Swen Nater
Coach Lubin’s Manipulation
The first time I was coached in basketball was my freshman year at Cypress College (I wasn’t on my high school team.). The first day of school, Tom Lubin, assistant coach and nephew of the great Frank Lubin—UCLA All American and starting center on the first US Olympic team, 1936—spotted me, at 6’9”, eating lunch. He talked me into trying out for the team and the next day, he and I met on the outside courts (we didn’t have a gym). He showed me the hook shot his uncle had taught him and I tried a few, but didn’t go very well. After about an hour, Lubin said, “If you get this shot down, you will be able to score against anyone in the world. But, you’ve got to practice a lot so that your aim and feel becomes automatic.”
I asked, “How many should I shoot per day?” He replied. I’m not sure; 100, perhaps 200, whatever you think you need.” He knew I needed more than that but didn’t tell me. On my own initiative, I started by shooting 500 per day.
Coach Wooden’s Magical Teaching Tool
When discussing teaching and learning (two sides of the same coin), Coach Wooden once told me, For motivating some players to improve, generally speaking, I found that if I could make them think, what I wanted them to do was their idea and not mine, they were likely to work even harder than what I had in mind.
During practice, Coach Wooden was king, sergeant, CEO, and dictator. We questioned nothing (except perhaps Walton on occasion). When practice was scheduled to begin at 2:29, it started at 2:29. When Coach said we were going to run a drill for ten minutes, we ran it for ten minutes. Nobody asked, “Coach, can we try that a couple of more times?” When he said, “Gracious sakes alive! That was terrible! Do it again and this time, watch the timing!” we did it again.
But within that controlled structure, once in awhile and only for certain players who needed a little more motivation, Coach used what I call, his “Make Them Think It’s Their Idea Manipulation.” (Yes, it was manipulation.) For effectiveness, he used it sparingly, but it was one of his magic teaching tools. He cunningly got us to do things without telling us to do them.
Bill Walton is credited with adding the pressure-release option to the “High-Low” offense, where he comes away from the basket, receives the ball, and gives a pressured player (one that the defender is guarding closely so he can’t get the ball) the backdoor pass for the layup. It was not part of the offense we were using but Bill, improvising as he did so well, made the play one day in practice. But he didn’t know, that play was already in Coach Wooden’s mind. Coach knew Bill would come up with it and didn’t instruct him to do it. He got Bill to think that was his (Bill’s) brilliant idea.
How to Make Them Think It’s Their Idea
So, you want to know how to become skilled at the “Make Them Think It’s Their Idea Manipulation?” I don’t know the formula but I’ll tell you how Lubin got me to shoot 500 hook shots instead of 200 (He’s reading this so now he knows, after 43 years, I’m on to him.)
1. Suggesting a Low, but Reasonable, Goal
200 was work but not difficult to do. Had he given me 500, it would have been a daunting thought. I had time to do more than 200.
2. Giving Positive Feedback
He saw me practice a couple of times and winked or gave me a thumbs up. He asked me how many I was shooting.
3. Bragging to Others
In the next week (after Lubin discovered I was shooting more than he asked), at least three people (coaches and teachers) told me, Lubin had told them I was surpassing his expectations. For me, that motivated me more than anything. He was proud of me. I didn’t want to let him down.
All three points are important but, if you want to be a master manipulator, like Wooden and Lubin, that last one is magic. Teachers that brag on their students (when deserved) can see incredible results, if word gets back to the students. (You’ll figure out a way to make that happen, I’m sure.)
Some of you know, I wrote over 200 poems for Coach Wooden and sent them to him. He kept them in a three-ring binder. At times, I was rolling them out at one or two a week. He always called and told me he appreciated them. But the factor that motivated me to keep them coming was, once in awhile, someone would call me and tell me Coach had read one of my poems to them and bragged on me. At the time, I had no idea Coach Wooden was manipulating me to get more poems. And I thought it was my idea.
