Strive for Brave
Coaching Girls Guide
Experts say that girls do better physically, mentally, emotionally and socially when they get the chance to play. But today, girls are dropping out of sports at twice the rate of boys. As part of Nike’s work with community partners and experts to reverse this drop-out trend, we created The Coaching Girls Guide: a resource to help mentor, empower and support young athletes.
Playing sports often requires taking chances. It takes vulnerability to learn a new skill, to run through an unfamiliar drill or to bet on yourself when charging that last defender. And while girls are often celebrated and rewarded for doing something correctly, they don’t get the same positive feedback when they try a new technique and fall short.
In a sport context, that means a girl might hesitate to try something if she isn’t sure she’ll succeed. But if she never tries that risky pass, avoids diving for a ball or only competes in the track event she’s best at, she’s going to miss out on a lot of incredible experiences.
Imagine a girl who takes a shot even when she isn’t sure she’s going to score. Or the one who tries the butterfly when freestyle is her strongest event. Another might give up eight goals when she fills in as keeper, but the shot she stopped is the one that gets remembered. These girls have learned to be brave and it will make all the difference for them—in sport and in life.
Check out this TED Talk to find out more about raising girls to be brave.
Setting Her Up For Success
- Encourage Risk Taking
When you’re helping girls set goals for themselves, encourage them to include things that require bravery— learning a new skill, position or even a new sport. During warm-ups, ask girls to shout out something new they’ll try that day. And make sure girls have plenty of opportunities to try new things, like switching up positions at every game and practice. - Cheer When She Tries Something New
Call out bravery whenever you can. Catch girls trying something new when they think you aren’t looking. Create a “Bravest Player” award and be sure to switch up who gets it. Remember, it’s okay to celebrate excellence, but first encourage all of the steps that led up to it. - Let Mistakes Go
Make it okay to make mistakes. Develop a physical gesture (like literally brushing their shoulder to show they are “brushing off” the error) to remind girls it’s okay to let it go. And be sure to let them know that you’re not perfect. Tell them stories about your own mistakes. When they find out you’re not perfect, they’ll learn that they don’t have to be.
Learn more about how to empower girls in your community.