LAST week I posted a couple of videos on Twitter, using my tactics 
board, with a few ideas of “Offensive Formations” and “Defensive 
Formations” in Gaelic Football.

The idea was just simply to maybe light a spark in somebody’s head and
get a bit of thought-provoking discussion going surrounding the videos
and that it certainly did.

The feedback was brilliant and the inbox on Twitter hasn’t stopped.
Coaches have thoroughly enjoyed the videos and it really makes me
wonder why we don’t do more of it in our games?

We still have this cover your homework type policy in Gaelic Football
when in reality there are no secrets and it’s just down to how things
are delivered – the huge majority of good coaching is man management.
This leads me into this week’s article. During the week I dug into a
John Wooden book, “Life Lessons from Basketball’s Great Leader.”

It’s truly intriguing how good this man was as a coach. He’s my
favourite coach of all time and the stuff I read about him just gets
better and better every time you source some new script about him.
The latest book I have been digesting starts with some quotes from
former rival coaches and managers, and also some of his players. Two
stuck out for me:

“John Wooden is the greatest Coach of all time in any sport. He had
the ability to teach, his values were strong and he knew how to get
inside the heads of his players.”

“With Coach Wooden, it’s not about the records. It was always about
his people and getting them to do the best they were capable of doing.

The feeling his former players have for him is truly amazing.”

One of the two greatest attributes John Wooden insists any coach
should have is industry (Hard Work) and enthusiasm.

It’s interesting that one author described Wooden as not being an
enigma. There is nothing strange or mysterious about who he is, and
how he got to where he wanted to go.

He worked hard to climb mountains and did so with an organised plan.
Wooden used to say, “The little details are what make the big details,
if you take care of the little things, the big things will take care
of themselves.”

It’s a bit like the all-conquering Dublin side of the last few years;
people talk about systems, game plans, restart strategies but first
and foremost their execution of the basic skills is on a different
level to most teams,. They epitomise the Wooden ethos of doing the
simple things well!

Another standout attribute of Wooden’s coaching was his ability to
coach like a teacher – obviously aided by the fact he was an English
teacher.

There is no one quite as important in a young person’s life as a good
teacher. When Wooden taught he never reached out to his students and
never got as close to them as he did when he was coaching, but his
ability to communicate and man manage was consistent.

During his final season at UCLA, his use of language during practices
and games was monitored for research purposes.

It was discovered that 75% of the time, when Coach Wooden opened his
mouth it was to give specific instructions, in other words to teach.
He was teaching, guiding and coaching all at once.

John was a teacher as much as a coach – he was extremely analytical
in his coaching and how he planned his sessions to the extent that
sometimes the planning would take longer than the actual session.

The practice sessions had constant activity, with players moving from
drill to drill, game based scenarios and high intensity practice. He
taught by repetition.

He talked about four laws of learning – explanation, demonstration,
imitation and repetition, but Wooden actually had eight laws of
learning, explanation, demonstration, demonstration, imitation,
repetition, repetition, repetition and repetition.

With these challenging times we face, we may find ourselves with extra
time on our hands. Try to cut back on wasted time, like scrolling
through social media and watching endless TV and if you want to be
more like Coach Wooden, easy, seek wisdom!