Athlete Motivation

“The Standards You Set Today Are the Who & Where You Are Tomorrow” – Alan Stein Jr. This former basketball performance drops in for a chat with me to talk about athlete motivation and how it relates to performance, the difference makers in sport, how much the BASICS matter, and what sport parents should do with their athletic children. So much great content in this chat I wish it ran for 2 hours!

Here were the questions from the interview. As you can see they are engaging, leading and dig right into Athlete Motivation.

The pinch factor. We often ask “someone pinch me” does this happen to you? 

Your story of working with some of the very best athletes and applying your lessons learned from this. 

Kevin Durant. – What he needed to do because he knew it was essential. 

Marquel Faultz – Never listen to the outside noise

Chris Paul – undersized but not underdetermined

Jesse Itzler / – Rapper turned thrill seeking, mind melding icon

The Athlete:

  1. You’ve spent a large part of your life making people their very best. You’ve done this for your own self as well. Why as an athlete is it essential to continue to push and to set these bars? 
  1. In golf its such a secular sport, it’s just you, the ball and the course. I loved your part about Self Awareness in your book as it really brought my mind into how Self Awareness is often missed or not nurtured. I think coaches & parents don’t have a grasp of how to get there? What are your Top 5 musts to build self awareness for a young golfer? 
  1. Confidence – A wonderful and amazing trait that borders on being misconstrued for cockiness. How can athletes continue to work their craft to build and nurture this. (3 pointers e.g. Bob Rotella) 
  1. Can you explain why Kobe called his workouts “Blackouts” 
  1. You have 3 children, Luke, Jack & Lila. I know having been a successful athlete, won a national title, and now considered one of the top Jr Golf Coaches in the sport, I never pushed my kids into sport and let them decide what they wanted to do. What’s the Stein family like with regards to sport? Are your expectations often too high? 
  1. Fast 5 
    1. Your starting 5 of best players you’ve worked with in your career
    2. Who’s Alan Stein Jr.’s hero
    3. Kanye, Niki Minaj, Drake, Lil Wayne & Big Sean have all made references to Stan Van Gundy in their rap songs. Who would Alan Stein Jr. like to be rapped by? 
    4. Favourite Chocolate bar ever made
    5. Describe a perfect day

Coaching: 

  1. In this time of the 21st century athlete we are faced as coaches with the “Instant” result or “immediate” result in every sport and this  is driving the anxiety in our youth who play sport. What strategies can you give coaches to help them guide their teams and athletes during this time? 
  2. I love that you’ve been Zooming, supporting and boosting others when faced with such uncertainty. I’ve been doing much of the same and these Zoom and IG Live chats have been fantastic ways to connect and help. What are your top 5 things to keep your athletes engaged at this time?

Follow Alan online socially at:

Twitter: @alansteinjr

Instagram: @alansteinjr

Website: www.alansteinjr.com