- 1). Focus players on long-term goals. Some may have aspirations to make their sport a career. Others may be inspired to make a special local, high school or college team. Encourage players with no further chance for team sports to pursue their interests and maintain their fitness by trying a range of other sports.
- 2). Encourage participants to attempt to score a personal best in the coming season. Offer each player a short list of areas where his game needs work or could improve with practice. This gives the player direction, a new goal and a way to maintain focus whether the winning streak continues in the next season or not.
- 3). Challenge teams to beat their old score. Members can strive to improve statistics for the overall season, or to try to better particular statistics. A game's statistics usually tie in to particular parts of the team's performance. These can point a coach to places in the team's training program that require adjustment. Coaches can focus the team's training on these aspects, using them as a guideline for progress, rather than games won.
- 4). Insist that your players prove they are good sportsmen. Sportsmanship shows through in how you win. Provide a season-ending motivational talk that presents praise for the team's performance, but also sets forth expectations for the coming season and for their behavior. Start your next season with a revised version of this talk, and reward team members for demonstrating respect to other players, having a positive attitude and performing properly on and off the field. Small rewards may include healthy treats, a team outing or time off from drills.
- 5). Ask players to become mentors. This recognizes their achievements, but also moves the focus from the win to what the player can offer others from her experience and performance. Players can mentor within or outside of their chosen sport, offering sport-specific tips, general fitness guidance or motivation to another. A player can choose a young person, a fellow team member or member of her own family with which to partner.
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