As I think I mentioned, I have been rereading John Wooden’s book , and it is making more and more sense to me. The drive to win is a drive, first of all. What drives drives? Fear. Specifically, I think in most cases, fear of failure. What does fear lead to? Aggression.
I think one could perhaps summarize Wooden’s approach as “approaching perfection through relaxation, rehearsal and time”.
There is no doubt in my mind that his practices were physically grueling, and required all the will and effort his players could muster. But what I feel is that there was little ANGER in his approach. I think he felt if he needed to get angry with someone, that person probably didn’t belong on his team. He speaks often of the power of gentleness, which is implicitly the power of gradualness and time.
When you are angry and fearful, you cannot manifest large plans in gradualistic ways over time in an organic way. You cannot water something carefully, just a little, every day without fail until it blossoms. You overwater one day, underwater the next, and forget entirely the following day. It is not a wholistic, gentle approach.
I will consider myself fully healed only when I can pursue gradualism in Wooden’s way, as I conceive it.
I will add as well that a quote I have long had in my head was from Ivan Pavlov. Someone asked him what the secret to success was, and he answered “Passion and gradualism”. That is where I get that word from.