How to Coach Women's College Basketball

Coaching women's basketball takes skill, patience, perseverance and a thorough knowledge of the game. Understanding general coaching theories is also important for knowing how to motivate players in ways appropriate to their age and skill level. With the proper foundation and experience, you too can make it at the college level.

Things You'll Need

  • Experience
  • Credentials
  • Practice plan
  • Season plan
  • Recruiting plan
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Instructions

    • 1

      Get certified. Depending on the league in which the college plays, there are often specific coaching credentials required that cover technical training levels, sports theory and the rules and regulations that govern the league. If your college is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), there are specific requirements and rules for each division.

    • 2

      Evaluate your roster. Make a spreadsheet of player names and headings that will help you compare players and determine overall team strengths and weaknesses.

    • 3

      Decide on the system. You will have favorite systems you have coached before, ran as a player, observed or learned in clinics. Make sure the system matches the strengths of your weakest player, and that it is flexible enough to allow for change to match certain opponents.

    • 4

      Get the scouting reports on the opposition. Most college leagues involve playing the same schools year after year, and coaches get to know players on opposing teams as well as their own. Keep track of injuries, transfers and new recruits.

    • 5

      Appoint a good staff. You want assistant coaches who have the same approach and philosophy you do, who support and run your systems and who have individual areas of expertise such as defense and shooting.

    • 6

      Set the practice plan. Most coaches will have a season-long practice plan that covers pre-season, exhibition and league play. A practice plan also has goals and objectives you can share with the team, so they know what is expected of them. An example is that by the time the exhibition season begins, the team can run every play in the book without errors and that practice foul shots are reaching 70 percent.

    • 7

      Remember the head game. The best athletes need mental as well as physical training. Sports psychology sessions, team building sessions and teaching visualization and mental focus will improve players individually and as a team.

    • 8

      Recruit. Keeping within the regulations of your governing body, look for new players who will fill your needs, whether it is replacing a graduating player or shoring up a weak position.