These notes were taken by Dean Lockwood of the University of Tennessee. He had the opportunity to do what many of us coaches out there would have enjoyed doing.....picking the brain of Coach Wooden.
Coach Wooden on Teaching:
1. What he misses most about being out of basketball is teaching. He loved the teaching. He also misses practice; the planning and the organization.
2. When asked what he felt was the single most important element that made him a great teacher, Coach Wooden quickly responded, "Listening. Listening is so important to teaching well."
3. Teach quickness; allow players time to learn but keep it moving quickly.
4. Coach Wooden said he learned to say less and be brief as the years went by. (when teaching)
5. Be SUCCINCT
6. In practice, keep stops to a minimum. Pull 1 player out to talk to if you have to or need to; he did not like to continually stop and talk to entire team for something 1 or 2 individuals were doing.
7. He likes fundamentals, teaching, and philosophy more than X's and O's.
8. Believe in what you are doing and be able to teach it.
9. Never expect perfection, but keep working for it.