John Wooden: quotes and aphorisms

Basketball coach John Wooden - a legend. This loud title always made him feel uncomfortable, he liked the name "teacher" more. And John R. Wooden was an unbeatable teacher. His teams have repeatedly won in the championships of the 60s and 70s, and when he died in 2010 at the age of 99, he left behind him not only a rich sports heritage, but endless wisdom of life outside the playground.

The greatest coach of all time

American basketball coach legend John Wooden was born October 14, 1910. His team won in 10 national championships for 12 years, of which seven - in a row. John was a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1961 as a player and in 1973 - as a coach. He was the first person who ever implemented both categories. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2003. It was interesting to say John Wooden about the difference between victory and success. With wise simplicity, he defines the concept of success and calls for the search for the best in oneself. He said that one should never strive to be better than someone, it is important to learn from others and not stop trying to be better than you are.

What is success?

This peace of mind, achieved only by self-satisfaction from the fact that every effort was made to do the best you can do. John believed that it was true. You do not need to whine, complain and justify yourself, just do what you need to the best of your abilities. That's what's important: if you regularly make efforts to do the best, the result will not be long in coming. Victory is just a by-product of the game, not its goal. It is important to travel, not the destination.

Components of the pyramid of success of John Wooden

1. Healthy competition. The greatest joy in the struggle is the competitive spirit. The harder the fight, the better. Hard fight inspires and motivates. Competition with a worthy competitor raises to a new level.
2. Equilibrium. It's important to just be yourself, not to pretend to be someone else. Do not start and lose self-control, regardless of the circumstances or situation. Even if there is some pressure, leaders should not lose balance and panic. You need to know who you are, and be true to yourself. Being balanced - means sticking to your principles and beliefs and acting in accordance with them.
3. Confidence, according to coach John Wooden, is based on self-belief. Trust can not be induced artificially. Unshakable confidence will help to reach your own level of competence, that is, perfection. However, this quality must be worked on, because it can easily turn into pride, which then can lead to erroneous and destructive beliefs.
4. Adequate status. In the norm there should be all human states: physical, mental and moral. All three components are interrelated: with a weak mental or moral state, there can be no question of a good physical state.
5. Skills. In the very center of the pyramid of success is skill. And it does not matter who you are: an athlete, a surgeon or a general manager. It is important to be able to perform tasks correctly and quickly, and this requires skill. Wooden John was very appreciative of the experience, but would prefer to have more skill and less experience than the other way around. Mastering skills requires training, which is why leaders are lifelong learners. Mastery is an ongoing and ongoing process.
6. Team spirit. This block of the pyramid touches on the most important characteristics: disinterestedness, which is the opposite of selfishness. John Wooden believed that sometimes you can give up personal fame or benefit to the common good, namely the well-being and success of the organization, team or group. No coach wants to have a person in the team who does not want to sacrifice for the benefit of the team. Valuable is the player who thinks first of all about the success of the team.
7. Self-control. To get to the top and stay there - these are somewhat different tasks, they are unique and complex in their own way. To achieve something, you need to be able to control yourself. This characteristic in the pyramid of success reflects the importance of control over oneself in all areas and avoidance of emotional peaks. John Wooden said that you need to keep yourself in hand, so that others do not have to do it for you.
8. Vigilance. Many things can be learned if you develop alertness. As for basketball, even the ears of an athlete participate in the game. Vigilance is important both in life and in business. This asset prevents you from oversleeping an important moment and improves your skills.
9. Initiative. Inaction is the biggest failure of all. An initiative is an ability to act. None of the people is perfect, but you need to accustom yourself not to be afraid of failure. This is true in all spheres of life.
10. Industriousness. Success does not come to people just like that: you have to work hard to achieve something in life. Sports journalist and poet Grantland Rhys called diligence a fundamental characteristic of any achievements.
11. Friendship. Two important qualities are respect and a spirit of camaraderie. Where there is friendship, there are all the makings for a strong team.
12. Loyalty. This is an inalienable quality of the personality of the leader, who strives to achieve high goals. This is true almost everywhere. The overwhelming majority of people want to be part of the team whose leadership cares for them, ensures justice and respect for dignity.
13. Cooperation. The exchange of ideas and information, responsibility and creativity are priorities for managers and their teams. This is called cooperation. You are not the only person who has good ideas, others also have brains.
14. Enthusiasm. Two cornerstones in the pyramid of success, diligence and enthusiasm, providing strength separately, are capable of much more when combined into one. One hard work is not enough, there must be something else that will ignite, inspire and raise labor to a high level. This fire will be enthusiasm. This ingredient, which turns diligence into something very serious, is the engine that feeds all the blocks of the pyramid.

