To motivate your basketball players to give their best efforts, not get discouraged, and strive to become the best they can be on the court, use these coaching tips:
Continually encourage players to do their best on both ends of the floor — regardless of the score.
Stay in control of your emotions, and refrain from yelling instructions all the time.
Allow kids the freedom to make mistakes, and coach effort over skills.
Always exude confidence in your players’ abilities.
When correcting errors, use words that inspire confidence and reinforce positive thoughts. For example, instead of saying, “Don’t turn the ball over,” say, “Control the ball just like you did so well in practice this week.”
Use timeouts to relay positive information to your players.