10 TIPS TO GUARANTEE YOUR SUCCESS

If you want to impress your coach and be considered a great teammate, then you should definitely check out these 10 Tips by coach John Wooden.

 Be thinking at all times.

 If you do your best, never lose your temper and never be out-fought or out-hustled, you'll have nothing to worry about.

 Without faith and courage, you are lost.

 Have respect for, without fear of, every opponent, and confidence without cockiness in regard to yourself.

 Never be a spectator. Be in the fight at all times.

 Unselfish team play and team spirit are two of the foremost essentials for your success.

 We have tough battles ahead. Enjoy the thrill of being in a hard fight.

 Never stoop to playing dirty -- play hard and don't complain.

 Be sure to acknowledge and give credit to a teammate who hits you with a scoring pass.

 Be a competitor. When the going gets tough, really get going.

(thanks Greg Brown)

THE LITTLE THINGS = AN ADVANTAGE

"A [coaches] primary goal of teaching anything is the advantage that learning gives to people over their competitors who haven't been as well taught."

- Bob Knight

BECOMING THE UNDISPUTED LEADER

Jacory Harris' transformation from rookie to undisputed team leader began on the team bus following Miami's loss to Cal this past year in the Emerald Bowl.

It was the true freshman's second start as Hurricanes quarterback, and while he played a respectable game despite an injured arm, he couldn't shake the fact the ball was stripped away from him at the 9-yard line, which eventually led to Cal's game-winning touchdown.

"That's when it kind of started," receiver LaRon Byrd said. "That was one of the biggest games of his career. I think it was a wake-up call for him." Rather than get mad, make excuses or pout about it, Harris apologized to the team for it.

"I felt like I let them down," Harris said. "I don't like letting people down. That's one thing I've grown up not wanting to do. People shouldn't ever want to let people down. I'm just not that type of person."

From that moment on, his teammates and coaches knew that he was the undisputed leader -- something Miami football has been lacking.

"He is calm, cool, collected on the field, and in the locker room, all the players love him," wide receivers coach Aubrey Hill said. "He's kind of a jokester. And it's just him. It's not something he's trying to work too hard on. He has switches, where, 'Hey, it's time to focus.' I've seen him in the huddle where he's got total focus and he's got the total attention of the whole offense. They believe in him. He really works at it as far as mentally and physically, and he's just a natural winner. He just knows how to win. Everyone talks about having it. He has it."

Heather Dinich, ESPN

WHAT IS A TEAM?

Having 12 individuals dressed alike in the same color shirt doesn't make them a team.

12 individuals are transformed into a 'TEAM' when each member is sure enough of herself and her individual contribution to the group effort, to praise the skill and contribution of the other 11, without feeling insecure or threatened.

4:13

THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY TO GET THERE

"The heights great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight. But they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night."

- Longfellow

MENTAL GOAL SETTING SYSTEM

Step 1 — Decide Exactly WHAT You Want. Be specific.

Step 2 — Decide WHEN You Want It.

Step 3 — List the VALUE. List all the reasons that are important to you for getting the goal.

Step 4 — ANSWER this question, “Why don’t I have this now?”

Step 5 — ASK myself, “What is my PLAN to get this goal. What PRICE will I PAY to get this goal?”

Step 6 — ASK myself, “Is the PRIZE worth the price?”

Step 7 — SCHEDULE my plan. If it isn’t scheduled, it will not get done.

(thanks coach Dorsey)

THE MOST CRUCIAL PART....

“Fundamentals are the most crucial part of my game in the NBA. Everything I did, everything I achieved, can be traced back to the way I approached the fundamentals and how I applied them to my abilities.

They really are the basic building blocks or principles that make everything work. I don’t care what you’re doing or what you’re trying to accomplish — you can’t skip fundamentals if you want to be the best. The minute you get away from fundamentals, the bottom can fall out.

You have to monitor your fundamentals constantly because the only thing that never changes will be your attention to them. The fundamentals will never change.

It comes down to a very simple saying: There is a right way and a wrong way to do things. You can practice shooting eight hours a day, but if your fundamentals are wrong, then all you become is very good at shooting the wrong way. Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise.”

