The Art of Motivation for Team Sports

The challenge for today's modern coach is to push players without risking burnout, inspire them without bullying, and discipline players without constantly yelling. While no two coaches have the exact same approach to motivating their team, there are certain leadership skills coaches can develop to get the most out of their team, no matter the sport or the skill level. In The Art of Motivation for Team Sports: A Guide for Coaches, Jim Hinkson provides coaches with details and tips on how to motivate their team throughout the season. While most coaching books cover individual leadership or specific practice drills, this book focuses on how to motivate the entire team through setting goals, planning practices so as to keep players engaged and improving, pregame and postgame speeches, building quality relationships, and redefining success as more than just winning. In addition, this bookincludes team-building exercises and team behavior and value goals, stressing the importance that coaches not only create a successful team but also develop quality people who will excel outside the athletic arena. The many practical tips and keys to coaching success provided in this bookwere built from Jim Hinkson's years as a professional athlete and fine-tuned from his decades of coaching experience. A clear and comprehensive resource, The Art of Motivation for Team Sports will be invaluable to coaches at the youth, high school, and college levels.

Jim Hinkson has been a teacher and basketball coach for 38 years in the Toronto District School Board. He has been involved in lacrosse for forty years as a player, a coach, and an author. Hinkson played lacrosse professionally for the National Lacrosse League (NLL) and played for Canada in the World Field Lacrosse Championship. He has not only coached at every level in lacrosse-from junior up to professional-he also ran one of the most successful high school basketball programs in Toronto. Hinkson is the author of Box Lacrosse (1974), Lacrosse Fundamentals (1993/2006), Lacrosse Team Strategies (1996/2006), The Art of Team Coaching (2001), Lacrosse for Dummies (2003/2009), and another book titled Lacrosse Fundamentals (2012). He has been inducted into the Oshawa Hall of Fame, the Whitby Hall of Fame, and the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame.

Foreword from The Art of Motivation for Sports
Jack Armstrong
Preface
Acknowledgments
PART I: Motivating Through Leadership
1. What It Takes to Be a Successful Motivating Coach
2. Motivating through Your Coaching Philosophy
3. Using Your Own Coaching Style and Personality to Motivate
4. Motivating by Making Good Decisions and Team Selections
5. Increasing Your Knowledge of Coaching to Help Motivate
PART II: Motivating Through Setting Goals and Team Rules
6. The Art of Motivation
7. Motivating by Sharing Power in Team Meetings
8. Motivating through Setting the Team's Season Outcome Goal
9. Motivating through Setting the Team's Performance Goals
10. Motivating through Setting the Team's Behavior Goals
11. Team Cohesion Goals to Motivate and Build Team Unity
12. Motivating through the Team's Value Goals
13. Discipline and Enforcing Team Rules
PART III: Motivating Through Planning and Teaching Strategies
14. Organizing, Preparing, and Planning the Season
15. Motivating through the Teaching of Fundamentals
16. Motivating by Running a Good Practice
17. Motivating with a Quality Playing System
PART IV: Motivating by Working with Individual Players
18. Motivating through Communication with Your Players
19. Motivating by Building Relationships
20. Motivating by Building Self-Esteem
21. Selecting and Creating Team Leaders
PART V: Motivating Through Pre- and Post-Game Speeches and Game Coaching
22. The Motivational Game Plan and Pregame Speech
23. Presentation of Postgame Speeches
24. Motivating through Game Coaching
Appendix: Sayings for Pregame Speeches
Selected Bibliography
Index
About the Author