How Great Coaches Motivate Girls

Three easy ways to harness girls’ power

1. Build team relationships

Being part of the team is one of the top reasons girls below the age of 12 play at all. 

• Encourage girls to celebrate each other. Cheering is a great thing. 
• Make time for girls to connect at the end of practice. For example, ask them to say something that impressed them about each of the girls sitting next to them.

2. Have fun

Did you know 83% of the parents of girl athletes think their coaches should put more emphasis on having fun? Sometimes there’s a parent who makes it seem otherwise, but most of the people who are responsible for kids’ well-being want them to have a good time.

It’s pretty much the same for all kids. Choose age-appropriate activities, celebrate a lot, give kids choices, and make sure everyone plays. If you haven’t already, take the full [How to Coach Kids](https://www.howtocoachkids.org/) course to learn more.

3. Reward effort and taking risks

This is one of the biggest missed opportunities in girls’ sports. So often, they’re celebrated for being perfect. How about we celebrate their efforts to be daring? 

If a girl tries something new — no matter what the outcome — cheer like she just hit the game-winning shot. 

And by the way, mistakes happen. Think about adding a mistake ritual like a player literally brushing her shoulder to “brush it off.” You see the pros do this all the time — tapping their chest or brushing their caps. It reminds players that mistakes are normal and lets everyone know it’s time to move on.

Learn more at howtocoachkids.org

How to Coach Kids and Coaching Girls are free, 20-30 minute online courses on the fundamentals of coaching kids and girls, co-created by  Nike and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and inspired by the Aspen Institute’s Project Play.