- Michael Jordan

Encouragement Changes Everything

Years ago an experiment was conducted to measure people's capacity to endure pain. How long could a bare-footed person stand in a bucket of ice water? It was discovered that when there was someone else present offering encouragement and support, the person standing in the ice water could tolerate pain twice as long as when no one else was present.

Encouragement Changes Everything.

How much does encouragement help you? How much harder do you play after a teammate recognizes you for really hustling on the last play or maybe after throwing a good pass?

Encouragement Changes Everything.

During your next practice, make an effort to say something encouraging to a teammate at least once every minute. Even something as simple as "nice hustle" or "good pass." Think about it like this... if you say something positive, something encouraging to your teammates, at least once every minute (which is very easy to do), you will be spitting out 90 encouraging things during a 1.5 hour practice.

Encouragement Changes Everything.

4:13

YOU 'KNEED' TO KNOW

Basketball games start in 6-8 weeks.

Just enough time for you to do something important.

In previous entries, we’ve discussed Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) knee injuries, a serious knee injury for which female athletes are 3 to 6 times more likely to suffer than their male counterparts. Covenant has had three (3) ACL injuries in the past four years.

Here's some more information from a recent article in The American Journal of Sports Medicine that examined knee injuries among boys and girls on High School teams in the US.

Knee injuries were three times more likely to happen in a game than in a practice (not surprising, since practice is usually less intense and takes place in a more "controlled environment" than games).

The highest rates of knee injuries for girls in the study were seen in soccer and basketball. Female high school basketball players were almost twice as likely to sustain a knee injury compared to the male players in the study.

Almost half of the knee injuries to girl basketball players caused them to lose more than 3 weeks of their season (or end their season or their career). More than 1/3 of all knee injuries suffered by the female high school basketball players required surgical repair.

So what do female basketball players "kneed" to know?

Although not as combative a sport as football or wrestling, playing basketball puts the female athlete at a higher than normal risk for a knee injury that can end her playing career. While female players can't hope to avoid contact in what is becoming a high-contact sport, and they can't change the way they are built, they can significantly reduce their risk of suffering an ACL injury by spending the next 6-8 weeks working on an ACL injury reduction workouts (plyos).

(thanks Nfinity)

PREPARE vs REGRET

"It's better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret."

- Jackie Joyner Kersee

20 days until Tryouts.

46 days until our first game.

Today's preparation determines tomorrow's achievement.

4:13

YOUR ADVERSARY MAKES YOU BETTER

You have to love your adversaries. They make you better. They force you to improve, to stretch your capabilities.

Competitors respond to a challenge from their opponents, and to negative motivation as well as to positive. Competitors seek revenge for losses. They crave a compliment if they haven't gotten one. Competitors want to prove everyone else wrong. They want to show skeptics "I am better than this. I am a winner."

Your competition makes you better. Having worthy adversaries stimulates your work ethic, and brings out qualities you may not have known you had. So don't resent them.

You should love your competition. And you should thank them.

- Pat Summit

(thanks coach Starkey)

WHEN SWAG TURNS INTO ARROGANCE

I’m a firm believer that an athlete should have a certain amount of swag. But there is a big difference between swag and arrogance, and arrogance is a dangerous place to be.

The Dictionary defines it as: “to exaggerate one's own worth or importance; having or displaying a sense self-importance; unwarranted pride...”

Arrogance is thinking you are smarter or better than someone else. Arrogance always displays itself as being “er”, if you will, of others. You know, better, smarter, wiser, prettier, holier, etc...

Arrogance can sometimes be a huge problem among some athletes, and in-turn, can often cause chemistry problems among teammates.

The problem is that most people who are arrogant, don’t know they are. It’s those around them that see it and take notice. It is not simply pride or boasting, but it is an attitude of the heart. A person can be proud or boastful in a particular area of her life but not arrogant. In fact, all of us have areas in which we are proud. Arrogance, however, is a heart full of pride, a heart that looks down on others, and a heart that constantly judges others.

