Most soccer coaches want their players to be "tough" or "aggressive", and for good reason � aggressiveness is usually necessary in order to play well. I think the best way to motivate players to be "aggressive" isn't by telling them to be "aggressive" or "tough", but by encouraging them to be "brave" and by rewarding them for "bravery". "Bravery" is a better word than "toughness" or "aggressiveness" because heroes are brave -- some parents object to the idea of making their kids "tough" or "aggressive", but no one objects to "bravery". Get some sort of award for bravery and REALLY encourage and reward brave behavior -- make a big deal of bravery in a positive way (use positive encouragement, not negative criticism). Our patches work great to encourage bravery, or you could try something else. You can train kids to be brave by encouraging it and rewarding brave play and winning the ball. There are several articles on Premium about how to motivate players to be brave. Not every kid is a great athlete, but every kid can be brave. I think you are helping their character and self-esteem by encouraging them to be brave. Once they see other kids being brave, they are more likely to be brave too -- bravery and hustle are contagious! David at SoccerHelp How to Teach Soccer Players to be Brave
Why Bravery is a better word than Tough or Aggressive