Dan Spainhour

Coaching Affirmations Dan Spainhour

When I used to hear all the talk about affirmations, I had a tendency to think of some New Age feel good stuff that had little to do with coaching. However, the more I investigated the process of affirmations I came to realize maybe it was only the term affirmations that caused me not to take the process seriously. I mean I've always believed in the importance of self-talk and the effects it has on performance. Like most coaches, I posted daily quotes in our locker room for the team to read and recite back during practice. I know motivation is different things for different people and athletes need inspiration that is designed specifically for them. I also believed as Peter Davies says, "Motivation is like food for the brain, you cannot get enough in one setting." So I started to give my players specific individual statements I asked them to say to themselves over and over. I would give them new statements at different times throughout the year based upon areas that I wanted to see them improve. I immediately saw results. My players seem more confident and our performance has improved since I instituted this process.