How to Motivate Soccer Players: Soccer Coach Guide

If you’re reading this article, you probably want tips on how to motivate soccer players. And let’s clarify something important right away.

Every coach in the world has experienced a lack of motivation in their team at least once.

It doesn’t matter if the team suffered a humiliating loss or just needs extra motivation to keep working hard when things are going great.

After reading this coaching guide, you will learn:

• How to motivate soccer players
• The best way to motivate a team after a loss
• Why motivation is important

Let’s dive right into the six tips!

6 Tips to Motivate Soccer Players

So, there are several ways you can increase your team’s morale. To achieve the best results possible, combine a few of these at the same time.

1. Include Small Competitive Games in Training

If your soccer players lack motivation, add short competitive games in training. Why is this important?

Well, soccer players eat junk food and love to win, just like every other athlete. When you create short competitive games in training, they will always play for the feeling of winning.

To further boost motivation and skill, incorporate small-sided games, such as 3 v 3 or 5 v 5. These games, which are also competitive, offer each player more touches of the ball. This increased interaction enhances their skills and engagement, leading to greater confidence and better preparation before a game.

2. Reinforce Positive Thinking

Creating positive thinking requires you to always catch yourself when thinking negatively or when your emotions are carrying you away from logical and critical thinking.

When a player loses the ball, instead of criticizing, encourage them to win the ball back.

It’s all about reinforcing positive thoughts instead of negative ones.

Change the thinking, and you will change the actions. Encourage players to always seek good things, even when the team is on a losing streak.

3. Set Small Achievable Goals

So, what happens when you set small achievable goals?

Your team will start to see goals to work against. These goals must be achievable and easy. Do not overwhelm them with goals like “winning a national championship.” Of course, those are important, but you should create a “roadmap” to hit this ultimate goal.

For example, you could create a goal to score at least two goals in every match. Just by setting this goal, you motivate your team to perform better.

When you set these goals, reward them as well.

Suggestion: If you want to learn how to create achievable goals, read this article about specific SMART goals in soccer. SMART goals stand for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

4. Define Success for the Team

Many teams create only one goal, such as “win the league,” but they don’t define what would be the ultimate success.

You have to do it.

Define what success would look like. How would the players feel? What kind of opportunities would they get if they won the league? When you define success, everybody knows the end game. It must be crystal clear to every single soccer player on your team.

5. Smile a Lot

You would be very surprised by what a simple action like smiling can do for morale and motivation. Research from the University of Kansas shows that smiling reduces stress responses and lowers heart rates, demonstrating its power to boost performance and motivation on the field.

Smiling is simply contagious and suggests success. However, it needs to be a genuine smile, not a fake one.

6. Talk with Individuals

Chatting with individuals helps them realize that you care. Every single coach has to develop a genuinely caring relationship with their soccer players.

Just by talking to them and asking how they are doing, you help them feel much better.

The better the relationship, the more they are motivated to win the games. It’s very simple psychology.

How to Motivate Players Before a Game

Now that we’ve covered a few principles and actions you can start doing right away, it’s time to answer a common question coaches ask: How do you motivate players before a game?

The best way to motivate soccer players before a game is to give a genuine speech. This speech should help team members imagine how it would feel to win the game.

Joachim Loew, the mastermind behind Germany’s 2014 World Cup victory, is celebrated for his powerful motivational speeches. Before the final match, he inspired Mario Götze with a simple yet profound message: “Show the world that you’re better than Messi. Show that you can decide the World Cup.” This personal and emotionally charged pep talk exemplifies the impact of such speeches.

Research by Tiffanye Vargas, a Cal State University psychologist, supports this approach, highlighting that emotionally engaging speeches boost players’ confidence and performance. To emulate Loew’s success, ensure your pep talks are personal, goal-oriented, and filled with belief in your team’s potential.

While this might work for some players, other players prefer to focus on their own preparation in their heads. However, many still appreciate a coach who shares funny stories. A coach with great storytelling skills can lighten the atmosphere while also providing motivation, creating a positive and engaging environment that helps players get ready for the game.

If you can do that, your team will be in a good mental state.

How to Motivate Soccer Players After a Loss

But here’s another scenario. Your team is on a losing streak. How do you motivate soccer players after a loss?

One of the most efficient ways to motivate soccer players after a loss is to analyze what went wrong in the match, set goals to fix those issues, and stay optimistic. Individual talks with players also help them stay motivated.

You see, the loss is in the past, and nobody can change it. The best attitude is to try to instill a “learning mindset” in soccer players.

For example, teach them to always learn from their mistakes and losses. Sometimes, even a loss gives you more than a win. Losing a match is a perfect opportunity for the team to reflect on strengths and weaknesses.

How Do You Encourage a Soccer Team – Wrapping It Up

So, to recap everything we’ve learned today: the best ways to encourage a soccer team are:

• Giving a genuine speech
• Setting achievable goals
• Talking with players individually
• Giving rewards for achieving goals
• Focusing on positive things
• Learning from failures and lost matches

You see, there are multiple ways to do this.

Some players prefer one method over another, but usually, a combination of these will help you encourage and motivate your soccer team.

It’s also good to know that some players cope with motivation differently. The fact that a player is quiet before the game doesn’t mean they aren’t motivated. In fact, they can be more determined than the loudest player in the locker room.

Don’t judge. Respect their process and try to help them when needed.