To be effective in our teaching, we must have rules and suggestions.
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In an interview with Marv Dunphy for his thesis “John Robert Wooden:The Coaching Process,” Coach Wooden described the evolution of his approach to rules and suggestions:“In my early years of coaching, I had a lot of rules and some suggestions. In my last years of coaching, I had many suggestions and few rules. ”
The coach finally had only three rules of practice:be on time, no profanity and never criticize a teammate. He has provided his teams with his suggestions in the following document.
Our chances of having a successful team can be directly proportional to each player's ability to adhere to the following sets of suggestions:
Be a gentleman at all times.
Always be a team player.
Be on time whenever time is of the essence.
Be a good student in all subjects, not just in basketball.
Be enthusiastic, hard-working, reliable, loyal and cooperative.
Be in the best possible condition, physically, mentally and morally.
Earn the right to be proud and confident .
Keep emotions in check without losing the fight or aggression.
Constantly work to improve yourself without being satisfied.
Get peace of mind by becoming the best you are capable of to become.
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Never criticize, harass or dazzle a teammate.
Never miss or be late for a class or an appointment.
Never be selfish, jealous, envious or selfish.
Never never expect favors.
Never waste time.
Never alibi or make excuses.
Never demand repeated criticism for the same mistake.
Never lose faith or patience.
Never show off, loaf, sulk, or brag.
Never have a reason to apologize for it afterwards.
The player who gives his best is sure to succeed, while the player who gives less than his best is a failure.
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Coach Wooden wanted his players to exhibit the 20 behaviors he listed. Had he presented these 20 suggestions as rules with a "do or otherwise" attitude, he might have had some players complying out of fear and would certainly have resented his long list of demands.
Coach, with his opening statement – “Our chances of having a successful team can be directly proportional to each player's ability to live up to the following sets of suggestions” – appealed to reason he knew that all his players wanted:a high-performance team!
When a team is led with fear and intimidation, it can be compliant but not energetic in the long run. Teams in this mode generally do not perform well under pressure.
When a team is led with reason and inspired for a noble cause, their energy and excellence are consistent and self-sustaining. Teams in this mode do their best when the pressure is on.
Coach Wooden was a strict disciplinarian who always remembered that the purpose of discipline is to teach, not punish.
As the coach liked to remind us:You can't upset and influence at the same time.
Related: 3 rules for giving a positive and targeted review
