John Wooden

Words: 1093
Pages: 5

Skill, conditioning, and athleticism are all factors that make up great players, but most overlook the necessity of having great coordination and leadership skills. Great leaders have been needed throughout most events in history, from teams winning the Super Bowl to even George Washington leading his army to independence, a leader figure is needed. As seen in Wooden’s UCLA teams, John Wooden was a great leader that led his team to victory, while also pushing them to their full potential. John Wooden is a great leader due to his qualities of keeping his team focused, letting them be independent, and pushing his players to their full potential. Before a game, many coaches and players like to research their opponents, finding out their strengths and weaknesses. On the other hand, Wooden was known to keep the …show more content…
Wooden liked to run fast-paced plays. He liked to run the ball down court, score fast, and get back on defense. Most of the high-tempo plays required lots of conditioning to not let one down. By conditioning the physical body, Wooden also conditioned the mind. Players gained self confidence from his coaching. One's physical ability can only go so far, he knew this so he had “emphasis on maximizing in areas you can control”. A player is unable to increase his height, and there is only so much he can do to augment his quickness, but he can work hard to make sure he is in better condition than his opponent” (Davis paragraph 3). In the quote, John Wooden wanted to focus on things he could fix. Height is a limited factor that most times can’t be increased. So instead he focused on their speed, their agility, making new plays to substitute and supporting the fact his team had no players taller than six feet, five inches. Wooden also strengthened his team's mental capacity. He liked to give speeches before games and motivate his players. Without putting pressure on them, he gave them motivation and