Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports™ Blog

What the Titles Did

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:53:00 EST

In one of my favorite John Wooden stories a UCLA alum asks him how the upcoming season’s team was going to do. Wooden, winner of 10 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championships in 12 years, as UCLA Basketball Coach from 1948 - 1975, said, “I’ll let you know in 20 years.”

Wooden embodied the idea of a Responsible Coach with the twin goals of winning and teaching life lessons before there was a name for it. Here he meant to convey that he was concerned with the men his players became as much as their win-loss record. You couldn’t judge them solely based on the scoreboard that season.

Wooden was recently voted the greatest coach of all-time by Sporting News Daily. Andy Hill who played for Wooden from 1969-1972 said, “…the titles didn’t make him great. What the titles did was get all of you to notice how great he was.”

Want to learn even more? Jim Thompson, Founder and Executive Director of the PCA, has written several books on the topic:

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Positive Coaching Workshops

Bring Positive Coaching to your school or youth sports organization through a partnership with Positive Coaching Alliance centered on live group workshops for your organization's leaders, coaches, parents and athletes. Since PCA's founding at Stanford University in 1998, more than 1,100 schools and youth sports organizations throughout the country have used our research-based techniques to:

Prepare youth athletes from pre-school through high school for success in life on and off the playing fields
Emphasize character-education and life lessons through sports
Become outstanding educational-athletic programs, using our Roadmap to Excellence to create a shared vision among organizational leaders, coaches, parents and athletes.

Visit our Workshop page to register and learn more!

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The mission of the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) is to transform youth sports so sports can transform youth. Through partnerships with more than 1,100 youth sports organizations, leagues, schools and cities nationwide, PCA has conducted 5,000-plus workshops for youth sports coaches, parents, organizational leaders and athletes. Since Executive Director Jim Thompson founded PCA as a non-profit within the Stanford University Athletic Department in 1998, PCA has helped create a positive, character-building youth sports environment for more than 3 million youth athletes.

Developing MLPs

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:20:00 EST

Recently Positive Coaching Alliance hosted a youth sports forum in Los Angeles featuring a star-studded panel. I’ll write about other panelists in the future. Today I want to focus on Darrell Miller, Director of the Urban Youth Academy in Compton, California.

Major League Baseball sponsors the Urban Youth Academy, but Miller, a former major leaguer with the Angels, was clear about the Academy’s goal.

“If someone makes it to the big leagues, that’s great, but we want to produce Major League People.”

I often say PCA’s mission is to use sports to develop successful, fulfilled, contributing members of society. But in just three words, Darrell got it exactly right with a much stickier message.

Few youth coaches will have the chance to coach a future major leaguer.

But we all have the chance to encourage every kid we coach to become Major League People! So here’s to coaches developing MLPs!

Want to learn even more? Jim Thompson, Founder and Executive Director of the PCA, has written several books on the topic:

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Positive Coaching Workshops

Prepare youth athletes from pre-school through high school for success in life on and off the playing fields
Emphasize character-education and life lessons through sports
Become outstanding educational-athletic programs, using our Roadmap to Excellence to create a shared vision among organizational leaders, coaches, parents and athletes.

Visit our Workshop page to register and learn more!

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Phil Jackson: Role Model Coach

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 18:29:00 EST

Watching the Lakers defeat Orlando last night, I thought about two crucial reasons why Phil Jackson has won more NBA titles (10) than any other coach.

He fosters self-confidence. Trevor Ariza, who came up big in the playoffs, said he knew he wasn’t going to get pulled from the game if he missed a shot. Jackson’s players don’t tighten up in the clutch, worried about what will happen if they miss. They play to win, not to avoid looking bad. Players worried about their coach giving up on them don’t do that.

He also develops players as leaders. Michael Jordan never won a title until Phil showed him how to make his teammates better. Now even Kobe Bryant detractors should see how Bryant has grown under Phil into a leader who makes his teammates better.

Phil Jackson, PCA’s National Spokesperson, is a wonderful role model for youth coaches.