Arrogance is in reality self-righteousness. It was the heart of the Pharisee that angered Christ so much:

“The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men -- robbers, evildoers, adulterers -- or even like this tax collector.” (Luke 18:11)

Be careful that your swag doesn’t turn into arrogance, which can easily blind you to what others see.

(thanks Ken Grizzell)

SUCCESS vs WINNING

Success and winning are not always one and the same. Success is playing – or working – to the best of your ability. And winning is a by-product of living up to your highest standards for yourself, getting the most out of your natural talents, reaching down and rooting out your own drive, courage, and commitment.

You can’t win every day, but you can succeed in fulfilling your potential as an individual and a team member.

If you’re a player who focuses on realizing your abilities, or helping your teammates to realize their abilities, you’ve got your priorities straight.

- Joe Torre

YOUR BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS

You beat 50 percent of the players on the court through relentless effort. You beat another 40 percent by being a player that uses intelligence. Using the ‘little things’ that you’ve been taught to create an advantage over your opponent. The last 10 percent is a dogfight, and you have to want it more than your opponent wants it.

4:13

FRESH KICKS

Nike released a new Zoom Flight Club this week in several very "bold" colorways including neon green, fire red, and royal.

"WHAT IF?"...THE FEAR OF FAILURE

This past summer, I taught my 12 year old daughter to surf. The first handful of waves she tried to ride ended in glorious wipeouts, partly because she lacked experience, but more-so because she had a fear of failure.

What if she fell... what if the board hits her… what if the wave is too big... all her reasons were valid reasons, especially when you consider the wall of water crashing down on top of her weighs about 8 pounds per gallon. But for a surfer to be successful, they cannot have fear. Even the slightest moment of hesitation due to fear, will result in bad-timing and a not-so-enjoyable wipeout.

Fear of failure is one of the greatest fears people have. Fear incapacitates people. It makes them hesitate until it’s too late.

Fear of failure in basketball is no different. How many times have you seen a player with a wide-open look at the basket hesitate to shoot until it's too late? Or a player catches the ball and hesitates to penetrate into the open lane until it's too late?

Most people self-limit themselves. Most people do not achieve a fraction of what they are capable of achieving because they are afraid to try because they are afraid they will fail.

The Law of Feedback states: there is no failure; there is only feedback. Successful people look at mistakes as outcomes or results, not as failure. Unsuccessful people are unsuccessful because they look at mistakes as permanent and personal.

To overcome your fear of failure, you must take action. Bold, decisive action. Do something scary. Fear of failure immobilizes you. To overcome this fear, you must act. When you act, act boldly. Act to achieve something, begin with the end in mind.

What would you do if you knew you could not fail? What could you achieve? Be brave and just do it. If it doesn't work out the way you want, then look at the results and adjust your next attempt as necessary (feedback) and try it again.

But don’t allow the fear of failure to cause you to miss your wave!

(thanks Terry Bragg)

4:13

DO YOU THINK THEY LISTENED?

The following excerpt is from a letter coach John Wooden wrote to his team before the start of 1971 season.

"If each of you makes every effort to develop to the best of your ability, follow the proper rules of conduct and activity most conducive to good physical condition, subordinate individual acclaim for the welfare of the team, and permit no personality clashes or differences of opinion with teammates or coaches to interfere with you or a teammate's efforts, it will be a very rewarding year."

UCLA went undefeated (30-0) and won the NCAA Championship that season.

Do you think they listened?

4:13

DO YOU REMIND YOURSELF?

"If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking till you do succeed."

- Curly Howard (actor, 3 Stooges)

Remind yourself regularly that you are better than you think you are. Successful people are not superhuman. Success does not require a super-intellect. Nor is there anything mystical about success. And success isn't based on luck.

Successful people are just ordinary folks who have developed belief in themselves and what they do. Never... yes, never... sell yourself short.

David J. Schwartz

Author of ''The Magic of Thinking Big''

NH ARTICLE - ARNOLD GIRLS BASKETBALL

Looks like Arnold has themselves a new coach. (LINK)

FRESH KICKS

Looks like Nike will be targeting female ballers with the new pink & black Lebron VII for women set to release in early 2010.

