Athletes have different ways to keep themselves motivated, both fictional and nonfictional. “Gonna Fly Now” had Rocky Balboa seeing the “Eye of the Tiger”, while Ozzie Smith, the Cardinals Hall of Fame shortstop, came out of the dugout and did back flips to get the crowd riled up.
These are just some examples of players who knew how to get themselves motivated for practice and games and helped their team work their way to success.
The real question is what is it about these techniques that motivate these players? Is it the player’s dedication to the game that pumps up the team, or is it just that athlete’s state of mind that makes him or her think that what they are doing makes them that much better on the field?
Athletes all over the world use sports as a way to exercise or pass the time. There are some people show heart, teamwork, and dedication to push their team to a championship. These athletes see an opportunity to pursue a career in professional games for that sport, but have to prove themselves worthy throughout their high school and college career by working harder than others. Athletes at Meramec attempt to prove this exact fact throughout their college career. The locker room is where all athletes prepare before games or practices and pump up their team to go out and win in their game. “I have some players who use motivational techniques to pump up their teammates with positive encouragement. Sometimes it looks like it helps and sometimes it doesn’t,” said Kim McCall, coach of the Meramec Magic women’s softball team.
The encouragement factor is used often in locker rooms, whether it is words or actions.
“Some techniques I use to pump up the team are motivational stories or quotes, relaxation imagery before the game to get their minds clear and focused, and just constant reminders and encouragement that they are good players,” McCall said.
Before and after each game the coach has to get in their players’ faces, whether good or bad. They have to reward their players for the good and correct them for the bad. “Coaches go through emotions like the players, so sometimes what we have to say to them may not be what they want to hear at the moment,” McCall said.
Athletes use motivation to work toward a victory, a chance to progress in a season with their team, and possibly a championship.
“I try to keep a positive outlook on the game and the season where we are at that point. Also I let them know it’s time to press on and look to the next challenge,” McCall said.
In the final moments of a game it comes down to how the players perform and how they help out the team. Athletes use many different ways to motivate themselves to go out and play hard. These players are all different in some aspects of the game, but they all show some similarity in how they play the sport. They all exhibit dedication on and off the field, and have ways to motivate themselves to play hard and help their team win.
Although everyone has different techniques for the sport they play, it all comes down to how hard a player wants to play and what that athlete does to play harder for personal and team success.
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