THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SKILL AND TALENT

What many people in football—and in business—fail to understand is that there’s a major difference between skill and talent. Skills are basic tools, and we all know they’re important; in football, for instance, you can’t play if you can’t run. But skills alone can’t carry you if you lack the talent to apply them in performance. And talent—and certainly greatness—is more than the sun of a person’s skills. Larry Bird was a great basketball player, but not because he could run or jump or even shoot.

From "Finding A Way To Win" by Bill Parcells

DELIBERATE PRACTICE: WHAT IT IS AND WHAT IT ISN'T

The following comes from "Talent Is Overrated" by Geoff Colvin

While the best methods of development are constantly changing, they’re always built around a central principle: They’re meant to stretch the individual beyond his or her current abilities. They may sound obvious, but most of us don’t do it in the activities e think of as practice.

By contrast, deliberate practice requires that one identify certain sharply defined elements of performance that need to be improve, and then work intently on them.

Choosing these aspects of performance is itself and important skill.

Identifying the learning zone, which is not simple, and then forcing oneself to stay continually in it as it changes, which is even harder – these are the first and most important characteristics of deliberate practice.

It can be repeated a lot. High repetition is the most important difference between deliberate practice of a task and performing the task for real, when it counts. Tiger Woods may face that buried lie in the sand only two or three times in a season, and if those were his only opportunities to work on hitting that shot, he certainly wouldn’t be able to hit it very well.

Repeating a specific activity over and over is what most of us mean by practice, yet for most of us it isn’t especially effective. After all, I was repeating something – hitting golf ball – on the driving range. Two points distinguished deliberate practice from what most of us actually do. One is the choice of a properly demanding activity in the learning zone, as discussed.

The other is the amount of repetition. Top performers repeat their practice activities to stultifying extent. Ted Williams, baseball’s greatest hitter, would practice hitting until his hands bled. Pete Maravich, whose college basketball records still stand after more than thirty years, would go to the gym when it opened in the morning and shoot baskets until it closed at night.

More generally, the most effective deliberate practice activities are those that can be repeated at high volume.

Feedback on results is continuously available. Steve Kerr, former chief learning officer of Goldman Sachs and a highly respected researcher on leadership development, says that practicing without feedback is like bowling through a curtain that hangs down to knee level. You can work on technique all you like, but if you can’t se the effects, two things will happen: You won’t get any better, and you’ll stop caring.

Getting feedback on most practice activities is easy. Lift the curtain and a bowler knows immediately how he did; in sports generally, seeing the results of practice is no problem.

It’s highly demanding mentally. Deliberate practice is above all an effort of focus and concentration. This is what makes it “deliberate,” as distinct from the mindless playing of scales or hitting of tennis balls that most people engage in. Continually seeking exactly those elements of performance that are unsatisfactory and then trying one’s hardest to make them better places enormous strains on anyone’s mental abilities.

The work is so great that it seems no one can sustain it for very long. A finding that is remarkably consistent across disciplines is that four or five hours a day seems to be the upper limit of deliberate practice, and this is frequently accomplished in sessions lasting no more than an hour to ninety minutes.

It isn’t much fun. This follows inescapably from the other characteristics of deliberate practice, which could be described as a recipe for not having fun. Doing things we know how to do well is enjoyable, and that’s exactly the opposite of what deliberate practice demands. Instead of doing what we’re good at, we insistently seek out what we’re not good at. Then we identify the painful, difficult activities that will make us better and do those things over and over. After each repetition, we force ourselves to see – or get others to tell us – exactly what sill isn’t right so we can repeat the most painful and difficult parts of what we’ve just done. We continue that process until we’re mentally exhausted.

Ericson and his colleagues stated it clearly in their article: Deliberate practice “is not inherently enjoyable.”

If it seems a bit depressing that the most important thing you can do to improve performance is no fun, take consolation in this fact; It must be so. If the activities that lead to greatness were easy and fun, then everyone would do them and they would not distinguish the best from the rest. The reality that deliberate practice is hard and even been seen as good news. It means that most people won’t do it. So your willingness to do it will distinguish you all the more.

