Raise Your Game: What's the best way of motivating players?

Ian McGeechan: I think through enjoyment. Players have to enjoy what they're doing whether it's training or playing, and have to enjoy the sort of game they're playing. If you enjoy doing particular things, you want to come back and do more. Winning isn't a bad way to be enjoying it as well!

RYG: Who inspired you?

IM: At school I had a lot of very good schoolmasters who were very encouraging at making you do things and at challenging us. Literally playing is inspirational. I spent most of my waking time kicking a ball around with my father, so it just became part of my growing up really, very much around what we did in the back streets, and what we did at school.

RYG: And how do you reinforce the importance of winning and success?

IM: I think if you're in an environment that's successful it's a great feeling. You want to be able to replicate that, and often that's just done with hard work, hard training, just doing the basics very, very well every time you go out. You then get a consistency and you get the feel for not just performing well, but winning as well and battling to win. That gives you the real incentive to keep you going.

RYG: What is the importance of attitude as well as talent?

IM: I think attitude is probably the biggest thing. I know a lot of talented people who didn't make it to the top. The ones who always make it I believe are the real impact players. They are the ones with the right attitude. They actually think about what they can do and how they can do it with others, because I think you've got to be the ultimate team player to be the best player you can be. If that comes out then you often find that your own talent just shows, simply because of the players you've got around you and what you're bringing out of them they'll also bring out of you.

RYG: So dedication and commitment are extremely important in this sport?

IM: Yes, I think if you really want to do something you have to be 100% committed to it, and just go out when others don't want to train, but you know that's the thing you should be doing and you still do it.