Championship Season - Advice from John Wooden & Dean Smith
Dean Smith's mission statement for all of his University of North Carolina Tar Heels basketball teams was to "Play Hard, Play Smart and Play Together." I adopted Smith's mission statement for all of the youth soccer and basketball teams that I coached and added the phrase "and let's have fun doing it." I also incorporated a team motto that my father's teams used to say as they broke from their huddle, "All for One and One for All." I guess my dad, Clarence "Big House" Gaines, was a fan of the Three Musketeers. One of his teams deviated from that altruistic chant, his 1967 NCAA College Division National Championship team led by Earl "The Pearl" Monroe. They broke the huddle saying, "Kill, Kill, Kill!"
Smith didn't assume his players knew what it meant to "Play Hard, Play Smart, and Play Together." He defined each trait/skill:
Playing Hard - To play with effort, determination, and courage . Complementing Smith's definition is a famous John Wooden quote, Never Mistake Activity for Achievement.
Playing Smart - With good execution and poise, treating each possession as if it were the only one in the game. The only way to have a smart team is to have one that is fundamentally sound.
Playing Together - Means unselfishly, trusting your teammates, and doing everything possible not to let them down. One man who fails to do his job unselfishly could undermine the efforts of the four other players on the court. Our plan falls apart if we don't take care of one another; set screens; play team defense; box out; pass to the open man.
My soccer version: Means unselfishly, trusting your teammates, and doing everything possible not to let them down. One man who fails to do his job unselfishly could undermine the efforts of the other players on the field. Our plan in soccer falls apart if players don't shift (move) and sag with the ball, fail to get back defensively, don't hold their position, don't make their runs, play team defense, or pass to the open man.
John Wooden's Pyramid of Success philosophy is well known. The final block of the pyramid, "Competitive Greatness," can only be attained if the fourteen blocks below it have been mastered. It took many years for Wooden to formulate his Pyramid. Wooden formulated six statements on 'Game Competition' as the Pyramid evolved. These six statements are a great benchmark for Championship Season:
1. Have courage and do not worry. If you do your best, never lose your temper, and never be out-fought or out-hustled, you have nothing to worry about. Without faith and courage you are lost.
2. Have respect without fear for every opponent and confidence without cockiness in regards to yourself.
3. Think all of the time. Study your opponent and yourself all of the time for the purpose of increasing your effectiveness and diminishing his.
4. Never be a spectator while in the game. Be doing something at all times, even if it is only being a decoy.
5. Team Work is essential. Unselfish team play and team spirit is one of the foremost essentials for success when any group are working together.
6. Be at your best when your best is needed. Enjoy the thrill from a tough battle.
The difference between winning and succeeding
Bonus Links:
Carlette Patterson (Steve Patterson's Widow - Steve played for John Wooden) on 'Competitive Greatness'
DEFINING MOMENTS - A MESSAGE TO MY FAVORITE GIRLS SOCCER TEAM
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