In the days leading up to Canada's CONCACAF Nations League game with the U.S., Canadian coach John Herdman said his players didn't need him for motivation.

A 34-year-winless run against the Americans plus the need for valuable FIFA rankings points to earn a more direct route in World Cup qualifying would do the job just fine, he reasoned.

So did the 44-year-old Herdman, renowned for his ability to inspire, hold back?

"I think every minute of the day he has a motivational speech," said a smiling Lucas Cavallini, who scored the insurance stoppage-time goal in Canada's 2-0 win Tuesday at BMO Field.

"That's why we're here. That's why we're doing important things."

"Eversince John took over, he's been focused on changing the identity of Canadian soccer," added defender Kamal Miller. "And step by step, every camp, we've just been getting better and better. We feel like we're reaching new heights."

Said teenage forward Jonathan David: "This guy knows what he's doing ... because he has a tactic every game."

WATCH | Davies nets winner as Canada tops U.S. in Nations League:

While there is far more work to be done by the 75th-ranked Canadian men, it can be argued that Herdman has changed the face of soccer in Canada since being named women's coach eight years ago.

"He brought new football to Canada ... Thank you for bringing the spirit, the belief, the energy to these guys," veteran goalkeeper Milan Borjan said as he sat next to Herdman in the post-match news conference.

Herdman inherited a women's team that was in a dark place after finishing last under Italy's Carolina Morace at a disastrous 2011 World Cup in Germany. Herdman helped rebuild the women's talent pipeline, reminding the women why they played soccer and for whom they did it and led them to back-to-back Olympic bronze medals and fourth place in the FIFA rankings.

In January 2018, he switched its focus to the Canadian men another team struggling for a road map out of the depths of CONCACAF.

Subsequent news that Canada would co-host the 2026 World Cup with Mexico and the U.S. gave fans something to look forward to, given the Canadian men have only ever attended one World Cup (in 1986).

Herdman wanted more.

"We're going to qualify for 2022 Qatar," he told a news conference in February 2019. "And lay the foundation for 2026."

Herdman wears many hats coach, confessor, motivator among them. He surrounds himself with talent, counting goalkeeping coach Simon Eaddy and fitness coach Cesar Meylan among his inner circle from his days as women's coach. While he made changes to the existing men's staff, he also kept on some veteran team officials.

And he made a point of listing off a string of Canada Soccer employees after Tuesday's game, making sure they got their recognition for the famous win.

As coach, he has a knack of saying the right thing at the right time.

Take Liam Fraser as an example. The 21-year-old came on in the ninth minute, replacing the injured Mark-Anthony Kaye, and delivered a calm, composed performance in his senior debut.

After the game, Herdman shared a conversation he had with the Toronto FC midfielder.

"Only last camp I'm sitting on the stairs with him and the kid's upset that he can't see an opportunity coming for his country. And here you are," he said with a smile.

"Funnily enough on the stairs three weeks ago I said 'Son, just keep being good and the universe will bring you something. Just keep being good.' And it did. He got on that field tonight and he did bloody well."

Herdman watches over teenage star Alphonso Davies, trying to shield him from the expectations that come with a big-money transfer to Bayern Munich while putting him in a place to succeed.

"With Phonzie, it's just 'Get out there and play, son. Just go and do your thing,"' said Herdman.

The night before the U.S. game, he sat down with Davies and showed him clips from his days with the Vancouver Whitecaps.

"We just went back to some of his original days where when he got kicked, he got straight back up," said Herdman. "And when balls went in behind him, he'd recover and he'd fight to get it back. I think a little bit of that was missing. Just that wanting to play free and thinking he had to be in a structure. But he was free tonight and it was lovely to see."

Herdman also knows that competition in the Canadian ranks works wonders.

"He can't sit on his heels," he said of Davies. "We had Cavallini and (Junior) Hoilett on the bench."

Cavallini plies his trade for Puebla in Mexico while Hoilett is a veteran of the English Premier League who now plays in the Championship with Cardiff City. In past years, they would be automatic starters.

Hard work and commitment have been constants for Herdman, who grew up in Consett, just outside Newcastle, the son and grandson of steelworkers.

He played semi-pro football in the Northern League and for his university, soon realizing a pro career was not in the cards. So he got into coaching, starting to take courses at 16. He had his own soccer school at 23.

