Keeping their Interest and Motivation:

  • Twelve and Thirteen year olds are distracted!
    • There is so much going on in the world around them that many times they can’t “check their attitude/issues/etc at the door.” As a coach, you have to find ways to keep their interest, motivation, and focus in class.
  • As a coach, one of the most important things you can teach your athletes is “Preparation is Necessary for Success.”
    • If a child is afraid of failing, they will never succeed. They need to know, understand, and LEARN that it takes a lot of practice and preparation in order to succeed at anything.
    • In Basketball, shooters that miss 55% of their shots are considered good shooters. In baseball, if you fail 70% of the time, you have a chance to be a Hall of Famer. The greatest golfer ever, Tiger Woods, loses 79% of his tournaments (if you are a Jack Nicklaus person, his win percentage is 9% – and that is the 2nd highest win percentage ever).
  • On the whole, sport is an exercise in failure. It’s how you deal with it that determines how good a player you are. You can either fear failure or you can accept it as part of the game and move on.
  • You miss 100% of the “shots” you don’t take – as long as you play you will make mistakes!
  • Keep the fun Alive!
  • Do easy CHALLENGES with the kids
  • Do team building activities where they MUST work together
  • Focus on the EFFORT to get the skill!