ARE YOU TEACHABLE?

There’s an old Chinese proverb that states… “the teacher appears only when the pupil is ready.” Meaning that it doesn't matter how much information is given... it is only when the student is truly ready to listen and learn that learning can take place.

Coach Wooden often says “it's after we know it all that we learn the most.” As an adult, I can relate to that. The older I get, the more I realize how little I actually know. Yet most young players, especially those with a little talent, have trouble understanding that they still have a lot to learn to become great. They’re not interested in learning anything new because they think they’re already great.

Talent levels out fast in high school basketball, but intelligent players standout in a crowd because they have made a habit of soaking up everything they can to make themselves better.

Be a sponge. Knowledge is power both on the court and in life.

(thanks coach Brown)

ARE YOU TENACIOUS?

Tenacity is an absolute MUST for any player or any team that wants to become great. It’s the ability to stick with something, regardless of how hard it may get.

As a matter of fact, you should look at tenacity as a skill -- just like ball handling, shooting, etc. It is something that must be taught and developed in new players, and constantly emphasized to your returning teammates.

It’s the Pit Bull vs Poodle mentality… be absolutely determined!

4:13

(thanks coach Brown)

STRUGGLE DEVELOPS STRENGTH

“Strength does not come from winning.

Your struggles develop your strengths.

When you go through hardships and decide

not to surrender, that is strength.”

- Arnold Schwarzenegger

THE POWER OF TEAMWORK

“Build for your team a feeling of oneness, of dependence on one another and of strength to be derived by unity.”

- Vince Lombardi

Individuals may play the game, but teams win championships.

4:13

FRESH KICKS

I'm not a big fan of Adidas hoops shoes, but the new Commander TS definitely grabbed my attention. Sweet... even for 3 stripes!

RECOVER QUICKLY

When winners make mistakes, they don’t waste time whining or pouting. They do whatever it takes to recover quickly, so they don’t lose their momentum.

When a boxer gets knocked down, he has only 10 seconds to get back up. If he gets up in eleven seconds, he loses the fight. So the next time you get knocked down, decide to act like a winner. Get up, take immediate action and make something great happen!

(thanks Ruben Gonzales)

CONFIDENCE ISN'T EXAGGERATED APPEARANCE

Confidence isn’t an exaggerated outward appearance… that’s called cockiness. However, confidence is something that is outwardly visible, and those around you can tell whether you have it… or whether you don’t.

4:13

SELF-DISCIPLINE

The most important single quality of success is self-discipline.

Self-discipline is having the ability within yourself, based on your strength of character and willpower, to do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not.

The truth of the matter is that you always know what needs to be done and the right way to do it. The hard part is doing it.

(thanks Brian Tracy)

28 days until tryouts... 54 days until our first game.

4:13

TEAM SHOE UPDATE

Narrowing down the choices for team shoes this season and the Lebron Soldier III appears to be one of the front-runners based on cost, quality and comfort.

Had a player test drive a pair of Soldeir III's and Hyperdunks yesterday and she gave some great feedback. Previous Lebrons have felt bulky and heavy, however, the Soldier III weighs the same as the Hyperdunk. Cost is $109 (sz 7.5 & up) and $75 (sz 3.5 - 7.0)

If possible, we need to have a few more of you swing by Finishline at the Mall and lace up a pair and give me some feedback... soon! Eastbay also offers the royal & black colorway.

CIRCLE OF FRIENDS

Surround yourself with people who inspire you and help you rise to your best.

Coincidentally, they will probably be the same people who ask how you are… and then actually be interested in hearing the answer.

4:13

OUR TEAM...

Whether or not each of us choose to place God first in our individual lives, make no mistake... He is the unseen guest at every meal. He is the silent listener to every conversation. Know that nothing we do or say will go unnoticed.

As a team, WE WILL place God first in every situation we find ourselves in.

4:13

The Power of Courage

Courage, it's old-fashioned and it still matters. Courage is not about exposing yourself to physical danger -- that's the easy stuff. Courage is about facing your fears. About speaking the truth. About doing what you know is right. Courage is like a muscle, the more you use it the stronger it gets.