After spending time in South America to study Brazilian coaching methods, he returned home and set up a Brazilian soccer school. Players from Sunderland started sending their kids there, which led to a job offer in the Sunderland academy.

He spent three years there, working with a young Jordan Henderson, now a Liverpool and England star.

Herdman was lecturing four days a week in the sports science department at Northumbria University and working at the academy in the evening. He considered a PhD, using his experience at Sunderland as research.

Then Dr. Paul Potrac, his university supervisor, moved to Otago University in New Zealand. Potrac told Herdman about a soccer job as a regional director in New Zealand, selling him on the chance to essentially take over a blank football canvas.

Herdman took him up on it, coaching all ages while creating a soccer blueprint for the region. His hours matched his passion.

"I can't remember when I haven't done an 80-plus-hour week," he once said. "It's my personality, probably my mental disorder ... when I'm tuned into something I'm passionate about, I'm a bit crazy about it."

Herdman took the Kiwi under-20 team to the 2006 and '08 FIFA-20 Women's World Cups before leading the senior side to the World Cup in 2007 and 2011.

Then Canada came calling, dangling the lure of hosting the 2015 Women's World Cup.

Herdman is a driven coach. But a story about a VW Beetle speaks volumes about what makes him tick.

He used to drive a vintage silver Bug back and forth every weekend from university in Leeds to Consett to see his childhood sweetheart, now wife Clare. It helped that his best man was good at fixing Beetles.

Then someone crashed into the back of it, totalling the car. Herdman told his wife that some day, when he had time, he would get one to work on with his son.

Years later, in 2014, he unearthed a 1962 ragtop in Abbotsford, B.C., that needed work. Then he found one in Toronto ready to go.

Herdman mulled over the choice. While he liked the idea of working on the car with son J.J., he knew it might take years given his hectic schedule. So he bought the restored one, reasoning he and his son could share vintage car shows together (he also has a young daughter named Lilly-May).

The story demonstrates both Herdman's persistence and pragmatism.

Herdman celebrated Tuesday's win, which featured Canada's first goals against the U.S. in 12 years. His voice slightly hoarse and he proved to be in fine hugging form.

But he reminded listeners there is a long way to go.

"It's only one step, it's only one little drop in the ocean I'm hoping for this team. There's more to come," he said.

Read the original post:
With inspiration and motivation, John Herdman is changing the face of Canadian soccer - CBC.ca

When the Houston Texans traded for running back Carlos Hyde from the Kansas City Chiefs before the start of the season. The Texans ended up getting more than many expected, and Hyde made the team that traded him remember him with a strong performance on Sunday.

It was the Hyde revenge game as he put together a solid outing, rushing 26 times for 116 yards and one touchdown.

"I definitely had a little extra chip on my shoulder," Hyde said of taking the field against the Chiefs. "How things turned out here, it gave me extra motivation. I'm thankful for where I'm at and how things are going."

The Texans running game once again leaned on Hyde to do the bulk of the work for the offense. The running game was able to put up 192 yards on the ground in their win over the Chiefs while averaging 4.7 yards a carry.

The offense is showing the ability to not only throw the ball at will but the ability to control the clock on the ground. Hyde likes the balance that offense is showing early in the season.

"With the offense clicking like that, it's so hard to stop us," Hyde said of the offensive success. "When our offense is moving the ball like that, things are clicking, it's just hard to stop us. There are so many playmakers on this offense. It's a beauty."

Through five games, Hyde leads the Texans in rushing with 426 yards while averaging 4.3 yards a carry while finding pay dirt three times this season.

The Texans have allowed Hyde to get back to what he does best, and he appreciates them, letting him be the focus of the running game.

"They just let me be myself," Hyde said of the Texans. "[They] let me play my game. [They] let me get downhill. [They let me] do what I do best. You can't just focus on me. Like I said, there are so many other guys on this team that are a threat and can take over the game at any moment. The focus is not just on me. I can just go play my game, play free, and just be me."

You can follow Patrick for Houston Texans Updates in the following places.

