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Friday, September 23, 2022

Teaching Professionalism

Coaching responsibilities cross areas. Sum them under the mantle of professionalism. Be specific. 

Pete Newell said, "teach players to SEE THE GAME." 

Phil Jackson taught, "Basketball is sharing."

Bob Knight advised, "Basketball is a game of mistakes." His warning was to reduce them. 

Dean Smith's primary lesson was CARING. 

Bill Walsh coached to his "standards of performance." 

We could go on, listing great coaches in different sports. And each, in her or his way showed players the value of professionalism. If we asked players what 'learning professionalism' means, we'd get another list. Let's lay out common ground. 

  • Be on time. Phil Ford set his watch 10 minutes early (Dean Smith time)
  • Be coachable. You cannot 'go your own way'. 
  • Be prepared. Know your job AND those of your teammates. 
  • Take care of your body (conditioning, rest, sleep, nutrition, sobriety). 
  • Impact winning. 
  • Improve yourself and teammates. 
  • Maintain a 'sense of urgency' while knowing on a given play, patience or speed becomes the urgent need. 
  • Be a great teammate. Team play is a choice. 

Lagniappe. Bill Walsh had a laundry list of standards. These top ones carry a much weight. 

Bill Walsh’s Standard of Performance:

  1. Exhibit a ferocious and intelligently applied work ethic directed toward continual improvement.
  2. Demonstrate respect for each person in the organization and the work he or she does.
  3. Be deeply committed to learning and teaching which means increasing our own expertise.
  4. Be fair.
  5. Demonstrate character.
  6. Honor the direct connection between details and improvement.
  7. Relentlessly seek improvement.
Lagniappe 2. I highly recommending reading Fergus Connolly. 

Lagniappe 3. 

 

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