John Wooden Quotes on Teaching and Learning

In my research for What Teachers Can Learn from Sports Coaches, I discovered numerous quotes from successful coaches on the topics of teaching and learning. Below are a handful of great quotes from John Wooden, legendary basketball coach at UCLA, who was recognized by many as a master teacher.

"I believe it's impossible to claim you have taught, when there are students who have not learned."

"If I am through learning, I am through."

"Pay attention to the details and the big things will take care of themselves."

"I deeply believed that the teacher and coach who has the ability to properly plan... from both the daily and the long-range point of view together with the ability to devise the necessary drills to meet his particular needs for maximum efficiency, has tremendously increased his possibility of success."

"They are all different ... There is no formula ... You can't work with them exactly the same way."

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

"If we, as coaches, aren't teachers, we are nothing."

"When everyone has good players, #teaching will be a telling difference."

"When I was coaching I always considered myself a teacher. Teachers tend to follow the laws of learning better than coaches who do not have any teaching background. A coach is nothing more than a teacher. I used to encourage anyone who wanted to coach to get a degree in teaching so they could apply those principles to athletics."

"It is difficult for young players to learn - because of the great emphasis on records - but, ideally, the joy and frustration of sport should come from the performance itself, not the score. While he is playing, the worst thing a player can think about in terms of concentration - and therefore of success - is losing. The next worst is winning."

"The purpose of discipline is not to punish, but to correct."

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do."

"Never mistake activity for achievement."

"Decisions are more apt to be accepted when you've listened to suggestions first. I wanted them to see the reason behind what I asked of them, not to do things just because I said so."

"Learn as if you were to live forever. Live as if you were going to die tomorrow."

“The coach is first of all a teacher.”

Join the conversation about coaching and teaching on social media using #coachteach.