Twitter: Here | Site Twitter: Here | Site Facebook: Here

You can Subscribe to the State of the Texans Podcast on the following platforms.

iTunes: Here | Soundcloud: Here | Google Play: Here | Stitcher: Here

See the original post here:
Texans Carlos Hyde Finds Extra Motivation in Win Over the Kansas City Chiefs - Sports Illustrated

The Kirksville football team has been battling momentum all season long, with the Tigers coming up on the losing end more often than not.

Coach Conrad Schottel said riding momentum is one of the best parts of the game for him, but being on the other end has been a tough pill to swallow with the lofty goals the team had for this season, now sitting at 1-6 after last weeks loss to Mexico.

Were fighting a big case of disappointment. Id be a liar if I didnt tell you I was disappointed or that any of the kids are, or the coaches, Schottel said. Were competitors and we want to win and we had high hopes coming into the year, certainly to have more wins in our win-loss column than we did. The fact of the matter is it hasnt worked out. Like I told the kids and I tell our staff and myself, we have two options: We can play the blame and victim game or we can rise to the occasion and make our own break and make our own momentum.

The Tigers get another winnable game this week as Moberly (4-3) comes to town. Kirksville eked out a 34-32 win over the Spartans last season and hope they can grab another one this time around on senior night.

Kirksville has had less than stellar showings in the second half of many games this season, losing halftime leads to Macon and Mexico, and going quiet against Clark County and Palmyra. Schottel has seen that happen and credits it more to not playing each phase well. He thought his offense and defense were playing very well last week against Mexico, then special teams allowed a long kick return before halftime to let the Bulldogs get back in the game before winning.

The Tiger defense had the team right there with Palmyra before the offense was shut out in the second half.

The biggest thing for me and our team and our staff isnt so much the halves, its playing a complete game and playing three phases of the game, Schottel said. Each phase of the game the kicking game, the offense and defense it all feeds each other. Right now, if you look at all of our weeks 1 through 7, we have not put together a full game, so thats really our emphasis. When our defense is playing really well at Palmyra, our offense not stepping on our toe and turning the ball over, for example. Or when both our defense and our offense is playing out of their heads and executing very well against Mexico, our kicking game cant stub our toe. Right now thats what weve got, were two of three at best and mostly one of three. Were trying to go three for three.

Junior Andrew Nothdurft plays all three phases of the ball for the Tigers, so hes seen what Schottel describes. Nothdurft said each unit has played hard, but has shot itself in the foot several times, usually caused by a lack of trust in each other, themselves, or the coaches. He said sometimes a player might read a situation differently than what the coaches call and will make a different move, leading to a mistake.

But the Tigers have tried to keep using their own disappointment in positive ways.

Everyones disappointed. You could say theyre pretty pissed, but we all want to win more and more after every loss, Nothdurft said. We just try to get it back up and keep fighting.

Moberly had its own second-half woes last week, getting shut out by Hannibal in the later portion of the game. Moberly has previously lost to Fulton by four and Lafayette County by seven, so theres reason to believe the Spartans could have been 6-1 coming into this game.

Junior quarterback Dominic Stoneking presents plenty of issues for a Tiger defense that has had trouble stopping the run. He can bruise his way up the middle and the Spartans also have some speedy backs to hit the edge.

But the Tigers have carried great attitudes through practice and hope to send their seniors out with one last home win.

Obviously, losing homecoming sucks, but this upcoming week with Moberly, we have senior night and theres been a lot of enthusiasm this entire week, said quarterback Paxton Dempsay.

Read the original:
Kirksville football hopes to turn recent misfortune into motivation - Kirksville Daily Express and Daily News

With the pageantry and tradition, game days at Los Angeles Coliseum are quite the spectacle. USC remains one of the more recognizable brands in college football. And although the Trojans have been wildly inconsistent over the past decade, Arizonas players know exactly what this matchup means.

I mean, USC is always a big game, junior linebacker Tony Fields II said. As you can see last year (at Arizona Stadium), the crowd was almost sold out. My freshman year when we went to USC, it was wild, it was super loud.

When you used to play NCAA Football, you hear USCs (fight) song right when you cut it on. Its like, Yeah, Im playing against the head of Pac-12 football.

Junior defensive lineman Trevon Mason has yet to play a game at Los Angeles Coliseum. Unlike some of his teammates, the juco transfer isnt as impressed.

