One of the most difficult situations coaches at all levels face is motivating a team with a bad record, or even after the dreams of reaching the post-season are definitely out of reach. If you remember the movie “Major League” you should recall a dismal team of cast-away players and rookies that rebounded from a horrific start to win their division. While this was baseball movie-making at its comedic best, it did give a few examples of how you can properly motivate a team even when the wins are sparse at best.

First, it is important to remember that you should convince your team that there is something to play for besides the post-season. Honor, pride, and the chance to improve should be enough to get many players out of the doldrums. However, there are plenty of players on all levels that will still pack it in. In the movie “Major League” the manager convinced the players to play hard and come together by focusing on an external source – the Cruella De Ville of baseball owners. This strategy can be used effectively. You hear about many teams posting negative articles written about them in the locker room. One recent case was during the ALCS in 2005 between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. After being down 0-3 in the series, Gary Sheffield of the Yankees made a bunch of negative comments directed at the Red Sox that appeared in the newspaper. The Red Sox coaches posted this article and challenged the team. Challenge the team by showing them they can have success, which will lead to better play.

Of course, not all baseball motivation goes on at the major league level. You can motivate your team by focusing on ruining the playoff chances of another team’s season, but I always prefer to keep things friendly especially at younger levels of play. Instead, challenge players individually to improve towards the latter part of the season. You can take stretches of games and focus on them as playoff type series – refer to them as your personal post-season goals.

If some of the star players are bagging it in, you can always bench them and play the reserves – which when given a chance, may provide a spark. Taking playing time away, even if just to make a statement can oftentimes motivate players. You must be careful to manage each player and each team differently. Many of the decisions depend on the emotional makeup of your players. Try to read your team and figure out what they can take and what they can’t. Motivating players is key but each player is motivated differently. Know your players and know what motivates them individually.