Motivation in Youth Athletes Over the Summer

Summer is here in full force. The kids are out of school and looking for things to do!

Are your kids self-motivated? Or do they need a little nudge in the right direction to get themselves out and about?

Many of the 18 and under clients I work with at Premier PT are extremely self-motivated. It’s incredibly refreshing and makes me wish I could get the ol’ time machine up and running again to tell 15-year-old Phil to go for a run once in awhile.

But not everyone is self-motivated to exercise, particularly in the heat. I get it; when was the last time it was under 90 degrees in North Carolina?

So the age-old question: how do you motivate someone who does not want to be motivated?

I wish there was an easy answer to this. I’ve found the most success by digging into the “why” of what a person wants. Maybe your child wants to be a better soccer player and make it to the professional level. Maybe they want to not be exhausted halfway through their sport. Maybe they don’t want to sit on the bench anymore, watching their friends play instead of them.

So dig into the “why”! Consider tugging at their heart strings a little bit. If they’re still lacking motivation, consider doing the activity with them. If you put your running gear on, they will likely want to avoid the FOMO: fear of missing out. It may take a while but if they have the positive and encouraging environment around them, they’re more likely to follow through.

This is an exceptionally difficult topic. No child is alike. Folks respond to different cues and motivational styles. But as leading sport psychologist Dan Abrahams preaches, “Positive mindset → positive performance → positive outcomes. Negative mindset → negative performance → negative outcomes.” If your child goes in with a negative attitude towards the activity, it’s destined to be unsuccessful. So approach this with positivity and eagerness. Each journey starts with a single step. Maybe step one needs to be positive encouragement from you.

Stay cool out there!