CHUCK DALY'S APPROACH TO SCOUTING

My good friend Brendan Suhr some time ago wrote an outstanding book on the philosophy of Chuck Daly for whom he worked with in the NBA and with USA Basketball.  I've shared some parts of the book from time to time but as a coach I recommend you get the book as it is packed with so much valuable information.  Here is a brief review of their scouting philosophy:

Scouting reports for the players -- 2 pages


--Depth Chart of opponent

--10 keys to winning

--8 Set plays; 2 Early Offense sets; 2 Side OB’s; 2 BOB’s

We want our players to feel that they are prepared and confident, but not overloaded with information.

Our coaches have basically a book on each opponent, so that we know EVERYTHING they do. The philosophy that we believe in is very similar to what Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots has: “I don’t tell our players everything that I know, rather I tell them what they need to know to WIN the game.” Chuck also liked Coach Wooden’s approach of focusing on your own teams preparation, not your opponents.

From "Chuck Daly Coaching" by Brendan Suhr

ATTITUDE IN -- ATTITUDE OUT

Another from Jeffery Gitomer -- as I am reading his "The Little Book of Leadership."  It is an absolutely great read -- he does a great job or organizing his thoughts on the subject of leadership.  It's been an important book for me to read and I think it would make for a great book for your captains as well.

This comes from a section Gitomer titled "Attitude In. Attidue Out":

Attitude is at the core of success -- yours first!  If your a leader that's looking to succeed and leave a legacy of achievement and accolade, then you may want to start higher than your goals and aspirations to uncover the way to make those aspirations a reality.

When you wake up in the morning, how do you feel?

When you get to your place of work, how do you feel?

When you greet members of your team, what is your tone?

When you conduct a meeting, what is your tone?

Here are the attitude questions to ask yourself:

◄How are my people affected by my feelings and tones?


◄How do my feelings and expressions affect my team’s attitude?

◄How does my attitude impact their responses to me, to each other, and to outside people?

◄And finally, how does my attitude, my mood, and my tone affect their performances.

KEY POINT OF UNDERSTANDING: You set the tone for your people to follow. If they’re not happy, first look at yourself.

A WORLD-CLASS LEADER

Your people need to see your dedication to become dedicated.

Your people need to see your enthusiasm to become enthusiastic.

Your people need to see your belief to become believers.

Yourj people need to see your hard work to maximize their hard work.

-Jeffrey Gitomer

A SEASON WITH MAJERUS: A SUNDAY PRACTICE IN NOVEMBER

Our latest entry from A Season With Majerus looks at practice on Sunday morning, November 11, 1999.

1. Coverdown on Post Feed
--Drop - see biggest part of the floor...if shooter drop then finger touch & deny back
--Cover is leave 2 hand trace ball on recover breakdown right away
--Sandwich
-Yo-Yo (50/50) (70/30 to post) (70/30 to ball)

2. Weber
--3 outlets and deep diagonal
--Attack

3. Defending Flex
--Take away low cut...with body on down screener on shooter...up middle on all others.

*Switch if you have to...the mismatch won't beat us -- the open shot will.]

4. Skill
Guards: 3/3 Dribble Weave
Post: 4 Out/1 In -- 1/1 in Post

5. 5/5 vs. White
--Red ball pick on wing/leave on dead

6. Big Up

7. Zone O...Yankee and Rebel

8. #2 Flop

9. 5/5 Scrimmage

MY ONE WORD: DISCIPLINE

About a week ago, I completed the book "One Word" by Jon Gordon, Dan Britton and Jimmy Page.  It's not a difficult read.  In fact, the book was written so that it's 71 pages can be read in 45 minutes or less.  But the message and process is powerful -- "One Word That Will Change Your Life."

The book takes you in detail thought three-step process to help you in your journey to discover your own personal word that will transform you.

Quickly the three steps are...

Prepare Your Heart -- This is where you take action to strategically disengage from the hectic pace of life and look inside.

Discover Your Word -- This step helps you ask simple questions to find your word.

Live Your Word -- This is the fun part.  We help you experience your word and apply it to every area of your life.