I just feel like they have a name, he said. I feel like theyre OK...

More here:
Extra motivation for J.J. Taylor, teammates from California as Wildcats visit USC - The Athletic

The Belarusian authorities must uphold the right of former prisoner of conscience Dzmitry Paliyenka to a fair trial and ensure his hearing is open to the public, Amnesty International said ahead of the start of his trial on 17 October.

Dzmitry Paliyenkas prosecution follows a well-documented history of being targeted and harassed by the authorities for his activism. The Belarusian authorities must drop all charges against him that stem from the peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of expression and open his trial to public and media scrutiny, said Aisha Jung, Amnesty Internationals Senior Campaigner.

Dzmitry Paliyenkas prosecution follows a well-documented history of being targeted and harassed by the authorities for his activism

Despite constant harassment that led him to serve two years in a penal colony simply for peacefully protesting, Dzmitry Paliyenka has continued with his activism. This appears to be the reason why the Belarusian authorities have targeted him with a new set of criminal charges. Amnesty International has reviewed his case and concluded that at least three charges against him are illegitimate and should be dropped immediately.

The onus is on the Belarusian authorities to demonstrate that allegations leading to a fourth charge of malicious hooliganism are genuine and that Dzmitry Paliyenkas guilt is proven beyond any reasonable doubt. So far, their decision to keep the trial behind closed doors raises serious questions as to the real motivation of this charge.

Background

On 20 March 2019, Dzmitry Paliyenka was arrested on suspicion of malicious hooliganism following an incident in which he allegedly used pepper-spray against another individual. Use of pepper-spray in self-defence is legal in Belarus. Dzmitry Paliyenka has maintained he acted in self-defence. Three other criminal charges were subsequently brought against him: insulting a representative of the authorities, incitement to racial, ethnic, religious or other social hatred or enmity, and desecration of buildings and property damage related to a graffiti painting he did on a wall. Amnesty International believes these charges stem solely from the peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of expression and are consistent with the history of harassment Dzmitry Paliyenka has faced for many years.

Continue reading here:
Politically motivated trial against former Belarusian prisoner of conscience starts behind closed doors - Amnesty International

As a group and as individuals, this is a Liverpool squad filled with players who have faced setbacks. And that has only made them stronger according to Trent Alexander-Arnold, who says this group are using their past disappointments to push themselves to greater heights.

The players we have in our side have all had failures before, weve all had setbacks, he told Premier League Productions ahead of Sundays match against Manchester United. Weve really bounced back from there and got to where we are now and where we are as a team.

The biggest example of that is probably the fact that we lost the Champions League final the season before and were able to use that as motivation to get back there and win it the next season. Its something a lot of teams arent capable of, but weve showed that we are.

If their response to finishing runners-up in Europe was to make it to a second consecutive finaland winthen one certainly wouldnt bet against them now using last seasons nearly-there result in the league, where they earned 97 points and finished second, as motivation.

Certainly the early returns look positive on that front, with Alexander-Arnold and the Reds the only perfect side two months into the season. Eight games, eight wins, an eight point cushion at the top of the tableand with another chance to prove themselves on Sunday.

The Man United-Liverpool game is always massive, he added. Its one of the biggest games of the seasonand theyre a top side as well. Its always going to be a big game and a big occasion.

Read more:
Liverpool Look to Use Past Failures as Motivation in Title Challenge - The Liverpool Offside

Andreas Pereira will look to use the hurt of Manchester Uniteds wretched start as a catalyst to a season-changing victory against table-topping rivals Liverpool.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaers side have had a lot of soul-searching to do over the international break after the shock loss at embattled Newcastle left them just two points off the Premier League relegation zone.

Liverpool are looking to compound United s worst start in 30 years on Sunday, when Jurgen Klopp s men will aim for a record-equalling 18th successive top-flight victory.

All eyes will be on Old Trafford as the old foes do battle and Pereira believes this is the perfect match.

We know the fans are hurting, the 23-year-old midfielder said. The players and everyone at the club, here at the training ground, hurts.

Me, even more, because Im a Manchester United fan and a player and I am here at the Aon Training Complex every day. It hurts not getting the results.

Everybody is doing their best to get it turned around and I am sure it will happen.

