Building Self-Driven Motivation & Ownership in young athletes

Teaching Athletes to Lead Themselves

As coaches, we talk a lot about “building character” we hope our athletes learn to become resilient, self-motivated, and responsible through sport. But hope isn’t a strategy. If we truly want to grow strong character, we have to teach it deliberately, not just assume it happens between laps or sets.

This month, our team’s character development theme is Self-Driven Motivation & Ownership helping swimmers build the kind of inner drive that lasts long after the season ends.

💡 Why It Matters

Many young athletes today (especially those in Generation Alpha, born after 2010) are growing up in a world that offers constant feedback, instant information, and limited opportunities for struggle. As Dr. Tim Elmore often points out, Gen Alpha athletes crave autonomy, connection, and meaning but they also need intentional guidance to develop those traits.

Motivation can’t be forced. True motivation comes from within, from a sense of purpose and control. When we help athletes connect their “why” to their daily actions, they become more focused, resilient, and confident.

🧠 The Focus: Intrinsic Motivation and Ownership

This month, our team is exploring what it means to take charge of their growth. Inspired by The Self-Driven Child (William Stixrud & Ned Johnson) and Atomic Habits-September's character focus- (James Clear), our goal is to help swimmers link their personal purpose (“Why I Swim”) to their daily choices turning motivation into ownership.

Core Concepts:

• Autonomy: I have a say in how I train and grow.

• Self-Determination: I swim because it matters to me.

• Intrinsic Motivation: I find joy in mastery and progress.

• Control vs. Influence: I focus on what I can control — effort, attitude, preparation.

🗓️ What We’re Doing This Month

Each week, swimmers and coaches are working together to explore a different layer of motivation and ownership:

Week 1: What Drives You?

Swimmers identify their internal vs. external motivators and talk about what truly fuels them. Coach takeaway: Give athletes time to reflect and share their “why.” Intrinsic motivation thrives on connection and choice. Swimmers may need some help here. Many have never taken the time to really think about their "why."

Week 2: The Power of Choice

We’re creating moments of choice in practice allowing swimmers to select drills or goals that fit their needs. Coach takeaway: Even small choices build ownership. As Elmore says, “When kids have a voice, they’re more likely to have buy-in.”

Week 3: Control What You Can

Swimmers learn to separate what’s in their control (effort, attitude) from what’s not (competitors, conditions). Coach takeaway: This mindset builds emotional regulation a key skill for Gen Alpha athletes navigating a high-feedback world.

Week 4: Owning Your Growth

Reflection journals and “coach yourself” moments help athletes evaluate their own progress. Coach takeaway: Ownership builds accountability which is the foundation of long-term success.

A Coach’s Role: Be Intentional, Not Accidental

We often assume that sports automatically teach character and that teamwork, discipline, and resilience emerge through repetition and adversity. But in truth, character doesn’t develop by osmosis. It grows when coaches create experiences that require reflection, decision-making, and ownership deliberately building positive culture.

For Gen Alpha athletes, that means shifting from command-and-control coaching to guide-and-grow coaching:

• Instead of telling them what to do, ask them what they learned.

• Instead of solving every problem, help them identify what they can control.

• Instead of rewarding outcomes, celebrate ownership and effort.

The Long Game

By the end of November, our goal is for swimmers to understand that motivation isn’t something a coach gives it’s something they build within themselves.

As Tim Elmore reminds us, “When students own their learning, they own their future.” When swimmers own their training, they own their growth.

And that’s the kind of character that lasts in and out of the pool.

Coach’s Reflection Prompt:👉 How can you create a moment this week where a swimmer gets to make a meaningful choice?