Wooden said, “It can be done in a way that’s also helping them develop in other ways that will be meaningful forever.” It’s about building habits and practices that support students for life. However, according to Wooden, a coach has to be more concerned about the overall learning, than just the sport or just winning the game. Wooden said that as a coach, you “teach” sports. Wooden promoted the idea of a “teacher coach.” My idea is that you can lose when you outscore somebody in a game, and you can win when you’re outscored.” 6. If you lost, but you played your best, then you didn’t really lose. If you won, but didn’t play your best, then you didn’t really win. It’s not whether you won or lost, it’s if you played your best game.

never be late (start on time and close on time)ĥ.

He had three rules for the students he coached: Be on time, no profanity, and don’t criticize. Agree to disagree, but don’t be disagreeable.Īccording to Wooden, “We can agree to disagree, but we don’t need to be disagreeable.” 4. Wooden also said, “Sports are kind of like passion and that’s temporary in many cases, but academics - that’s like true love and that’s enduring.” 3. Wooden said, “If you let social activity take precedence over the other two (education and sports), then you’re not going to have any for very long.” Wooden made it a point to his players that they were first and foremost a student (the student part of “student athlete”). If you’re not doing, you’re not learning. Here is my collection of lessons learned from John Wooden: 1. If you want to start with the personal side of Wooden, I recommend watching John Wooden’s Love Letter (4:35). Rather than chase or focus on the by-products, focus on the “getting there” and playing your best game, from the inside out. You can make your best plays, but that doesn’t mean the score will show it. You can build your character, but your reputation may not match. What I liked most about his approach is his pattern of focusing on what you control, and realizing that the rest is a by-product that may or may not go your way.įor example, you can play your best game, but still lose. His way to achieve it was simple too – give your best where you can.

It was the first time I heard somebody say that success is “peace of mind.” When I first heard John Wooden during an interview, what struck me was the simple rules he lived by that helped him make meaning and find happiness. He was also one of the most successful basketball coaches of all time and he lived a simple life focusing on personal excellence, personal integrity, love, and balance.

“Peace of mind attained only through self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do the best of which you’re capable.” – John Wooden

Don t want to be a player no more