Why Athletes Quit Teams
The number one reason why athlete’s quit a team? They don’t feel appreciated – and that’s on coaches. Each player needs to have a role that they can execute well and be recognized for a job well done for. It’s not only important to make success attainable, it’s vital. #DailyMight
The number one reason why athlete’s quit a team? They don’t feel appreciated – and that’s on coaches. Each player needs to have a role that they can execute well and be recognized for a job well done. It’s not only important to make success attainable, it’s vital. #DailyMight
The number one reason why athletes quit a team is because they don’t feel appreciated. But before we dissect that statement, let’s remind ourselves what a coach’s responsibility is in youth sports: To draw players closer to the enjoyment pinnacle of the sport, and to ensure they stoke the love of the game. In other words, they come back next year. So how do you keep athletes enjoying and loving the game? You recognize a job well done and vocalize your support to do it again.
One of the things that gets lost often from the day-to-day goings of a team throughout a season, is a reflection of appreciation for those involved in the team. Especially when it comes to the athletes, the ones performing the skill. Not only is that appreciation the number one reason why athletes quit a team, it is also the number one responsibility of the coaching staff. Here’s how to do it effectively.
Leaders need to lead.
Coaches need to model the behavior of appreciation with coaches and players (and support staff too). Athletes are watching and emulating the coaching staff’s actions when it comes to appreciation and role defining. Your actions toward and exhibiting gratitude is replicated in your athletes. Coaches, also empower willing leaders of the team to participate in modeling the expected behavior to their teammates.
Connect, connect, connect.
The easiest way to show appreciation is to be having consistent and constant conversations with athletes. In essence, you’re constantly stoking a positive and diligent connection so each athlete can feel included and valuable – which leads to appreciation. More specifically, trusted appreciation from trusted advisors which is key to trying new things and learning new skills. The relationship based appreciation is a secret weapon to giving the athlete confidence.
Make a role, create success.
Enjoyment and appreciation can be easily put fourth through the successful completion of doing a job well. Most of the time, this is up to the coaches to define, assign, or realign athletes to a specific role that they can or can be easily prepared to succeed at. Coaches must find roles on teams for athletes to experience success so that appreciate is warranted. Kids are smarter than we sometimes give them credit for. Let them help you decide where they can be great at. And by doing so, you give them success on the playing field. Success keeps them coming back.
Take into consideration other interests.
It’s important to note the age of the child when it comes to a desire to quit. That’s not an excuse, it’s a matter of fact. As kids get older, their interests expand, and they have more opportunities to try new things at their disposal. Having conversations and connecting clues coaches in on other interests that may be pulling athletes in an opposite direction the team is going. That’s not a commitment problem, that’s a “not enough time in the day” problem. Make sure you are investigating the difference.
Our number one priority as youth coaches is to have all our athletes return the next year. By being diligent in our approach to gratitude and appreciation, we are stacking the odds in our favor of that very fact. If we appreciate and acknowledge, then players will get more enjoyment and satisfaction from the experience. Which means they will return the next year. And that’s what we all want to see happen.
Give everything your everything. And then some.
