How to keep your child motivated with Dr. Larry Lauer and Lori Riffice

#1 - Understand the various reasons that motivate your child to play tennis.

People are always motivated by something, but it’s not always what we want them to be motivated by. One day, they might not be motivated to train, but it’s because they are more motivated to hang out with their friends. There are several reasons that your athlete might want to play tennis, some internal and some external. Maybe they love being outside, spending time with their teammates, improving their skills, lifting trophies or making their coaches proud. Especially for younger children, motivation doesn’t only come from within, so it’s important to understand why they want to show up to practice and what keeps them going—and they usually have multiple factors that motivate them.

While some of it is internal, be sure to examine external factors, such as the environment they’re in and who they’re surrounded by. If the environment isn’t one that is enjoyable or would motivate anyone to continue playing when it’s difficult, it might not be the right one for your child, so before assuming that your player is lacking motivation, drive or grit, try to understand what their current experience is on and off the court.

#3 - Recognize that motivation is different across age groups.

Young athletes are more likely to be motivated by comparison to their peers, while those who are 12 and 13 are more outcome-oriented, focused on external reasons for playing like winning or getting clothes or shoes for a good result.

The older players get, the more likely they are to recognize the intrinsic benefits of playing tennis and train their brains to see success as something separate from winning, such as enjoying being on the court or spending time with friends and teammates. 

In tough moments, such as when they’re in a back draw of a tournament and not playing their best on a hot day, they need to tap into the sport’s rewards apart from trophies, but this is harder for younger children.

#5 - Allow for breaks during practice and time off to prevent burnout.

This sounds simple, but when a high-performing, driven junior player is willing to spend hours on the court drilling various shots or grind in the gym, it can be easy to forget that they aren’t just small adults. In order to prevent burnout, it’s important to give them physical and mental breaks, whether they need 10 minutes to let their mind wander to focus again, or a longer water break to regain their energy. 

If your child seems particularly depleted or unmotivated to play one day, ask if they want to go to spend that afternoon doing something else—a few days off could lead to them asking when they can get back on the court. Additionally, Riffice suggests avoiding your child from playing too many tournaments, and you can use their age as a reference point. If your athlete is 12, they shouldn’t play more than 16 tournaments a year, as that significantly increases their risk for burnout.

#7 - Reinforce positive behaviors and a good attitude. 

There is so much more to tennis than physical fitness. Players know that one of the defining aspects of the sport is its commitment to strong values, such as respect, teamwork, determination and work ethic. Talk to your child about these values and why they are just as important in their day-to-day life as they are on the court.

If your child identifies with these core values, they will want to continue playing because they see their hard work intertwined with their identity. You can help reinforce this with small rewards, like a sticker reward chart for younger children or small prizes like grips or vibration dampeners for older athletes.

“If your outcome goals are just winning and losing, it's going to be hard for your son or daughter to stay motivated,” Riffice said. “Really rewarding the process goals, the day to day, the behavior, the attitude, the effort, that is where you really see the best results.”