Importance of Practice and Game Carryover

De La Salle Football—on practice preparation

“It’s a game of technique, repetition and getting it right in practice before you run it in a game. Discipline. The game is played aggressively, it’s hard and it’s tough.”

“You’re going to play just how you practice. You’re not some comic book hero who’s going to put on a cape on game day and go out there and star. It doesn’t work that way. You watch way too much TV if you believe that."

D. Wayne Lukas On Preparation

D. Wayne Lukas is one of the leading horse trainers in the world. He shares some of thoughts on preparation and work ethic:

1. Took a yellow pad and plotted 20 hour days for 7 years.
2. He wrote down everything he wanted to accomplish.
Thoughts:
3. Take a rifle approach to life, zero in on priorities.
4. I will not fail because of my concentration level.
5. Success is a matter of luck, just ask any failure.
6. Speed is determined by the leader of the pack.
7. The intimidation of effort.

Focusing The Team For The Season

While coaching High School I came across this from Mike Shanahan. It really had an impact on our philosophy and success. As a high school coach you are at the mercy of the players at your school. Therefore, you have to go to war with the troops you have, not the ones you wish you had.
One of the best things we did was #3. Really focusing on the two things we did well with that year's team.

Thoughts On Understanding Your Strengths & Weaknesses

1. Do not let other’s expectations set our limitations
2. I more than anyone else, know the powers I possess.
3. Look at your team and figure out the two things they can do really well—as well as anybody n the league, conference, district. Then make sure there’s not a team in your district that does those two things better.
4. Maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses.
5. You have to define what you want to do.
6. The outside world will try to bring you down.
7. Oliver Wendell Holmes—“What lies behind you and what lies ahead of you is of very little importance when it is compared to what lies within you.”

Napoleon Hill--Preparation From Thoughts To Reality

Preparation—Thoughts to Plans
Napoleon Hill

“First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; the transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination.”

Time

TIME
Time is an equal opportunity employer. Each human being has exactly the same number of hours and minutes every day.

Rich people can't buy more time. Scientists can't invent new minutes. And you can't save time to spend on another day.

Even so, time is amazingly fair and forgiving. No matter how much time you've wasted in the past, you still have an entire tomorrow.

Success depends upon using it wisely...by planning and setting priorities.

Time is worth more than money, and by killing time, we are killing our own chances of success.

Championship Teams

CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS

If you are going to be a championship team, you have to be a championship team in every drill and every situation.

Great players crave instruction on their weaknesses.

Lou Holtz--5 Parts of a Plan

Lou Holtz
5 Parts of a Plan
11/10/09 Get Motivated Seminar

1. Attitude You Choose
a. Most important
b. You can succeed when nobody believes in you
c. You’ll never succeed if you don’t believe in yourself
d. What’s your attitude when people say negative things?
2. Have A Passion To Win
a. Persevere
i. Lincoln, Edison, Mother Teresa
ii. When you win is what you do between now and then
iii. It’s understanding what the competition does and more
iv. Get rid of excuses why you can’t do something
3. Understand What You Are Trying To Do
a. Help customers get what they want
b. Keep life simple—understand what you are trying to do.
c. Have to have teamwork
i. Bring people together is the beginning
ii. Keep them together is progress
iii. Working together is success
iv. Satisfy the needs of people you have to embrace change
4. Be A Dreamer
a. Motivated by our needs—intimidated by our fears
b. Decide what you want to do, someone to love, something to believe in, something to hope for.
c. No age restrictions on having dreams
d. Left Notre Dame—decided he wasn’t tired of coaching—he was tired of maintaining.
5. Have to Have Meaningful Relationships With People
a. Two types of people
i. People who lift you up
ii. People who pull you down
b. Three rules
i. Do what’s right
ii. Do everything to best of your ability
iii. Show people you care
c. Three questions everyone asks
i. Can I trust you?
ii. Are you committed to excellence? Committed by the standards you set.
iii. Do you care about me?
d. The three rules answer the three questions.

Game Situations

We pride ourselves on preparation. We work to cover every area that may come to our players. The following is a handout that we go over with our team and add to throughout the season.

