The Donkey and the Carrot

Posted On: 04-06-2021

Most of us likely remember the fable of the Donkey and the Carrot.  In the story the poor farmer struggles to get his trusty steed to work so he places a carrot on a stick out in front of the donkey.  The fable appears to offer a perfect solution to getting a good days work out of the donkey, but in real life we all know better.  Allow me to use this fable as a metaphor for our youth shooters.

There are four carrots out in front of our youth shooters: 25, 50, 75 and 100 straights.  Unfortunately, as one achieves the first carrot, the stick seems to get longer for each subsequent carrot.  There are other interpretations of the stick in the fable associated with punishment.  Some stories instead of lengthening the stick use it as a prod to produce the same amount of effort out of the donkey.  So as coaches we have to develop our own interpretation of the stick that is positive, motivating and offers encouragement for more effort to continue to achieve the rewards. 

In all varieties of the fable, the donkey eventually becomes complacent and slows down, especially after achieving or earning the first carrot.  A coach has to decide how to get more out their youth shooter and like the donkey, the youth shooter becomes complacent and slows down on their goal of achieving more carrots.  In other words, once 25 is reached the passion, effort and level of dedication may slow for lots of reasons.

As a coach one has to work not only in motivating youth shooters to achieve goals regardless of the number of targets, to reaching goals based on overall target scores.  It does not end there and will require even more effort to get youth shooters to identify the next goal while sustaining the existing goal.

Possible ways to keep up the motivation and effort is to look beyond the closest carrot to a greater end goal.  Like the farmer the field needs to be plowed, so as a coach you have to figure out how to get to the goals your team and individual shooters want to achieve.  Consider these ideas:

• Each goal should have champions and mentors – those that have achieved
• Celebrate goals in conjunction with future goals
• Move the stick closer when shooters are struggling – Ten straight
• Use a bigger carrot if necessary – More rewards more fun
• Stabilize the rewards so as not to over-play the reward
• Establish that all goals are a positive for each shooter and team

Take care to be supportive as your youth shooter is indeed doing all the work.  Just like the farmer take good care and your field will get plowed

David R. Vaught, Ph.D.

Executive Director