Coaching Quotes by John Wooden

Be quick without hurrying.

— John Wooden

You've never heard of them- and you never will .

— John Wooden

I am not a strategic coach; I am a practice coach.

— John Wooden

It's not what you teach, it's what you emphasize.

— John Wooden

Teamwork is not a preference, it is a requirement.

— John Wooden

Happiness begins where selfishness ends.

— John Wooden

Be quick, but don't hurry.

— John Wooden

Drink deeply from good books.

— John Wooden

A player who makes a team great is better than a great player.

— John Wooden

A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment.

— John Wooden

Promise to wear a cheerful appearance at all times and give every person you meet a smile.

— John Wooden

Teaching players during practices was what coaching was all about to me.

— John Wooden

“A good coach can change a game. A great coach can change a life.”

— John Wooden

Promise yourself that you will talk health, happiness, and prosperity as often as possible.

— John Wooden

Over-coaching can be more harmful than under-coaching. Keep it simple!

— John Wooden

If we magnified blessings as much as we magnify disappointments, we would all be much happier.

— John Wooden

I continually stress to my players that all I expect from them at practice and in the games is their maximum effort.

— John Wooden

Knowledge is not enough to get desired results. You must have the more elusive ability to teach and to motivate. This defines…

— John Wooden

Promise to think only the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best from yourself and others.

— John Wooden

I do not want players who do not have a keen desire to win and do not play hard and aggressively to…

— John Wooden

You must have respect, which is a part of love, for those under your supervision. Then they will do what you ask…

— John Wooden

I never let our players get satisfied, I never let our Coaches get satisfied, I was never satisfied. We can always do…

— John Wooden

Good coaching is about leadership and instilling respect in your players. Dictators lead through fear - good coaches do not.

— John Wooden

Winning games, titles and championships isn't all it's cracked up to be, but getting there, the journey, is a lot more than…

— John Wooden

The general feeling is, if you don't treat everyone the same you're showing partiality. To me, that's when you show the most…

— John Wooden

In the end, it's about the teaching, and what I always loved about coaching was the practices. Not the games, not the…

— John Wooden

Motivating through fear may work in the short term to get people to do something, but over the long run I believe…

— John Wooden

Build shelter against a rainy day.

— John Wooden

The better conditioned team will probably win in the long run.

— John Wooden

Remember this, the choices you make in life, make you.

— John Wooden

Big things are accomplished only through the perfection of minor details.

— John Wooden

Make sure that team members know they are working with you, not for you.

— John Wooden

The greatest ally you have to get things working well and the players performing as a team is the bench. Don't be…

— John Wooden

The team is the star, never an individual player.

— John Wooden

Conditioning is essential to success in basketball.

— John Wooden

Everything we know, we learned from someone else!

— John Wooden

You haven't taught until they've learned.

— John Wooden

Do passing drills that come from your offense.

— John Wooden

Make friendship a fine art.

— John Wooden

The team with the most talent usually wins.

— John Wooden