Reading the book has you thoroughly go through the process.  After reading the book they suggest you take some time to do some soul searching which I did.  And my word?

DISCIPLINE

I have let the grind of coaching serve as an excuse to get get away from the disciplines of my life that I need to be successful.  This would include my health (diet and exercise), my family, my personal growth and practically all facets of my life.

It sounds like a big word but it is really about me giving thought to the details and then executing them within my life. 

Another guideline of the book is to share your word with others.  It serves as a commitment when you tell others.  You also incorporate those close to you to serve as supporters of your mission.  I thought blogging about my word would be a great way to put it out there -- I need help keeping my "word" in front of me.  There are methods of doing this but you'd be better serve purchase the book for the detailed approach!

EVERYTHING LOOKS LIKE FAILURE IN THE MIDDLE

In his book, "The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth" John Maxwell talks about failing how it is important to the process of success.  After all, there needs to be mistakes along the way in order for us to discover what we need to do and become to be successful.

As Maxwell states, "Everything looks like a failure in the middle."

To prove his point, he quotes a passage by Price Pritchett:

"You can't bake a cake without getting the kitchen messy.  Halfway through surgery it looks like there's been a murder in the operating room.  If you send a rocket to the moon, about ninety percent of the time it's off course -- it 'fails' its way to the moon by continually making mistakes and correcting them."

A basketball season is much the same way.  For teams that struggle early but find their way to the NCAA tournament or win their conference tournament -- there's a reason.  The high school team that is .500 much of the year only to go on a long run and advance deep into their state tournament -- there's a story.  Those our teams who didn't let failure and losses be failure and losses.  They utilized them to learn more about themselves and what they needed to do to improve.

If you are coaching or playing on a team that is not playing to their potential, it is not time to pout or complain or make excuses.  It's time to take a look at how to improve and advance.

IMPROVING THE PRACTICE PLAN

No one would argue the notion that you need to plan out your practices.  Coaches, managers, organizational development teams all plan for the time they have to develop their staff.  As we have learned from our work at Uncommon over the past several years, chances are that what you are doing now probably isn't nearly good enough, if you want exceptional results from your practice sessions.

Specifically, we are perpetually astonished at just how much it pays off to do three things:

1. Plan with data-driven objectives in mind

2. Plan down to the last minute

3. Rehearse and revise the plan

Coaches and leaders often fail to recognize that planning practice must be a data-driven endeavor.  What is more, the best coaches constantly adapt their practice in response to what they learn about the needs of their team from on-the-job performance and from the results of practice itself.  As people succeed at tasks, you add complexity; as they struggle, you reduce it.

Good plans for practice leave nothing to chance.  There is no question of which drill will be inserted where, or who will get a chance to practice which skills.  There is no mid-practice poll of what favorite drill to do next, no free time earned for efficiency in completing activities.  Plans that lead to successful practice account for each minute with useful activity.

From "Practice Perfect" by Doug Lemov, Erica Woolway, and Katie Yezzi

THE ART OF STORY TELLING TO TEACH AND MOTIVATE

The best motivating coaches I've observed are great story tellers.  And often, the utilize examples of other athletes or successful people in other walks of life to try and create and attachment in which to build from.  The following comes from David Brown at Yahoo! Sports with an example of Nick Saban and what he utilized before the national championship game.

Alabama coach Nick Saban, in explaining the importance of keeping mentally focused against Notre Dame on Monday night, invoked New York Yankees' closer Mariano Rivera. One of the best pitchers ever — even if for an inning at a time — Rivera requires keen focus in order to ignore the distractions that come with finishing off a tight ballgame. The best athletes in the world tune out all sorts of distractions, Saban said:

"We just watched a video of Mariano Rivera, and he talked about when he struggled at some time in his career because he was trying to be a perfectionist. And that when he's in the bullpen, he sees the crowd, he hears the crowd ... but when he runs out and they hand him the ball, he's got one focus; he's not worried about the crowd, he's not worried about any of the external factors. One focus: Three outs. 'How am I going to get three outs?' I think a team's ability to do that, to stay focused on the things that are going to affect the outcome of the game, are critical in games like this."