Quotes from Swen Nater

Industriousness (hard work) and enthusiasm (a genuine love for what you are doing) are the cornerstones for success.

Teacher respect, motivation, self-improvement, deep subject knowledge, preparation, and transferring information are qualities all teachers should possess at any level and in any environment.

In the 1930s, he came up with an approach he calls "earned and deserved.""I believe, in order to be fair to all students, a teacher must give each individual student the treatment he earns and deserves. The most unfair thing to do is to treat all of them the same.

Relationships are the Ends, Not the Means.

Our relationship was forged slowly over time, and strengthened by the combination of the intense fire of his high expectations and my determination to learn. It matured when it became a "learning relationship" and my respect for him caught up with his respect for me.

Coach Wooden's approach succeeded: Setting challenging expectations appropriate to each individual; getting to know each individual well and caring for each as a person; tailoring his instructions and support to individual differences; and treating everyone with respect and fairness. It succeeded for him in the classroom, on the court, and in life.

His father, Joshua Wooden, had repeatedly stressed he should never try to be better than someone else, but that he should never cease to try and become the best that he could be.

Condition, skill, and team spirit are the heart of the Pyramid of Success.

Coach Wooden preached against comparisons and external rewards, and for focusing on becoming your best.

High quality programs require and foster a norm of continuous teaching improvement.

Student interest is directly proportional to the depth and breadth of teachers' knowledge; and student interest is vital to effective teaching.

When you improve a little each day, eventually big things occur…. Not tomorrow, not the next day, but eventually a big gain is made. Don't look for the big, quick improvement. Seek the small improvement one day at a time. That's the only way it happens—and when it happens, it lasts." - John Wooden

If you squander your time on the tricks of the trade, On discovering just how a shortcut is made, You've neglected the work and your skills are but frail. If you fail to prepare, you're preparing to fail.

In Coach Wooden's case, the term "drill" does indeed refer to making execution automatic, but it also means more. He designed lessons so that players could execute the fundamentals so well that they were able to, as the opportunity presented itself, take initiative and exercise imagination. "Drilling created a foundation," he likes to say, "on which individual initiative and imagination can flourish.

Coach Wooden's philosophy is for players and students to improve a little every day and make perfection the goal. His method for improving conditioning included one painful demand—each player, when reaching the point of exhaustion, was to push himself beyond. When this is done every day, top condition will be attained over time.

Priority Practice planning was a sacred time. It was always at the same time of day, in the morning, and was never interrupted except for emergencies.

Pattern Consistency is a major key to time-management. Search for and discover the best time to do planning, and do your planning at that same time every day. When the priorities receive their own place in the day, each day will have the same pattern. Pattern begets comfort and productivity. Patience An abundance of patience is needed to manage time consistently. Making the change to becoming a good time-manager may be very difficult.

There are actually eight laws of learning—Demonstration, Explanation, Imitation, Repetition, Repetition, Repetition, Repetition, and Repetition. The importance of repetition until automaticity cannot be overstated. Repetition is the key to learning. There is absolutely no substitute for repetition. I believe in learning by repetition to the point where everything becomes automatic… the best teacher is repetition, day after day, throughout the season." - John Wooden

You haven't made a fire till it has burned. You haven't made a dollar till it's earned. And no teaching has transpired If the child has not acquired. You haven't taught a child till he has learned.

First, demonstrate what you want. Second, allow the person learning to imitate with the trainer coaching until perfect execution is achieved. Last, build repetition until it becomes second nature.