Comprised of multiple blocks, John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success could be distilled into five main levels. The top level “Competitive Greatness” generally means success on the court, achieving one’s potential and living a positive life as a student, athlete and person. The top of the pyramid is supported by terms which equate to Relationships, Mindfulness, Fundamental Skills and Self-Confidence. At the 2011 Eastern Commerce Holiday Classic, great teams demonstrated these qualities in abundance. Some might say these are the basic criteria for success in any endeavour. Great teams support each other. When someone hits the floor, a teammate picks them …
Get Confident, Stupid
Whether athletes achieve their goals seems intricately connected to their feelings about themselves. Coaches over the years have seen body language, a lack of energy, and fear of making a mistake result in poor performance just as players have noticed how their self-talk, mental imagery, and focus on specific objectives contribute to their success. LeBron James dropped thirty-one points in the first half on Portland tonight but the Trail Blazers reversed their fortunes by coming out for the second half with much more determination. They moved the ball and took better shots. They played improved team defence and curtailed Cleveland’s …
Mistakes Worth Making
Aside from the priority placed on planning and reviewing – briefing and debriefing – as espoused by Robert McNamara and others, the main message of Mistakes Worth Making is that coaches must deal with the emotions of players, in addition to their skills. As evidenced by the title, there are some mistakes which lead to improvement and others which are desultory. As coaches, we aim to manage mistakes so that we (and athletes) learn from the positive errors and control the negative ones. A theme which is repeated through the book is that the emotions of athletes are as important …