John Wooden won 10 national championships at UCLA.
But one of the first things he taught his players every year had nothing to do with offense, defense, or basketball strategy.
He taught them how to put on their socks.
Smooth them out. Make sure there are no wrinkles. Put the shoe on correctly. Tie it the right way.
Why?
A wrinkle could cause a blister. A blister could affect practice. A bad practice could affect performance.
Wooden understood something that I think we sometimes make way too complicated:
Big results are built through small things done well, over and over again.
I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately.
We have more information available to us than at any point in history. A young person can pull out a phone and learn how to throw harder, shoot a puck better, study more effectively, manage pressure, communicate, lead, get stronger, or prepare for a job interview.
The information is everywhere.
But information isn’t development.
Development requires reps.
Learn something. Do something.
Think about how it went. Get feedback from somebody who cares about you. Then do it again.
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been fortunate to spend time with some really interesting people in sports, education, technology, and human development. Different conversations keep coming back to the same idea:
What if technology didn’t just give young people more things to consume?
What if technology helped them practice becoming better?
Better students. Better athletes. Better teammates. Better communicators. Better sons and daughters. Better people.
Imagine learning one idea about preparation in the morning, intentionally putting it into practice during the day, reflecting on it that evening, and having a parent, teacher, coach, or mentor able to see the work and encourage you.
Then you wake up and do it again.
Not once a semester.
Every day.
That’s interesting.
I don’t think technology replaces a great teacher, parent, coach, or mentor. I think the real opportunity is exactly the opposite.
Technology can help the right people become more involved in a young person’s development.
It can help connect the lesson to the action, the action to the reflection, and the reflection to a conversation with somebody who cares.
The goal isn’t more screen time.
The goal is more doing.
More reflecting.
More connecting.
More growth.
John Wooden started with socks because he understood that championships were being built long before anyone raised a trophy.
I think developing great young people works the same way.
Find one small thing worth getting better at this week.
Practice it every day.
Pay attention to what happens.
Then do it again.
In Case You Missed It 📌
Last week, Marco Soto joined us and shared the story behind Soto Gloves.
One part really stuck with me.
Marco talked about a point when he nearly quit. Then one Little League game changed his trajectory.
It fits this week’s message pretty well.
Sometimes it isn’t the giant breakthrough that changes things.
Sometimes it’s one conversation. One coach sending an encouraging short clip. One person who believes in you. One small win that gives you enough momentum to keep going.
Learn more about Marco and Soto Gloves:
https://sotogloves.com/
If you missed last week’s Class, watch it here:
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Join Us for The Class | Wednesday at 6 p.m. Pacific 🎯
This week in The Class, we’re going to talk about separation.
Not separating yourself from other people.
The ability to separate one task from the next.
A bad test doesn’t have to follow you into practice. A mistake at practice doesn’t have to come home with you. A difficult conversation doesn’t have to control the next one.
The ability to finish one thing, reset, and fully engage in what comes next is a skill.
And like everything else we’re talking about this week, it can be practiced.
We’re also excited to welcome Coach Carrie La Cour for a special conversation on sports nutrition for the student-athlete. We’ll dive into practical nutrition and fueling habits for baseball players, including how proper fueling and hydration can support performance, recovery, and overall health.
Coach Carrie provides customized nutritional coaching focused on intuitive eating, sustainable habit building, and sports nutrition for student-athletes, and we’re excited for our athletes to learn from her.
Join us Wednesday at 6 p.m. Pacific.
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85644389445
Smooth your socks, fuel your body, and join us. 🧦⚾
On the Adventure,
Greg Moore