Re: Game Situations

1. General Rules
a. New rules
b. Key rules
c. No facial expressions, win the officials.

2. Game Day Procedure
a. Shoot around—short but intense—focused
b. Team goals
c. Scouting report/ game plan

3. Lockerroom Attitude
a. Preparation: Mentally & Physically
b. Team thoughts to relax, forget yourself
c. Quiet, aggressive, confident
d. Prayer
e. Team together

4. Pre-Game Warmup
a. Arrival time to gym
b. Rehearsal
c. Concentrate on your physical and mental preparation
d. Quick movement, hands ready, “second wind”
e. Enthusiasm and encouragement for teammates
f. Position shooting
g. FT’s
h. Sound fundamentals
i. Set the tone

5. Pre-Game Introductions
a. Hustle out
b. Individual and team enthusiasm and determination
c. Identify your match-up
d. Entire team together


6. Bench Organization
a. Will vary with situations
b. Attention to game, concentrate, enthusiasm
c. Bench decorum

7. Jump Ball
a. Technique: Hands ready, knees bent
b. Assignments: Sandwich, get by your man at ½ circle, defensive or offensive
c. It’s a loose ball, get every one, we want possession.

8. Substitutions
a. Report to scorer, person at scorebook, at the “X”
b. Official must beckon you in
c. Towel, get the man you are guarding
d. Sprint off floor
e. Bench up
f. When coming out touch each player on bench

9. Time Out Organization
a. How to call
b. Sprint off floor to bench, seating arrangement
c. Water and towel quickly
d. Attention is most important
e. “Give us your eyes”

10. FT’s
a. Block out assignments
b. Hands up and knees bent

11. Half-Time Procedure
a. All warm-ups to locker room
b. Use rest room
c. Coaches meet and discuss
d. Team discusses until coaches enter/ keys on board
e. Adjustments to make
f. First 5 possession of 2nd half are key
g. You usually do not win the game in the first half
h. Check back in to start the half





12. Post Game
a. Shake hands with opponent
b. Class
c. Hustle to locker room immediately after leaving opponents
d. Congratulate/ Encourage teammates
e. Discuss with coaches, “Even Keel”
f. Time for next practice/ game
g. Locker room cleaner when leaving than when we arrived

13. Discussing the Game
a. Do not make excuses
b. Focus on your mistakes rather than finding fault in teammates
c. Enjoy the victory but remember to be gracious in victory and emotionally balanced after defeat.
d. If we improve each game, we have no defeats, only bad performances.
e. Be realistic.
f. Think about the team and your teammates.
g. Prepare and improve fundamentals.




Nothing is more important than our individual and Team Attitudes

Planning Projects & Details

Working at Tennessee for Coach Summitt gave me the opportunity to work in one of the greatest environments for organization and planning. Here are some of Pat's rules for handling projects:

In all projects and situations:
· Get it written down. Get everyone involved copies.
· What specific things are we going to do?
· Specifics and details on everything. Ask questions. Make sure you have all the bases covered.
· What’s the problem?
o How’s it going to be fixed?
o Who’s responsible?

General Tommy Franks On Daily Preparation

It was my duty to foresee. We live with unusual risk every day, even in peacetime.
Everyday…
I laid a stack of blank 3x5 cards on my desk.
On the first card, I printed “the date—The biggest challenges I may face today. I then listed five of the most important problems that could arise in the next 24 hours.”
I then flipped the card over and wrote: “Opportunities that may appear today.”
Every morning I note “Challenges and Opportunities” that might occur on that day. The card itself isn’t important; preparing myself for each day definitely is. This process helped me to anticipate any number of problems..and solutions.
—Taken from American Soldier, By General Tommy Franks, Retired Commander in Chief, US Central Command

6 Things That Contribute To Losing

While watching the NBA Finals on Thursday night I was reminded of the 6 things that contribute to losing from former Washington State, Wisconsin and Wisconsin Green-Bay Coach Dick Bennett.

1. Not getting back defensively
2. Not blocking out
3. Poor decision-making
4. Dumb fouls
5. Poor shot selection
6. Turnovers

Lamar Hunt On Preparation

Lamar Hunt founded the Kansas City Chiefs. He lists three items to consider as you prepare and plan:

1. Determine what you want

2. Find out what it will cost you to get what you want

3. Decide if you are willing to pay the price