Don't run away from your fears. Run towards your fears. Hug your monsters. An extraordinary life will follow.

- Robin S. Sharma

(thanks coach Jackson)

WOW! Never thought I'd see this happen...

I put a lot of stuff about MJ on here, and 99% of it is intended as “I can do it” type of motivational stuff from one of the greatest competitors to ever play the game.

But I read an article on ESPN The Magazine today where columnist Ricky Reilly threw ‘his airness’ under the bus following his Hall of Fame speech.

As Reilly points, although MJ's speech was from the heart, “…It's just that Jordan's heart on this night could give you frostbite. Nobody was spared [criticism], including his high school coach, his high school teammate, his college coach, two of his pro coaches, his college roommate, his pro owner, his pro general manager, the man who was presenting him that evening, even his kids!”

In the entire 23-minute cringe-athon, there were only six thank yous, seven if you count his sarcastic rip at the very Hall that was inducting him. "Thank you, Hall of Fame, for raising ticket prices, I guess," he sneered. By comparison, David Robinson's classy and heartfelt seven-minute speech had 17 [thank yous].

Jordan had decided that this was the perfect night to list all the ways everybody sitting in front of him had p'd him off over the past 30 years: Dean Smith, Doug Collins, Jerry Reinsdorf, Pat Riley, Isiah Thomas, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, George Gervin and Jeff Van Gundy. It was the only one-man roast in Hall of Fame history. Only very little of it was funny.

This is how Jordan really is, I just never thought he'd let the world see it.

Rick Reilly

ESPN The Magazine

IT STARTS WITH YOU...

We are responsible for what we are, and more importantly, for whatever we want ourselves to become.

We have within us everything necessary to become successful. But it has to be "dusted-off" and put into use.

If what we are now, has been the result of our own past actions, it certainly makes sense that whatever we wish to be in future, can be produced by our present actions.

4:13

THE ONLY ONE...

"The only one who can tell you 'you can't ' is you. And you don't have to listen."

- Nike

WATER GONE BAD

There has been some discussion regarding the use of Vitaminwater at NCAA sponsored Championship events. The concern is that some of the products in this line contain substances that appear on the NCAA banned substance list or are considered non-permissible substances.

What is Vitaminwater?

Vitaminwater is an electrolyte and nutrient enhanced water.

Every bottle of Vitaminwater has at a minimum:

· 25% of four b vitamins

· 100% of vitamin c for most products

· calcium, magnesium and potassium electrolytes

· 32 g of sugar

The NCAA has reviewed the list of ingredients on the bottle labels per NCAA Bylaw 16.5.2.g and found that NCAA institutions may provide the following nine Vitaminwater products to their student-athletes:

· Revive – fruit punch

· Essential – orange-orange

· XXX – acai, blueberry, pomegranate

· Focus – kiwi strawberry

· Formula 50 – grape

· Multi-v – lemonade

· Charge – lemon-line

· Endurance – peach-mango

· Defense – raspberry-apple

What ingredients are not allowed per NCAA Bylaw 16.5.2.g and might be found in Vitaminwater varieties?

Taurine, L-theanine, green tea extract, or glucosamine.

What NCAA banned substances might be found in Vitaminwater varieties?

Caffeine or guarana seed extract.

The NCAA bans caffeine because it is found to be a performance enhancer, and because of concern about the effects of stimulant use during intense exercise. Caffeine will produce an NCAA positive drug test if amounts exceed 15 micrograms/mL in the urine sample collected.

Which Vitaminwater products contain impermissible or banned substances?

At this time, Vitaminwater has six products that are not allowed and contain banned substances. Those products are Power-C, Energy, B-Relaxed, Rescue, Vital-T and Balance.

