Starting a week of classes at my club, Swiss Mega Park Padel Academy, I remember what I learned in the theoretical course of padel teacher in the Spanish federation and most importantly in the practices that take place on the courts.
The importance of the motivation of the athlete to get the best use and not abandonment, in these months of June and August I have had the opportunity to participate in the paddle campus in the city of the racket, there I have taught paddle classes to groups of beginning and advanced with varying degrees of motivation, from the student “parked” by the demands of schedules in the professional activity of their parents to the player who year after year repeats these activities.
The most important task of our role as Coach is to detect early (observing, talking or demanding information) this aspect and reinforce it.
Taking into account that situations influence motivation as their own personality, that there are multiple reasons to participate (external and internal), giving importance to the environment to increase it (giving opportunities, without pressure, making them feel protagonists).
My secret is to stimulate through challenges, contextualize (they must know the whys and where the sport is related to their daily life), diversification (dynamism, we are not mere ball throwers), highlight (giving prominence, comparing achievements) and finally, welcome the athletes, establishing affective relationships (know their name, birthdays, if they have siblings who practice this or other sports etc…).
Undoubtedly the most important is the inner motivation but working the external one through different strategies we can achieve spectacular results that make our profession make sense.