Everyone is working hard, even harder, and, sooner or later, when everyone is working hard, things get back to good ways.

Its a perfect game against Liverpool, a perfect derby, and we have to build up for it.

Pereira was born in Belgium and plays for Brazil, but he was reared in the United academy and knows how important beating Liverpool is for everyone connected to the club.

I think you can compare it with Boca Juniors-River Plate, Santos-Corinthians, Flamengo-Fluminense, he told United Review .

Its one of the biggest derbies like El Clasico - Real Madrid versus Barcelona - and one of the biggest games, not only in England but in the world.

Everyone will be watching and its most important for us, and for the fans.

I always watched these games at home with my dad and my family. You know, I was always very curious and supporting United.

I think it means a lot to us. Its one of the most important games of the year - its the derby and we absolutely want to win this game.

We will do absolutely everything to win it. I know were not living the best moment right now, and were not getting results, but I think its a derby and it is always a different game.

Absolutely, we want to win it - everyone at the club, everyone in the team and the staff.

We all want to do everything to win the game and it can be a nice bounce back and provide a nice lift for us to start getting results.

Read the original post:
Manchester United will use poor start to season as motivation against Liverpool FC - Daily Post

Today is a Motivation vs Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) day.

All day, I have been sitting wrestling with myself.

I need to produce articles for my website. I have a pile of things that I must write, organise and complete by certain days. I have planned it all out, made notes and rough drafts. All the preparation has been done all I need to do is sit and write.

For some reason, even though I love to write and it comes naturally to me, I cant seem to muster up enough enthusiasm to start.

There is nothing different about today. Nothing different about my routine. So why does it feel like my brain has been surrounded by a think fog? Why dont I feel the usual motivation to get my work done? Why dont I feel like making food, and just want to snack? Why am I feeling tired even though I have had my usual amount of rest? Why am I trying to resist grabbing the duvet, curling up on the sofa and watching films all afternoon? Why does nothing seem to light that rocket fuel and get me going?

Why? Well, its October. Thats why.

This is the start of it. This is the start of my SAD days.

For those who suffer from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), I am sure that you are nodding along in solidarity with me.

For those who dont suffer from SAD, I wouldnt blame you for thinking that its all just a case of the Winter Blues, and that I just need to, perhaps, take it slower today, then I will be back to my full speed tomorrow.

Thats the normal advice that folk give to people having a rough day, and its lovely and supportive.

Its just that it doesnt work when you are suffering from SAD.

SAD is a bit like having brain fog that affects your whole body not just your mind. Your body slows down like a tortoise and you struggle to stay alert during the day. Its like you are fighting the need to hibernate.

SAD is a regular occurrence. Every year, around the same time, you will first feel the panic of the nights getting darker. You have this feeling that you must make every day count.

You are operating on full speed, then one day, you feel like someone has switched your engine off, and about to store you in the garage for the next few months.

Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, feels like it takes so much effort and energy. You feel like crying for no reason and crave carbs like your life depends on them.

You feel like your life is shutting down around you and theres nothing you can do to stop it.

To be honest, I could live perfectly happy with my SAD if I could just go into hibernation every October through to February.

Pass me the duvet, the remote and the carbs and I will see you when the days begin to lengthen again!

Lovely as it may sound, its not that simple!

People who suffer from SAD still have to carry out their daily tasks as they would in the summer months. Their lives dont change. They still have the same responsibilities to take care of. They just have to find a way to do it while feeling less than 50% switched on.

With this in mind, I have decided to share my own top ways to stay motivated while suffering from SAD.

If you know that you suffer from SAD, then make sure you are prepared for days when you really dont feel like doing very much.

Organise your work into smaller projects or more manageable chunks. This will take away the feeling that you are trying to climb a mountain with a rope tied around your waist, pulling you back down to base camp!

Having smaller tasks to face each day, that you can tick off as you complete them, will make it easier for you to start them and motivate you to complete them.

You can always add more tasks once you have completed the initial ones on the list.

If you really cant face a task, or find it hard to get started in the first place, then try using a timer.

Set your timer to go off in 5 minutes and try to keep you focus on the task at hand for all of these minutes. When the timer goes off, if you want, you can take a couple of minutes off, before setting the timer to go off in 10 minutes. Again, take a couple of minutes at the end of this block of time, if you wish.

