Coaching Female Athletes: What Works, What Matters, and Why It’s Different

Coaching female athletes is not about changing your standards—it's about expanding your skillset. While many coaching principles apply across genders, research shows female athletes often respond differently to coaching styles, communication, and conflict. These differences aren’t about weakness or fragility—they’re about context, culture, and what motivates performance. For coaches, sport psychologists, and support teams, understanding these nuances is key to building trust, resilience, and success on and off the field.

1. Coaching Styles: What Works for Women

Female athletes often respond best to autonomy-supportive, athlete-centred, and transformational coaching styles rather than authoritarian or transactional models. These styles foster empowerment, individual development, and collaborative decision-making (LaVoi, 2016).

A transformational coach leads by example, builds strong relationships, and helps athletes see their potential. This model also encourages female athletes to take ownership of their goals—particularly important given the underrepresentation of women in leadership positions in sport (Dieffenbach et al., 2012).

Research also suggests that a "caring climate" is essential. When athletes feel their coach values them as people—not just performers—they’re more likely to be motivated, persistent, and satisfied with their sport experience (Fry & Gano-Overway, 2010).

2. Communication: The Currency of Connection

Female athletes often prefer open, transparent, and collaborative communication. They value being heard and appreciate when coaches take time to explain the "why" behind decisions (Kilty, 2006). While male athletes might be more comfortable with direct and hierarchical feedback, female athletes tend to thrive when feedback is framed in a constructive, relational, and growth-oriented manner.

Effective coaching communication involves:

• Using specific, actionable feedback rather than vague praise or criticism.

• Inviting athlete input and acknowledging their insights.

• Checking in emotionally, not just physically.

• Avoiding gendered assumptions (e.g., being “too emotional” or “too soft”).

In team environments, inclusive communication also builds psychological safety. Athletes are more likely to speak up, try new skills, and take risks when they feel respected and supported (LaVoi, 2013).

3. Managing Conflict: Avoiding Assumptions and Leaning into Repair

Conflict is inevitable in high-performance settings—but the way it's handled can either build team cohesion or break it down. Female athletes are more likely to experience relational conflict or “silent tension” rather than overt confrontation (Jowett & Timson-Katchis, 2005). This means that ignoring subtle team dynamics or brushing off “minor” issues can lead to disengagement or performance dips.

Best practice for managing conflict with female athletes includes:

• Creating formal and informal spaces for open discussion.

• Setting clear behavioural expectations and boundaries.

• Using conflict as an opportunity to clarify values and repair relationships.

Conflict resolution skills like perspective-taking, emotion regulation, and assertive communication are also worth explicitly coaching within the team setting—not just assuming they’ll emerge.

4. What Matters Most to Female Athletes?

Beyond wins and losses, female athletes often rank belonging, self-worth, and growth as central to their sport experience (Krane et al., 2004). They want to feel seen for who they are, not just how they perform. They also want to feel safe to express vulnerability, ambition, and identity.

Key factors that matter most include:

• Mutual respect and trust between coach and athlete.

• Opportunities for leadership and ownership within the team.

• Recognition of the whole person, including life outside of sport.

This doesn’t mean female athletes don’t want to be pushed—many are fiercely competitive and high-achieving. But they want challenge and care to coexist, not be mutually exclusive.

5. How to Build Connection and Buy-In

Connection is the foundation of influence. Coaches who connect effectively with female athletes tend to:

• Show up consistently with empathy and clarity.

• Celebrate progress, not just outcomes.

• Balance humour and humility with high standards.

• Get to know each athlete as a person—her strengths, values, triggers, and dreams.

  
  

Using collaborative goal setting, regular feedback loops, and athlete-driven rituals can also boost engagement and autonomy.

6. Key Issues in Coaching Female Athletes

There are unique challenges and considerations that coaches should be aware of when working with female athletes:

• Body image and disordered eating: Female athletes, especially in aesthetic or weight-class sports, are at higher risk. Coaches must avoid appearance-based comments and foster a performance-focused culture (Smolak et al., 2000).

• Menstrual health and RED-S: Hormonal cycles can affect training, performance, and injury risk. Open conversations and partnerships with medical professionals are essential.

• Underrepresentation in coaching: Most female athletes are coached by men. While this isn’t inherently problematic, it’s crucial for male coaches to reflect on power dynamics, gender biases, and how they model inclusivity.

• Intersectionality: Race, sexuality, socioeconomic status, and disability all intersect with gender. Listening, learning, and adapting to each athlete’s context is non-negotiable.

Final Thoughts

Coaching female athletes isn’t about tiptoeing around sensitivity—it’s about tuning into what actually drives engagement and performance. When coaches invest in authentic relationships, lead with respect, and adapt their methods with intention, they empower athletes not only to perform—but to thrive.

Sport psychologists play a vital role in this process. From supporting team culture to facilitating conversations around values, stress, and connection, we help coaches understand the "why" behind the "what." And when the coaching is good, everyone wins.

References (APA Style)

• Dieffenbach, K. D., Statler, T., & Eldredge, G. (2012). Gender equity in coaching. International Sport Coaching Journal, 2(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1123/iscj.2013-0037

• Fink, J. S. (2016). Female athletes, women’s sport, and the sport media commercial complex: Have we really "come a long way, baby"? Sport Management Review, 19(3), 331–342. https://doi.org/10.1080/14413523.2015.1128374

• Fry, M. D., & Gano-Overway, L. A. (2010). Exploring the contribution of the caring climate to the youth sport experience. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 22(3), 294–304. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413201003776352

• Jowett, S., & Timson-Katchis, M. (2005). Social networks in sport: Parental influence on the coach–athlete relationship. The Sport Psychologist, 19(3), 267–287. https://doi.org/10.1123/tsp.19.3.267

• Kilty, K. (2006). Women in coaching. The Sport Psychologist, 20(2), 222–234. https://doi.org/10.1123/tsp.20.2.222

• Krane, V., Choi, P. Y. L., Baird, S. M., Aimar, C. M., & Kauer, K. J. (2004). Living the paradox: Female athletes negotiate femininity and muscularity. Sex Roles, 50, 315–329. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:SERS.0000018888.48437.4f

• LaVoi, N. M. (2016). Women in sports coaching. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315734892

• LaVoi, N. M. (2013). Trends in women’s leadership in sport. The Physical Educator, 73(3), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.18666/TPE-2016-V73-I3-6426