John Wooden: quotes that inspire

• "He who does nothing does not make mistakes."
• "Misfortune is a state in which a person recognizes himself, being not besieged by admirers."
• "It's better to worry about your character than about reputation, because character is what you really are, and your reputation is what others think of you."
• "One can not live an ideal day without doing something for someone who can never repay reciprocity."
• "What kind of personality are you, more important than what kind of basketball player are you?"
• "A coach is someone who can correct, without indignation at the same time."
• "I would prefer to have a great talent and a little experience, than a lot of experience and a little talent."
• "What's important is not what you do, but how you do it."
• "Abilities are the wealth of the poor."
• "Initially, one must take into account the rights of others, before their own feelings, and the feelings of others before their own rights."
• "It's not so important who starts the game, it's important who finishes it."
• "Small details are vital. With the help of small things, great things are done. "
• "Success comes after realizing that you have done everything in your power to become the best."
• "Success is never final, failure is not fatal. Courage also matters. "
• "Do not confuse activity with achievement."
• "A real test of a person's character is what he does when no one looks."
• "The best thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother."
• "The ability can help to climb to the top, but it will take a character to stay there."
• "Happiness begins where egoism ends."
• "Being a role model is the most powerful learning factor that fathers all too often neglect."
• "The most important thing in the world is family and love."
• "Young people need examples, not critics."

Excellent advice from the legendary coach

• "Never make excuses. Your friends do not need this, but your enemies will not believe it anyway. "
• "You always have to be true to yourself."
• "Every day, take it as your masterpiece."
• "Help others."
• "Enjoy good books."
• "Make friends with the fine arts."
• "You have to be prepared and be honest."
• "Be quick, but do not rush."
• "Build a shelter for a rainy day."
• "Pray and thank for every day you lived."
• "Do not let the past take away from you too much of the present."
• "You can not program yourself to fail."
• "Listen to yourself if you want to be heard."
• "Never try to be better than someone. Learn from others and try to be the best. Success is a by-product of good preparation. "
• "Do not let your livelihood interfere with you in life."
• "Whatever you do in life, surround yourself with intelligent people who will argue with you."
• "Study as if you will live forever, live as if you were to die tomorrow."
• "Do not blame yourself. This is the worst kind of defeat, from which you can suffer for a very long time. "

Four laws of learning by Wooden

1. Demonstration of what you want.
2. Criticism of the demonstration.
3. Imitation of the correct model.
4. Repeat, again and again, until the necessary skill is brought to automatism.

Biography of the legend: youth

John Wooden was born on a farm where there was no running water, no electricity, money often was not enough. In later years, the coach admitted that the habits, discipline and hard work he had learned on the farm helped him to succeed. In 1924, the Wooden family, like many other farms, was devastated and lost their farm. The family moved to Martinsville, a small town in Indiana. At the local school John played in the school basketball team and soon became her star. The team took part in the national championship three years in a row and won it twice.

Teaching career

While still at school, John met Nelly Riley. In his own words, it was love at first sight, and two teenagers decided to marry after graduation from college. John Wooden enrolled at Purdue University in Indiana as a "CBC engineer", but instead became an English major. In the university basketball team, he earned the reputation of a fast and fearless player who did everything for the victory of the team. After graduating from university in 1932 he was offered a place in the playoff series in a professional basketball team, but he refused to start a teaching career and marry his sweetheart Nellie.

Coach career

His first post was in Dayton, Kentucky, where he not only taught English at school, but also coached all the school's sports teams. During eleven years of coaching, basketball teams won 218 games, and only 42 were lost. The young coach served as an instructor in physical culture in the US Navy during World War II. After serving in the army, John quickly found work in Indiana College. He coached the basketball team at school, resuming a series of victorious seasons.

In 1948, the school coach accepted the offer to become UCLA coach "Bruins", at that time one of the weakest teams in the Pacific Conference. To the surprise of the skeptics, 22 of 29 games in his first season as a coach were won. The following year, they took 24 of 31 games and won the conference championship. Under the tutelage of Wooden, the team maintained a high winning ratio and won the titles of the Pacific Conference in 1952, 1956, 1962 and 1963. In 1964, she spent an excellent season, winning the NCAA championship. The following year, they again won the title, losing only two games. In the changed composition the team returned to the sports ground with redoubled force in 1967 and held the title for the next seven years.

Coach and philosopher

For all the years of his work as a coach, John forbade his players to use profanity. One of his players, an African American, responding to a journalist's question about racial tension in the team, said: "You do not know our coach." He does not see the color, he just sees the players. " John Wooden, whose aphorisms are still relevant today, remained close to many of his former players for many years after retirement.

He died peacefully in Los Angeles at the age of 99 years. His influence went far beyond the hometown due to his work and his life. He really was a legend of his time, a great role model, a great coach, a philosopher and an exceptional personality that goes beyond the sports world.