GOLD STANDARD COACHING @CoachLok

( That's S ide l ine O ut-of- B ounds ) It's always a good idea to keep a pad & pencil handy when watching a game. As I was cleaning out my desk, I came across an old pad of paper. Here's a Sideline Out-of Bounds play I jotted down while watching the Spurs this past season. They are one of the best teams in the NBA with Special Situations after time-outs.

I remember a comic strip, I think it was Frank & Ernest, where one of them was praying and said "God,how long is a million years? "A voice from above said, "To me, it’s about a minute." The man asked, "God,how much is a million dollars? "The voice bellowed, "To me, its a penny. "In the next frame the man smiled and asked, "God, can I have a penny? "God answered, "In a minute." I think of this all the times when something doesn't seem to be happening on MY schedule or as fast as I want it to. In the coaching profession so many coaches are looking for that next job, or how to "move up". Life's not always on OUR schedule. Keep working. Do the right thing. Make the big time wherever you are. Be patient. Have faith. An often overlooked feature of John Wooden's Pyramid of Success are the sides of the Pyramid - which is the mortar that holds the 15 blocks together. Notice the mortar at the top of the Pyrami...

People all around the world have different lives, different, jobs, different cars, different homes - but we all have one thing the same and that is TIME. Every day- everyone has the same amount of time. 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day. 86,400 seconds. How those 86.400 seconds are used often defines ou lives. Now, one of Coach Wooden's most famous quotes is, "Don't mistake activity for achievement." Many folks get caught up in going, going, going and "appear" really busy. Often times those people are in a a hurry - and we all know to "Be Quick - but Don't Hurry" . I See people rushing around all the time because they are in one of two extremes. They either lack planning or preparation and "Failing to prepare is preparing to fail." At times they are at the other extreme where they micro-manage and work far harder than they need to. The key is to work smarter , and that often involves organization. So...

Need a summer improvement program? Do mine w/me in honor of Coach John Wooden. Pick up a copy of Coach Wooden:One-on-One . It's a 60-day devotional reading. Each day starts with a 1-page Guiding Principle presented by Coach Wooden and a supporting scripture from the Good Book Coach drank most deeply from. A former UCLA assistant, and co-author of the book, Jay Carty then presents a 1-page message. I hope it will be a discussion starter for the rest of each day on how it impacts our coaching, our daily lives, and what we can do better. Beginning Saturday July 3rd I will start every day at 6 AM PST and Tweet the subject and the scripture Coach & Jay have chosen, maybe followed by a commment/question. ( you can follow me at http://www.twitter.com/CoachLok ) I'll create a list of everyone contributing so you could follow the list too. If we "hashtag" each "tweet" with #JW1on1 it will create a searchable database of related posts. The rest is up to us.

If you haven't picked up a Los Angeles Times today (6/13/10) you are missing out on a great John Wooden commemorative section. Take a look. The life of John Wooden, 1910 - 2010 - More The Indianapolis Star Galleries View this gallery at The Indianapolis Star: The life of John Wooden, 1910 - 2010

The early Years Martinsville, and a star forms Nell, Purdue, and a coaching career begins South Bend, pro basketball, and the war Indiana State, breaking the racial barrier and farewell

At almost every speaking engagement I have I find myself asking the room full of coaches, "are their any John Wooden fans in the room?" Invariably I'm shocked that everyones hand does not skyrocket upward immediately. In the years that number is dwindling. I'm hoping that with Coach's passing, younger coaches will be called to do some research into the best coach of all-time, in any sport. You can start with this reading list of books by, and about, Coach John Wooden. A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring Adventure Underground (Inch and Miles) D2 Children's book Be Quick But Don't Hurry Coach Wooden One on One: Inspiring Conversations on Purpose, Passion and the Pursuit of Success Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success: Building Blocks For a Better Life Coach Woodens Leadership Game Plan for Success:12 Lessons for Extraordinary Performance & Personal Excellence Fiesta - Children's book Heroes of Beesville - Children's book Inch and Mi...

FoxSports West has a nice compilation of articles, videos, and galleries you can view here, with the topics below John Wooden's legacy has been a great weight on his successors - LA Times Video: Wooden: Much more than just a coach Above all else, John Wooden's selflessness stands out - LA Times Denny Crum: He Was My Coach, Mentor, Brother, Father... Dan Guerrero: Remember His Humility, His Integrity Dick Enberg: Wooden's Greatness Exceeded by His Goodness Video: The Wizard preached loved and patience Video: Stars stand in awe of the legendary coach Wooden John Wooden was a man of his time, and for all time John Wooden was a man of his time, and for all time - LA Times Readers pay tribute to John Wooden - LA Times John Wooden's championship years at UCLA - LA Times Mark Kreigel: Integrity R.I.P. Bill Walton: Coach Made the World a Better Place John Wooden was an icon to ex-Mavericks assistant Del Harris A blue streak: When UCLA won 88 consecutive games - LA Times Woode...

What a Coach Can Teach a Teacher

I ran into Ernie Vanderwegh, Kiki's father, at a basketball camp a while back and mentioned to him that I had wanted to send a message to Coach Wooden for quite a while and he encouraged me to do so. I was always concerned with the time Coach spent on matters such as this and felt needed to have some time to himself just to concentrate on his declining health. I never sent that message that would have been one of hundreds like my own - although now I suspect he knows the draft has been on my computer for some time. This is the Wooden I grew up with, giving instruction, with rolled up program, to players listening intently in a huddle - and the team then proceeding to execute to perfection. I graduated from an L.A. area high school in 1976 (go ahead - do the math), so my entire basketball youth was during the string of UCLA championships from '64-'75. The first basketball game I remember seeing on TV was a televised Bruin game from the Astrodome when UCA took on Elvin Haye...