Keep going until you can set your timer for 25 minutes, with 5 minutes break in between. This is known as the Pomodoro Technique, devised by Francesco Cirillo.

Before you know it, you have completed your task without too much of a struggle.

I, personally, use this method when I have days that I am really struggling. I have aPomodoro appon my phone and it helps me to time my 25 minute sessions, my 5 minute breaks and keeps track of the work that I have managed to complete in a day. Its a great motivational tool.

Being made accountable will always help you to work harder towards a goal.

Find a friend or colleague who is happy to join you in sharing your plans and goals. Then make regular dates to catch up and discuss these plans with each other.

Did you achieve what you set out to do that week? What did you find difficult? How did you overcome problems? What can you do in the week ahead to focus more and complete your goals?

The practice is not there to make you feel bad or to shame you if you didnt complete everything its there for moral support and to help motivate you (and your friend!).

Having that human contact and weekly check-in (or however often you want to do this) will help you break down the tasks. You will feel more in control, and ultimately, feel that you are succeeding in accomplishing your tasks.

Theres no doubt that living with SAD is challenging, but by making little changes within your daily routine, you can stay in control and make the winter months pass by more smoothly.

Take action and dont let SAD hold you back living your life.

Note:Sometimes SAD or having the Winter Blues can have similar symptoms to depression. Never ignore these symptoms and dont suffer alone. If you think that you suffer from the symptoms of SAD or feel depressed in any way, then take the time to chat it over with your health professional. They will be able to give you a proper diagnosis and provide you with the help, support and advice that you need to help you through this challenging time. Remember they understand and want to chat with you.

Originally published onClarity Junction

See original here:
How to Stay Motivated While Coping With SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) - Thrive Global

Source: Carl Pickhardt Ph. D.

Fall semester is a good time to revisit a common question that can trouble many parents of children in 6th or 7th grade: Why has our young adolescent, who worked hard and achieved well during elementary school, started to slack off in middle school, and become less dedicated todoing school work and less caring about performance?And what might we do to help halt faltering effort and falling grades?

What follows examines four factors that can come into play when this middle school motivation loss occurs:

In each case, countermeasures parents might want to take are suggested.

Disorganization of Coping

To begin, it can help if parents appreciate the magnitude of change required of students transitioning into middle school, where new organizational demands can take a lot of getting used to.

Institutionally, secondary school is not elementary school. Elementary school was much smaller and sheltered and simpler to navigate than middle school. For example, while athletics in elementary school was mostly recreational and fun for all, athletics in secondary school is more seriously and selectively competitivefor trying out, for getting playing time, for the importance of winning.Then there is larger school size, organizational complexity, increased expectation for student responsibility, and the demands of multiple teachers who are simultaneously giving more cumulative homework. These all demand a major adjustment. It is not uncommon for young people to exhibit more disorganization during this changing time before learning to catch educational hold.

In response, parents can coach coping with this increased complexity by helping the young person keep a schedule or calendar for planning control so that:

Daily discussion of short- and long-term demands is worth having.

Distractibility of Attention

Socially,elementary school is still primarily a culture of childhood, with most students family-centered and focused on staying closely attached to parents. Middle school is a culture of early adolescence. By this age, the separation from childhood and parents has begunyoung people starting to push against, pull away, and get around parental authority for freedom to experiment with more individuality and to assert more independence. Now some traditional focus can be lost.

At this juncture, belonging to a family of friends who are all changing in a similar way is vitally important. However, finding and fitting into a peer group is complicated by social insecurity and self-consciousness over puberty. Changing bodily shape can cause one to feel more out of control and affect social image and treatment received. Now concerns about physical appearance and social belonging can become an overriding priority, sometimes at the expense of academic focus.

Parents need to thread the needle between being empathetic about the more complicated physical and social experiences and being insistent that school work still needs to be attended to and accomplished. Readiness to face a new day at school now has three challenging components that parents need to be sensitive to staying physically, socially, and academically prepared for the demands at hand.

Experiencing Social Cruelty

In one of my earlier books, Why Good Kids Act Cruel (2010), I described why and how social meanness between students can increase in middle school as young people urgently vie with each other to establish social standing and ensure social belonging. Five common forms that social cruelty takes are teasing (putting down), exclusion (keeping out), rumoring (gossipingabout), bullying (threatening), and ganging up (out-numbering.)