Want to learn even more? Jim Thompson, Founder and Executive Director of the PCA, has written several books on the topic:

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Positive Coaching Workshops

Prepare youth athletes from pre-school through high school for success in life on and off the playing fields
Emphasize character-education and life lessons through sports
Become outstanding educational-athletic programs, using our Roadmap to Excellence to create a shared vision among organizational leaders, coaches, parents and athletes.

Visit our Workshop page to register and learn more!

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Courtney Lee's Gift to Sports Parents

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 11:16:00 EST

Courtney Lee’s miss at the end of regulation Sunday would have put the Magic in the driver’s seat in the NBA Finals with the Lakers.

But with his stand-up approach with the media afterwards, Lee is not a goat. He didn’t lose the game. The Magic had their chance to win in overtime.

Lee has given sports parents a rich topic to mine with their athletes. Every youth worries about blowing a shot with the game on the line, so address that with your child.

“I admire Courtney Lee for handling that tough pass under pressure and then not getting down about it. I hope you’ll feel proud of your effort whether you make the play or not. I want you to know that I will always love you no matter what happens when you compete.”

Your athlete may not show it, but he will hear you and appreciate it.

Want to learn even more? Jim Thompson, Founder and Executive Director of the PCA, has written several books on the topic:

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Positive Coaching Workshops

Prepare youth athletes from pre-school through high school for success in life on and off the playing fields
Emphasize character-education and life lessons through sports
Become outstanding educational-athletic programs, using our Roadmap to Excellence to create a shared vision among organizational leaders, coaches, parents and athletes.

Visit our Workshop page to register and learn more!

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LeBron James is Confused

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:17:00 EST

LeBron James is confused about the meaning of “competitor.”

Saturday, after Orlando eliminated Cleveland, he said: “If somebody beats you up, you're not going to congratulate them…I'm a competitor…It doesn't make sense for me to go over and shake somebody's hand."

No. The ultimate competitor is the Triple-Impact Competitor who makes self, teammates and the game better. James is superb on levels 1 and 2. On Level 3, he fell down, badly.

James, admirable in so many ways, is sending a bad message to youth athletes: a competitor is too upset by losing to Honor the Game.

Former NFL coach Herm Edwards nailed it. “The game is sacred…When you are out on the field, you must remember your legacy and what you are representing.”

Triple-Impact Competitors are strong enough to make the game better by overcoming their disappointment to congratulate their opponents at the toughest time—right after they’ve beaten you.

Want to learn even more? Jim Thompson, Founder and Executive Director of the PCA, has written several books on the topic:

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Positive Coaching Workshops

Prepare youth athletes from pre-school through high school for success in life on and off the playing fields
Emphasize character-education and life lessons through sports
Become outstanding educational-athletic programs, using our Roadmap to Excellence to create a shared vision among organizational leaders, coaches, parents and athletes.

Visit our Workshop page to register and learn more!

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The Cruyff Move & the Abby Move

Tue, 26 May 2009 12:09:00 EST

Many of us remember playing sports without the constant intrusion of coaches and parents. Growing up in North Dakota, we played baseball until we were famished, fueled up and then played until we couldn’t see the ball.

Burke Athletic Club, a Positive Coaching Alliance partner in Fairfax County, Virginia, has pioneered a wonderful innovation that harks back to the “golden age of sandlot ball.”

Wednesday at Burke is Soccer Festival Wednesday where parents and coaches are kept away from the field and kids are allowed to just play. Athletes say they prefer it to “regular” practices with coaches telling them what to do.

It also engenders creativity, a key to both excellence and enjoyment of sport. Referring to a maneuver developed by Dutch soccer star Johan Cruyff, Burke leaders say, “…out there, there’s an Abby move, and a Katie move, just waiting to be discovered.”

Learn more.

Want to learn even more? Jim Thompson, Founder and Executive Director of the PCA,

has written several books on the topic:

_________________________________________________________

Positive Coaching Workshops

Prepare youth athletes from pre-school through high school for success in life on and off the playing fields
Emphasize character-education and life lessons through sports
Become outstanding educational-athletic programs, using our Roadmap to Excellence to create a shared vision among organizational leaders, coaches, parents and athletes.

Visit our Workshop page to register and learn more!

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