Add Movie Motivation Into Your Own Speeches

Every year, millions of children enroll in youth sports across the country. But the sad truth is that the majority of these aspiring athletes will drop out of their sport by the time they reach middle school.

Many attribute this high drop-out rate to loss of interest. After the initial excitement of joining a team fades and the first loss gets marked in the books, keeping a team motivated can be challenging.

That’s where the motivational speech comes into play.

Throughout sports history, motivational words by a Coach or Team Leader have been portrayed in film as one of the biggest inspirations for players to push themselves to their full potential (often leading the team to victory).

However, if your motivating pep-talks don’t seem to be achieving the same results, you might be crossing fine line between inspiring a team and getting them overly excited before taking the field. The difference can greatly impact their performance.

Critics of the motivational speech find limited value in encouraging young players to focus on the rivalry with an opponent. Speeches focusing on winning and the anger felt towards another team can actually result in poor performance on the field, players leaving their positions to attempt big plays, and frustration over failure.

To avoid this common mistake, when making an inspiring pep-talk, remind players that the game isn’t against the other team. They should be competing against their own personal best.

An article published by Psychology Today confirms that outside, or “synthetic,” inspiration has a very short shelf life. Lasting inspiration must come from within the player themselves.

While planning your next motivational speech, include philosophies that will cause the athlete to become inspired to improve themselves.

• Take a page out of Coach K’s playbook and focus on the “next play” strategy. This motto prevents players from dwelling on a mistake, and instead focuses them on the current play and what they need to do in the moment.

• If your team hasn’t been having the best season, spin your setbacks into motivation. Significant loss can push your team’s determination to another level.

• Forget about perfection and try your best. Accepting that mistakes are bound to happen during the game can increase the team’s perseverance.

While planning your next speech, remember that your words can be the deciding factor of whether a young player will return for the next season. Let them know that you are behind them, regardless of the outcome of the game.

Need motivation of your own? Check out some of our favorite motivational speeches: