Sapwell - motivation for kids

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 07, 2010

Rupert Sapwell looks at the tricky topic of kids' motivation.

Motivation:
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that the more motivated young players are, the more likely they are to succeed. The tricky part is finding out what motivates them, and secondly, what their version of 'success' is.
Throughout my time as a coach, and my current studies in Masters in Teaching, I have come to understand that external forms of motivation are fools' gold. That is, incentives provided by parents and coaches are no good in the long run. Trophies for everything are exciting initially, but too many trophies means they're less excited about them when they get them, and soon they mean very little. They become an expectation, not a reward.
Similarly, constant reinforcement from parents is great, but when that is the only source of motivation - to make my parents happy - young players' entire sense of self-worth can be based on what others think of them. That's dangerous ground.
So find out why they play basketball. What parts of it are fun for them? If there are times when they don't have fun, why? This information can help you facilitate greater enjoyment and motivation for your kids.
Enjoyment:
This should be the only consideration. Find out what brings them the enjoyment. For some, having a shot and a giggle with their mates is their only desire, while others are driven by competition and winning. Both are perfectly natural, but parents of competitive players need a little more information.
Achievement v winning:
Numerous studies on motivation and achievement have shown that high performers have based their sense of achievement on mastery goals. That is, internal satisfaction at having reached a high level of repeatability or understanding of a task. In basketball terms, making a higher percentage of shots using correct shooting technique, or executing a great trap in a game show development and understanding of higher-order principles.
With regards to winning, there are process and outcome 'wins'. Think of how satisfied a Year 12 maths student would be upon successful completion of his three times tables - not very! It's a 'win', but not a challenge. Whereas a Year 2 student would be pleased with herself. It was a challenge and a success. Similarly, 6/20 in a university physics entrance exam for a 10-year old may be a 'fail', but he might be pretty pleased at having got any of the answers right. In other words, achievement needs to be measured against realistic expectations, and players will draw their satisfaction and sense of progress relative to those expectations.
So how does this work for parents? Instead of "Did you win?" questions, ask 'What did you learn?" or "How did you improve today?" questions. This gets players to turn their thinking away from outcome-based, external motivators which are often outside their control, to concept and mastery-based, internal motivators which are within their control. Helping your kids understand there are 'wins' in losses, and 'losses' in wins will help them focus on mastery goals, derive their motivation from improvement from within themselves as opposed wins and losses and set them up for a long and fruitful participation in this great sport.