Stoicism is a school of Greek philosophy. Stoa means 'porch' so Stoics are "the porch guys." Stoicism has developed a foothold among professional sports.
Simplified Principles of Stoicism:
1. "Control what you can control." We control what that we do but not what others do. Unhappiness often relates to attempting to control what we cannot.
2. "Live in harmony with nature." Do our actions promote this?
3. We control how we react to events. "Be humble in victory and gracious in defeat."
4. Read to think better, more clearly. Reading facilitates conversations with great thinkers of the past and the present.
5. Be honest with ourselves and others.
This article describes the Stoic approach to coaching. Stoics practice self-control.
- Control the Controllables
- Embrace Difficult Opponents
- Assess and Adapt
- Always Be Learning
- Win or Lose: Practice Indifference
- Know This, It Takes What It Takes
- Cultivate a Quality Culture
- It Helps to Have Reminders
Our attitude and choices allow us to respond best to adversity.
Be grounded in reality; find truths. Making excuses is not Stoic. Blaming officials is not Stoic. Learning, preparation, and teaching are Stoic.
Former NFL Coach Mike Lombardi is a student of Stoicism. "I believe past performance will predict future achievement in all aspects of life." He discusses players and coaches who exhibit Stoic qualities. “In a profession that has many outside influences,” he says, “it is always good to remind yourself each day to worry and work on only that you can control.”
Some have called Kawhi Leonard "the Crown Prince of Stoicism." Why can Leonard remain calm in the face of adversity? His father was murdered in Compton when Leonard was sixteen. He's seen adversity and pushed through it.
Lagniappe. "It is not necessary to do extraordinary things to get extraordinary results." - Warren Buffett
But it is necessary to avoid major mistakes and to become more efficient at our habits.
Lagniappe 2. "Mutual aid has profound survival benefits." - Peter Bevelin
Lagniappe 3. How Baylor won.
Key points.
1) Baylor was among the national leaders in both three point percentage and offensive rebounding.
2) As Quin Snyder says... if you can't defend the pick-and-roll, you may be looking for a new job
3) Baylor's defense takes away the middle.