challenge me.
To illustrate the difference, this would be a challenge: “I saw Steve Nash make 10 in a row in this drill. That’s all you got today?” Challenging sets a standard for improvement, as opposed to mere criticism, like, “You can’t throw it in the ocean!”
This is where reaching your kids and connecting with them before you try to motivate is critical. While I think in almost all cases, challenging is better than criticizing, you need to know how to challenge your players so they feel driven rather than demoralized.
Praise
But this does not mean that a coach should serve as a fountain of praise. Far from it.
When we praise kids for their skill set, we tell them that’s the name of the game. Do what you do best and avoid making mistakes. While in game play, I wholeheartedly agree with the theory that “do-what-you-do-best-and-hide-the-rest” players need to be in such an environment that, when working on their skills, they know its OK to make mistakes.
The older a player gets, especially in season, you need to spend a majority of time keeping strengths sharp, while spending some time on weaknesses too.
In 2012, I attended a coaches’ clinic held by the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. One of the speakers was Brad Stevens, former men’s coach at Butler University and new head coach of the Boston Celtics. He said his Butler team spent 70-80% of a player’s time working on strengths.
In the offseason, I think it’s good to add one or two things you want to really improve on and focus on that for the upcoming season. During the season or in pre-draft workouts, you want to focus on sharpening your strengths.
Praise cannot be constant, and must only be given when it is truly earned. In a study of John Wooden cited in The Talent Code, he only offered praise with 6.7% of all his comments during a practice.
Studies have found that statements like “you’re the best” are not what ignite people. Encouragement that affirms the struggle—like “Good work!”—helps more. Another way to ignite is to provide insight that is both truthful and helpful. If a player isn’t shooting well in practice, it doesn’t help to tell them, “It’s OK, you got the next one.” While that does help them “play present,” it doesn’t help them focus on the process. A reminder of a teaching point, like “keep your weight forward,” works better.
Mold your players into competitors by challenging them. Mistakes happen and that’s part of learning. Just as you did with practice, chunk it up with your teaching and keep it specific. Offer plenty of encouragement for them to keep working, but withhold praise for when it’s well deserved. When hard work pays off, players become motivated to get even better.
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Mike Lee Basketball Services trains thousands of middle school through NBA players across the country each year in their skill development training, camps and coaches Academies. The owner, Mike Lee, is also a former Nike Girls Skills Academy instructor and former assistant director for the Stephen Curry Skills Academy. Recently the company has authored 7 skill development DVDs and created miSkillz Online Basketball training. To host an event in your city please email mike@mikeleebasketball.com
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Click here for more information on Daniel Coyle and The Talent Code