I have been reading John Wooden's book titled They Call Me Coach. While it is a story about how he became known as one of the greatest coaches of all time, what I have taken from it is how he applies life and sports lessons to help his players get better. Going into this summer I was excited because I knew that I had a group of players that are experienced and athletic. Reading this book I knew that I would have to take it one day at a time, one practice at a time and like I tell my players, one pitch at a time. Because after all they are only teenagers.
In his book Wooden talks about his Pyramid of Success, it is similar to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs however it applies more directly to competition. There are so many ways to define success so Wooden created this in hopes of helping answer what is success. This pyramid is so perfect because it is exactly what I as a coach try and do throughout a season. At the top of the pyramid is competitive greatness, when a player can truly reach this point by working through each level then they are a team player and as a coach I can say "they help make the players around them better." When this is reached then I think we are playing as a strong cohesive unit or championship caliber team.
As a coach, I have to be a stable example for players. When we get competitive we often get emotional and so as a coach I need to be an example of stable and constant. This way I can help my players stay composed so they can be at their best no matter the inning or situation. Sports is all about highs and lows, highs that helps us be more confidant and lows that are part of sports. I tell my players control your attitude, effort and take the game one pitch at a time. Wooden talks about that during his pregame he does not want to get his players fired up because if their energy peaks they they are prone to have a valley. I like to be loose as I feel my players will be loose during the game.
So of course players have a tough time staying loose, so it is up to me to not show wide swings of emotion. This is not saying that there are times to motivate a player. When Wodden talked about this what popped into my head was arguing with an umpire or referee. There is a way to question umpires but it must be done in a way that provides an example of leadership to my players. For example, when I talk to umpires I want my players to see it as my supporting them like any good teammate or coach does. Leadership is a attribute that is vital to any team, so if I can help be an example of positive leadership then my players will have more confidence to exert leadership amongst their teammates.
As players move into the high school level, players become more familiar with the major league game. The game is unique in the sense that to the casual fan the game is rather simple, however it is rather intricate and there are many things going on. As a coach I too follow the pyramid because I model it in hopes that my players will follow it. My hope is that players are good teammates and willing to support each other then players will be willing to try new things and take the risks necessary to be a better ball player.
The important part of coaching and the reward comes from the journey that a player or team goes on to reach the final score. Success can mean so many different things on many different levels so helping see players climb the pyramid gives structure to any season that a team goes through. This season has been no different, we are on a journey and there is no better group then the group I call my team.
In his book Wooden talks about his Pyramid of Success, it is similar to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs however it applies more directly to competition. There are so many ways to define success so Wooden created this in hopes of helping answer what is success. This pyramid is so perfect because it is exactly what I as a coach try and do throughout a season. At the top of the pyramid is competitive greatness, when a player can truly reach this point by working through each level then they are a team player and as a coach I can say "they help make the players around them better." When this is reached then I think we are playing as a strong cohesive unit or championship caliber team.
As a coach, I have to be a stable example for players. When we get competitive we often get emotional and so as a coach I need to be an example of stable and constant. This way I can help my players stay composed so they can be at their best no matter the inning or situation. Sports is all about highs and lows, highs that helps us be more confidant and lows that are part of sports. I tell my players control your attitude, effort and take the game one pitch at a time. Wooden talks about that during his pregame he does not want to get his players fired up because if their energy peaks they they are prone to have a valley. I like to be loose as I feel my players will be loose during the game.
So of course players have a tough time staying loose, so it is up to me to not show wide swings of emotion. This is not saying that there are times to motivate a player. When Wodden talked about this what popped into my head was arguing with an umpire or referee. There is a way to question umpires but it must be done in a way that provides an example of leadership to my players. For example, when I talk to umpires I want my players to see it as my supporting them like any good teammate or coach does. Leadership is a attribute that is vital to any team, so if I can help be an example of positive leadership then my players will have more confidence to exert leadership amongst their teammates.
As players move into the high school level, players become more familiar with the major league game. The game is unique in the sense that to the casual fan the game is rather simple, however it is rather intricate and there are many things going on. As a coach I too follow the pyramid because I model it in hopes that my players will follow it. My hope is that players are good teammates and willing to support each other then players will be willing to try new things and take the risks necessary to be a better ball player.
The important part of coaching and the reward comes from the journey that a player or team goes on to reach the final score. Success can mean so many different things on many different levels so helping see players climb the pyramid gives structure to any season that a team goes through. This season has been no different, we are on a journey and there is no better group then the group I call my team.