When any of these behaviors significantly comes a young persons way, the school experience becomes emotionally dangerous, and now concerns for personal safety can override academic focus. In addition, what parents may notice is more reluctance getting ready for school and more sadness when returning home.

Since the code of the schoolyard (dont tell on peers), and the principle of independence (handle your troubles yourself) can cause a student not to tell parents when being hurtfully treated, it can be helpful for them to declare at the outset of 6th grade that they know how social going at middle school can become rougher in the five ways described. They are in the know, and they would wish to be told if any of these behaviors are repeatedly directed at their adolescentso they can provide emotional support and some coaching advice for how to respond to and reduce these painful experiences.

Resistance to Authority

When a young person starts separating from childhood and parents in service of asserting more independence, they can become more resistant to parental authority through using delay, argument, refusal, ignoring, and lying to get around what they have been told to do.

This resistance can carry over to middle school, particularly about homework that teaching authorities increasingly assign. One of the major causes of lowering grades in middle school is not doing homework and being graded down accordingly. The resistant young person may have dishonestlyreported no homework tonight! when there was, may not have brought assignments home, may not have finished them completely, or may not have turned them in.

The best way to discourage this resistance is not acting emotionally upset or offering rewards for compliance or threatening punishment for noncompliance, but by providing calm, steadfast supervision. If you cant regularly bring the homework home, if you cant thoroughly complete it, if you cant manage to turn it in, we will provide the necessary oversight to help you get these tasks done.

Middle school is a huge transition and its easy for able students to academically underperform as, for a developmental while, their primary concerns are directed elsewhere. In these cases, parents can effectively provide organizing, focusing, strategizing, andsupervisory support.

See the original post:
Parenting Through the Middle-School Motivation Loss - Psychology Today

Kayce Hurd of Marshall knows what its like to lose, both on and off the field, but the Mavericks senior defensive lineman is motivated by those losses, and determined to use lessons learned from them to help earn him and his team some wins.

For Hurd, a dream was born at a young age.

I remember when my nana told me, Dont give up on your dreams, and I told her that I want to go to the NFL and that I want to play on Sunday night, Hurd recalls. She said OK, and when she was on her death bed, I promised her, I will go to the NFL and will stop at nothing.

Despite experiencing hardships, Hurd has shown no signs of stopping.

In a big way, whats actually motivated us is all the stuff weve been through, with the 0-3 start and losing a player, especially for me and James (Washington), that was a big motivation for us. So now were playing for our fallen brother, an angel.

Hurd said he also draws motivation from his family.

They always come to my games, he said. They dont care how far it is. It can be in New Orleans, they dont care. As long as I see them and they see me, everything is cool.

Tonight, his family will likely be in Jacksonville to see Hurd and the Mavericks take on the Indians.

Weve just got to focus on our team, focus on whats happening on our end, he said.

Hes playing at a level this year that he hasnt played in the past, Marshall athletic director and head football coach Jake Griedl said of Hurd. Hes brutally strong. He plays with an intensity thats hard to match. Then his work ethic over the last year has really springboarded him into a leadership role. Hes kind of the anchor of our D-line, especially in the interior.

When Kayce speaks, everybody listens and when Kayce plays, everybody notices, Griedl continued. Im glad we dont have to block him.

Hurd has three college offers on the table but is in no rush to make a decision on what school to attend.

I havent decided what college I want to go to, he said. Im waiting for more opportunities to come up.

Hes a great kid, Griedl added. Hes one of those kids who I think will be a late signee for a college and will have a really successful collegiate career and with his work ethic, will be a very successful individual down the road.

Perhaps that success will one day come on the football field on Sunday nights.

Kickoff for tonights game between Marshall and Jacksonville is slated for 7:30 p.m. at the newly renovated Tomato Bowl in Jacksonville. Tickets will be on sale today at the Y.A. Tittle Athletic Fieldhouse ticket window from 7 a.m. until noon. Ticket prices are $6 for adults and $3 for students. All tickets at the gate will cost $8.

See the rest here:
Hurd motivated by losses, on, off the field - Marshall News Messenger