Chapter 5 – Part 1 – Motivation
Coach Berman inspired the LSU Tigers to many championships, including six Southeastern Conference titles in the 1990’s and five NCAA national championships, One of Bertman’s cornerstones is his belief in motivation.

DEFINITION OF MOTIVATION
Motivation is a much-overused, much-maligned term and usually refers to pep rallies or sales rallies in business. Motivation is very, very real. Motivation is the fuel that enhances people’s performance. Motivation comes from the Latin word “moto,” to move. Even the decision to do nothing is based on motivation. And just as certain fuels burn with different levels of intensity, different kinds of motivation work for different situations and different people.

Let me show you what works for me and that with certain variations, could work for you as well. Here’s a quick rundown of some specific motivational techniques I use. You’ve already seen a few, but I want to give you some more details so you can also use them.

I use custom-made videos, stories of real people and real events, some good demonstrations to make a point, a very large collection of quotes and motivational statements that I distribute regularly, our Successful Speakers Series, and even some individual activities for our players to use on their own.

VIDEO AS A MOTIVATIONAL TOOL
One of the great motivators, I feel, is the use of video. All people, but especially young people, are zeroed in on video. They’re used to watching YouTube, MTV, the TV screen and, of course, computer and iPhone screens. If you keep it short, it will really work. I usually use the time during the other team’s batting practice before a game to show video. But it can be done anytime.

The videos are divided into four categories:
1. Baseball skills, stories of ballplayers, stories about the game itself.
2. General motivational videos. These are videos of all kinds of people being successful and people overcoming adversity.
3. Music videos. These are videos of our players, energetic pieces which let our players see themselves on the screen.
4. Educational videos. Videos which carry a great message such as anti-gambling, anti-tobacco or another good message.

But here is the key. You have to collect videos and portions of videos continually. Treat them like a reference library. Update your collection. Do more than just play the tape for your team. For example, prepare a short presentation to introduce the video, then another to drive home the point afterwards. Rehearse your pre-video talk and your wrap-up afterwards.

The world is full of great stories that are highly visual and effective for you and your team. I’ve created tapes and given them titles our players can relate to, such as “Defense Wins” or “Defense Wins Again,” which are really copies of Major League baseball highlights, sometimes taken from videos bought in a store and sometimes taken right off post-game television highlights.

I also use movies like Mission Impossible, Rocky, Braveheart and many others, selecting short segments that I feel are meaningful for the players. Other videos include great moments in baseball like Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak or Roger Maris’ 61st home run or other great moments. The videos are put together in a way that is powerful and always motivating to the team.

The most common of the video ideas is highlights of our players set to music. It’s very important for our players to see themselves being successful on the screen. We use our own videographers at LSU, but we also use private companies in our community to shoot games and regularly edit the videos. These videos don’t have to be professional TV quality, however. They can be done by a creative parent or booster, or even a student with a camera. What’s important is to put some cheering, some music and other actions together to inspire your players. I feel certain your school has the facilities to create these videos, but even if it doesn’t, you should be able to get a sponsor and still show these videos to your team. Be creative. It really works.

BONNIE BLAIR
Another important item is general motivation — videos that involve things outside of baseball that make a great point like the importance of teamwork, or great Olympic moments such as speed skater Bonnie Blair, who was the first woman ever to win five Olympic gold medals.

BILLY MILLS
Billy Mills had a dream of making the Olympic team but thought it was a long shot. Neither his obscurity nor disadvantaged childhood could keep him from being the first American ever to win the gold medal in the 10,000-meter run.

Some of this video comes right off of television. Great spots on TV – you could take it off and show it to your kids – a nice spot on a magazine show, ESPN’s 30-for-30 or E:60 or some other show. A great source of inspirational motivational video can also come from the movies. Rent a movie from your local video store, record that inspirational part and work it around your team, and get the message out to your club. Keep in mind, as a teacher, that you have the option to use existing videos and even TV broadcasts to teach your players. Of course, you have to follow existing copyright laws, which usually means you can make a single copy for instructing your players. Naturally, you can’t sell or mass produce copies.

THE NICKEL DEMONSTRATION
Another technique I use is demonstrations. Demonstrations always make a point, a very vivid point, at just the right time.

Here is an example of a demonstration I used with the team just before a game:

You have 25 nickels to represent 25 guys on the team. They’re easy to stack, aren’t they? You can put them one on top of another and you can get all 25 to stack up straight – not much of a problem. We can stay together and we can be one. But if you have one guy bent out of shape, not in the system — some guy that’s not with it — we can carry him for a while. Maybe we can carry two guys like that. But they can offer no foundation. If they’re bent out of shape, there’s no chance that we’re going to be able to get on top of these guys and there’s no chance that they can help any of us. If we try to put them in the middle and then try to stack some guys on those players who are bent out of shape and whose attitudes are different than the rest, that’s not going to happen. You can’t be bent out of shape – you have to be with the team. You have to remember the nickel demonstration.

WHERE DO YOU GET MOTIVATIONAL MATERIALS?
I don’t remember exactly where I got the information about that nickel demonstration, but I’m sure that I heard it on an audio program. They are really good. Check out any audio program about personal improvement, team building and management. Yes, they are expensive, but you can’t put a price on personal improvement or what you can do for your people. You can listen to them when you exercise or when you are driving. You can listen to them whenever you have time. They’ll really help you out.

I also use demonstrations that I learned from people I admire — from teachers, other coaches and businessmen. Learn all you can from those around you. They can teach you, and you, in turn, can teach your team. But demonstrations and symbols aren’t the only powerful tool that you have. Don’t ever underestimate the power of the spoken word. And, of course, one of the motivators that I use is a story.

And stories are the best way to make a point that your team will remember. When people hear a story, their imaginations are set off, forming pictures in their minds. These pictures trigger emotions that cause your message to be imprinted, helping your players to remember the names and the point of your story. Usually, I start off the season with this one: Members of your team are likely to remember the story of one man who achieved what many thought was a barrier but what actually was just a mental barrier. Of course, the point of this story is that for you, and your team, there are no barriers.

ROGER BANNISTER
May 6, 1954, Oxford, England: A tall, skinny 25-year-old medical student named Roger Bannister is going to try and run the mile under four minutes. For 100 years, nobody has been close to that time. The race begins, and Bannister jumps to 1:58.2 at the half. At 300 yards, he takes the lead all the way to the finish and he breasts the tape in a miraculous 3:59.4.

Now that he’s done, he collapses and people rush out. They are worried about him because nobody thought this could be done. The crowd of 1,200 goes into pandemonium. But the dream-busters run out to measure the track – it must be too short. But it was an inch over one mile. Wind wasn’t a factor. The record stands. The next week, he again runs a sub-four-minute mile, and two other guys do it. That year – from May 6 to December 31 – 13 guys across the United States and the world ran under four minutes. For 100 years nobody could do it. Then 13 people could do it all at once? It was a mental barrier. Now, more than 20,000 people have run under four minutes, including high school kids. The record is 3:44.3.

Once that barrier is broken, you realize the attitude changes. Lives change. You can accomplish and do anything. Our team has no barriers. You have no limits. You can get three hits today and get three homers. You can pitch and throw no-hit ball. You can make great defensive plays. Whatever you visualize, you can do today.