Power-C (Drangonfruit) Impermissible Substance is Taurine

b-Relaxed (Jackfruit-Guava) Impermissible Substance is L-Theanine

Vital-T (Lemon tea-Rooibos) Impermissible Substance is Rooibos Tea Extract

Balance (Cran-Grapefruit) Impermissible Substance is Glucosamine

Energy (Tropical Fruit) Banned Substances are Caffeine and Guarana Seed Extract

Rescue (Green Tea) Banned Substance is Caffeine

Information provided by Mary Wilfert on behalf of the NCAA.

(thanks LSU Training Staff)

DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE COMPETITION

Coach Wooden said all he wanted from us individually was that we try, as athletes and students, to be as good as we could be. "Just concentrate on that," he said. "Don't worry about whether you're doing better than the next guy. Just give me your best."

The most important thing to Coach Wooden was how we presented ourselves -- the effort we made -- on the court. That was first, even before the score.

That's Coach Wooden's way of doing it, namely, don't worry about the competition, don't worry about a gold medal, or winning the race.

Just focus on running the race that's right in front of you at this moment.

- Rafer Johnson

(thanks coach Starkey)

GO AHEAD... JUMP!

We all have a negative voice in our heads who stops us from taking risks. Here are a few risk taking techniques that you can use to get great results. Try 'em and see how you do.

DON'T THINK TOO MUCH.

The easiest way to get into a cold swimming pool is to jump right in. The same can be said for taking risks. Hesitating will only psyche you out.

WHEN YOU JUMP, JUMP BIG.

Don't hold back. Fully commit yourself. Being only half-committed means you are in the middle… just as committed to quitting as you are to succeeding.

IF YOU DON'T A-S-K, you won't G-E-T.

Come right out and ask for what you want. People will appreciate you being straight with them and can usually tell you exactly what you need to do to get what you want..

EMBRACE FAILURE AND REJECTION.

Too many people think failure means final. Instead, think of failure as an opportunity to learn. If things don't work out, figure out why. Then make some adjustments and try again.

FOCUS LESS ON YOUR IMAGE AND MORE ON WHAT YOU WANT.

Don't worry about what others think. Don’t worry about how it may make you look if you fail the first time you try. You must place your focus on success without concern about what others might think.

FOCUS ON ACTION, NOT ON FEELINGS.

Don't let insecurity lead to a paralysis of action. The first step is always the hardest. Don’t psych yourself out into not doing anything.

PRACTICE TAKING RISKS.

It does get easier. You quickly realize that nothing is as difficult or as hard as it first appeared to be.

ASK YOURSELF WHAT YOU REALLY HAVE TO LOSE.

Most of the time it's about ego and less about any real loss.

GO FIRST.

Have the courage to something before waiting to see if others are willing.

Make these practices part of your lifestyle and I will guarantee that you will be a more powerful leader and more fulfilled human being.

Go ahead.... jump!

- Scott Greenberg

A BAND of BROTHERS

Came across a great article today that was written by, of all people, Lebron James on how he got into basketball as a 5th grader and the winding path it took him on. Definitely worth the read.

The bond he had with his teammates reminds me a lot of the 2006-07 team at CCS.

"He was hard on me, almost ruthless. He believed that perfection was obtainable, and would not tolerate mistakes. He cracked my game open as if it were worthless, all glitter and no substance, self-absorbed flash and style. I played no defense. I was selfish. I knew fundamentals but had no use for them. I figured at the time he just hated me, thought I was some ghetto-kid hot dog who would never be a team player. But I now realize what he was doing, and I’m lucky he was doing it."

- Lebron James speaking about his interaction with his high school coach on his first day of basketball practice as a freshman.

Why Do We Fall into the Habit of Settling for Average?

Average is the norm for a reason. Being exceptional demands extra effort, sustained inspiration, and uncommon discipline.

When we attempt to give flight to our dreams, we have to overcome the weight of opposition. Like gravity, life's circumstances constantly pull on our dreams, tugging us down to mediocrity.

Most of us don't pay the price to overcome the opposition to our dreams. We may start out inspired, but through time we fatigue. Although never intending to abandon our dreams, we begin to make concessions here and there. Through time, our lives become mundane, and our dreams slip away.

Hold on tight and push on through… whatever your dream may be.

4:13

(thanks John Maxwell)