When contest season comes up, we always want our students to win. But what do you actually say?
Some win. Some lose. Some win unfairly. Some lose badly. What advice is the most formative for the students we are second parents of?
John Wooden has a few things to say about this:
1) BETTERING OTHERS
Never try to be better than someone else, always learn from others. Never cease trying to be the best you can be — that’s under your control. If you get too engrossed and involved and concerned in regard to the things over which you have no control, it will adversely affect the things over which you have control.
2) DEFINITION OF SUCCESS
I coined my own definition of success, which is: Peace of mind attained only through self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do the best of which you’re capable. I believe that’s true.
3) RULES FOR CHARACTER
Later on I said certain things — the players, if we were leaving for somewhere, had to be neat and clean....I had one of my greatest players that you probably heard of, Bill Walton. He came to catch the bus; we were leaving for somewhere to play. And he wasn’t clean and neat, so I wouldn’t let him go. He couldn’t get on the bus, he had to go home and get cleaned up to get to the airport. So I was a stickler for that. I believed in that. I believe in time; very important.
I believe you should be on time, but I felt at practice, for example — we start on time, we close on time.
And another one I had was, not one word of profanity. One word of profanity, and you are out of here for the day.
And the third one was, never criticize a teammate. I didn’t want that I used to tell them, I was paid to do that. That’s my job. I’m paid to do it.
4) WINNING
Never mention winning. My idea is that you can lose when you outscore somebody in a game, and you can win when you’re outscored.
And I just wanted them to be able to hold their head up after a game. I used to say that when a game is over, and you see somebody that didn’t know the outcome, I hope they couldn’t tell by your actions whether you outscored an opponent or the opponent outscored you.
5) IT'S THE JOURNEY
But I wanted the score of a game to be the byproduct of these other things, and not the end itself. I believe it was one great philosopher who said — no, no — Cervantes. Cervantes said, “The journey is better than the end.” And I like that.
I think that it is — it’s getting there. Sometimes when you get there, there’s almost a let down. But it’s the getting there that’s the fun. As a basketball coach at UCLA, I liked our practices to be the journey, and the game would be the end, the end result I liked to go up and sit in the stands and watch the players play, and see whether I’d done a decent job during the week.
6) BALANCE
You have to have mental balance to keep things in proper perspective and not get carried away.
Keep your head...directly above the midpoint between the two feet...Keep your feet just wider than the shoulders...Hands and arms always close to the body.
7) CONCENTRATION
When you come to practice, you are a basketball player. You're hardly a person, you're a basketball player. I want complete and total, total concentration on basketball for the next 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Don't talk to anybody on the stands...but as soon as practice is over, you're not a basketball player, you're a student.
8) CONDITIONING
I try to get my conditioning through our drills. Every drill is a conditioning drill...About 70% of my practice each day was always on individual fundamentals.
9) KNOWING YOUr PLAYERS
I try to determine from where a player could shoot. Each player. Although we worked all of them in different shots.
10) THE BASICS
You must do the things in which you believe...Every year I sat down first thing I show them how to put on their shoes and socks.
Quickness over size...But it must be under control. We don't want activity without achievement.
11) PLANNING
Carefully plan and organize your practice...It took me longer to plan a practice session than to have that practice session....I wanted the time when I'm planning, I wanted time with no interference at all...I would look over yesterday's practice session...I have on file what we did every minute of every practice in the 27 years I was in UCLA...(and I would make notes on the margin)...I have a record of every player for every practice that he had participated in.
12) LEADERSHIP
They're not working for you. They're not working for your school. They're working WITH you.
You want them to not be afraid to disagree with you. But understand that you're the one who has to make the decision--the difficult part.
I stuck to what I believed in...I was firm.
...if they're doing what they should be. If they're not it's my fault. I have to wake up.
I have one inbounder. But I must teach him. You can't expect him to do what you haven't taught him to do.
13) MENTAL REHEARSAL.
I make them practice jump shots without the ball...I'm watching for balance...I'm watching to see that they keep their elbow in...I'm watching that they don't reach...Then we work on defense, no ball. Then I give each pair a ball.
So my takeaway is:
You have to have mental balance to keep things in proper perspective and not get carried away.
Keep your head...directly above the midpoint between the two feet...Keep your feet just wider than the shoulders...Hands and arms always close to the body.
7) CONCENTRATION
When you come to practice, you are a basketball player. You're hardly a person, you're a basketball player. I want complete and total, total concentration on basketball for the next 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Don't talk to anybody on the stands...but as soon as practice is over, you're not a basketball player, you're a student.
8) CONDITIONING
I try to get my conditioning through our drills. Every drill is a conditioning drill...About 70% of my practice each day was always on individual fundamentals.
9) KNOWING YOUr PLAYERS
I try to determine from where a player could shoot. Each player. Although we worked all of them in different shots.
10) THE BASICS
You must do the things in which you believe...Every year I sat down first thing I show them how to put on their shoes and socks.
Quickness over size...But it must be under control. We don't want activity without achievement.
11) PLANNING
Carefully plan and organize your practice...It took me longer to plan a practice session than to have that practice session....I wanted the time when I'm planning, I wanted time with no interference at all...I would look over yesterday's practice session...I have on file what we did every minute of every practice in the 27 years I was in UCLA...(and I would make notes on the margin)...I have a record of every player for every practice that he had participated in.
12) LEADERSHIP
They're not working for you. They're not working for your school. They're working WITH you.
You want them to not be afraid to disagree with you. But understand that you're the one who has to make the decision--the difficult part.
I stuck to what I believed in...I was firm.
...if they're doing what they should be. If they're not it's my fault. I have to wake up.
I have one inbounder. But I must teach him. You can't expect him to do what you haven't taught him to do.
13) MENTAL REHEARSAL.
I make them practice jump shots without the ball...I'm watching for balance...I'm watching to see that they keep their elbow in...I'm watching that they don't reach...Then we work on defense, no ball. Then I give each pair a ball.
So my takeaway is:
Practice my students
and stick to practice rules
with concentration and balance
with concentration and balance
to the point that they are the best version of themselves
they can be in the given time.
Help them work for the self-satisfaction of doing their best.
If they win, good. If they don't, at least it's not their fault.
Can't wait for the next contest.
SOURCES:
https://www.ted.com/talks/john_wooden_the_difference_between_winning_and_succeeding?language=en
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xYDoa6FX_s&t=599s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xYDoa6FX_s&t=599s
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