Do you know what keeps your kid motivated?
By understanding this, you will be better up to help your kid on a good path in sports and life.
My name is Ann Zaprazny, and I help parents and athletes succeed in sports and life.
Your time watching and supporting your child participate in sports will fly by. Depending on the age(s) of your child(ren), you may not believe it.
As a parent of three children - the time will fly by.
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Webster's dictionary defines motivation as the act or process of giving someone a reason for doing something.
There are two types of motivation in sports: Intrinsic Motivation and extrinsic motivation.
As a sports parent, it is essential to understand the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
Intrinsic motivation comes from within.
The intrinsically motivated athlete for sports is driven by the enjoyment of the sport, the satisfaction of improving, the challenge of competing, and more.
Extrinsic motivation refers to athletic behavior that is geared to earning external rewards.
Often parents use forms of extrinsic motivation to encourage their child (or children.)
For example:
- "I'll give you a dollar for every goal your score."
- "I'll take you shopping for a toy if you drop your time."
- "I'll get you a car if you earn a college scholarship."
I have been guilty of this.
Before a swim meets, I said to my daughter, "I'll take you to get your ears pierced if you drop time." (My daughter did not drop time, I felt like a bad mom. It was not one of my best parenting moments.)
There is a time and place for Extrinsic rewards.
Examples include:
- State Championships
- NCAA Championships
- Super Bowl Championship
Ideally, you want your child's motivation for their sport to be intrinsic motivation.
Athletes who do best over the long run are intrinsically motivated.
They are internally driven to be the best version of themselves possible.
The intrinsically motivated athlete is focused on skills development, mastery, and improving as an athlete.
Extrinsically motivated athletes tend to focus on the outcome of athletic contests, recognition, and rewards.
Have you got caught up in offering your child extrinsic rewards tied to a specific outcome as a sports parent?
If yes, can you change your behavior?
We want athletes to learn to love their sport, continue learning and growing, and focus on giving their best effort.
According to Dr. Patrick Cohn's article – What's the best motivation for athletes, "overuse or over-focus on extrinsic rewards can demotivate an athlete and adversely affect performance."
