Passion and purpose go hand in hand with each other. When a person is very passionate towards a purpose, he will be willing always to go the extra mile just to see that the purpose is fulfilled. When passion lives within oneself, his work, commitment and love becomes one. At this point, he will see that no obstacle is too big to overcome.
Passion is what separates losers and winners. It is the passion that drives players to keep getting up no matter how many times they fall flat on their face. A team that consists of passionate players can go a long way towards achieving success. But then, how do you develop passion in the players?
The passion that we mean in this context is the undying love for the game of basketball, the team, and other teammates. The question that we asked ourselves is a very difficult question to answer. There is no black and white answer to it. When dealing with developing passion, we are trying to make someone love something; remember, love cannot be forced.
All this while, experts have only provided us with suggestions and case studies of successful “passion-building” programs. However, we should never forget that what works for some may not work for others. The key essential that you should look into as a coach is the attitude of your team as a whole and also the attitude of your individual players.
Developing passion is synonymous with motivating players. Coaches usually have a narrow view towards motivating the team. They usually view motivation as a means to simply improve the teams’ performance. Instead, as coaches, we should try to see motivation as a way to make our players better people.
Motivation and passion are directly related to the self-image. The self-image is how players see themselves. The way they see themselves depends on many internal and external factors. Internal factors towards self-image include childhood experience, previous success, personal conflicts and also physical appearance. External influence, on the other hand, includes comments by teammates and the coach, reaction of the crowd towards them and the way other people treat them.
As a coach, there are five major things that you can do to improve your players’ self-image and subsequently develop passion within them. First of all, you have always to expect the best from your players. Show your players that you believe in them and are confident that they can overcome any obstacle.
You should also tell your players to see themselves beyond their actual physical being. Inspire them to imagine themselves not as the way they are now. Instead, tell them to imagine them being as the way they want to become. This will motivate them to act to achieve their dream.
Next, you should protect your team from negative talk; especially from yourself. If you show to your players that you are passionate about the team and them, chances are, you passion will infect them as well.
Also, you should discuss with your players about the goals that they want to achieve. Always remind them of these goals during training, before matches and even after that. When one is constantly reminded of the goal that he wants to achieve, passion will naturally flow in his veins.
Lastly, develop a sense of belonging among your players. Make them feel as if the team is their second family. Having deep affection towards something will make a person as passionate as he can be.
Essentially, developing passion in the players is not an easy thing to achieve. However, if you successfully develop passion among your players, you will have a fully committed team that will always take the initiative to go the extra mile. Also, you will see that your players will turn into better persons.