Coach Lubin’s Manipulation
The first time I was coached in basketball was my freshman year at Cypress College (I wasn’t on my high school team.). The first day of school, Tom Lubin, assistant coach and nephew of the great Frank Lubin—UCLA All American and starting center on the first US Olympic team, 1936—spotted me, at 6’9”, eating lunch. He talked me into trying out for the team and the next day, he and I met on the outside courts (we didn’t have a gym). He showed me the hook shot his uncle had taught him and I tried a few, but didn’t go very well. After about an hour, Lubin said, “If you get this shot down, you will be able to score against anyone in the world. But, you’ve got to practice a lot so that your aim and feel becomes automatic.”
I asked, “How many should I shoot per day?” He replied. I’m not sure; 100, perhaps 200, whatever you think you need.” He knew I needed more than that but didn’t tell me. On my own initiative, I started by shooting 500 per day.
Coach Wooden’s Magical Teaching Tool
When discussing teaching and learning (two sides of the same coin), Coach Wooden once told me, For motivating some players to improve, generally speaking, I found that if I could make them think, what I wanted them to do was their idea and not mine, they were likely to work even harder than what I had in mind.
During practice, Coach Wooden was king, sergeant, CEO, and dictator. We questioned nothing (except perhaps Walton on occasion). When practice was scheduled to begin at 2:29, it started at 2:29. When Coach said we were going to run a drill for ten minutes, we ran it for ten minutes. Nobody asked, “Coach, can we try that a couple of more times?” When he said, “Gracious sakes alive! That was terrible! Do it again and this time, watch the timing!” we did it again.
But within that controlled structure, once in awhile and only for certain players who needed a little more motivation, Coach used what I call, his “Make Them Think It’s Their Idea Manipulation.” (Yes, it was manipulation.) For effectiveness, he used it sparingly, but it was one of his magic teaching tools. He cunningly got us to do things without telling us to do them.
Bill Walton is credited with adding the pressure-release option to the “High-Low” offense, where he comes away from the basket, receives the ball, and gives a pressured player (one that the defender is guarding closely so he can’t get the ball) the backdoor pass for the layup. It was not part of the offense we were using but Bill, improvising as he did so well, made the play one day in practice. But he didn’t know, that play was already in Coach Wooden’s mind. Coach knew Bill would come up with it and didn’t instruct him to do it. He got Bill to think that was his (Bill’s) brilliant idea.
How to Make Them Think It’s Their Idea
So, you want to know how to become skilled at the “Make Them Think It’s Their Idea Manipulation?” I don’t know the formula but I’ll tell you how Lubin got me to shoot 500 hook shots instead of 200 (He’s reading this so now he knows, after 43 years, I’m on to him.)
1. Suggesting a Low, but Reasonable, Goal
200 was work but not difficult to do. Had he given me 500, it would have been a daunting thought. I had time to do more than 200.
2. Giving Positive Feedback
He saw me practice a couple of times and winked or gave me a thumbs up. He asked me how many I was shooting.
3. Bragging to Others
In the next week (after Lubin discovered I was shooting more than he asked), at least three people (coaches and teachers) told me, Lubin had told them I was surpassing his expectations. For me, that motivated me more than anything. He was proud of me. I didn’t want to let him down.
All three points are important but, if you want to be a master manipulator, like Wooden and Lubin, that last one is magic. Teachers that brag on their students (when deserved) can see incredible results, if word gets back to the students. (You’ll figure out a way to make that happen, I’m sure.)
Some of you know, I wrote over 200 poems for Coach Wooden and sent them to him. He kept them in a three-ring binder. At times, I was rolling them out at one or two a week. He always called and told me he appreciated them. But the factor that motivated me to keep them coming was, once in awhile, someone would call me and tell me Coach had read one of my poems to them and bragged on me. At the time, I had no idea Coach Wooden was manipulating me to get more poems. And I thought it was my idea.
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