Continuing the series of quotes for coaches, it’s time to look at the themes of practice and preparation. These two themes remain integral for the success of any basketball program. Finding the right words to inspire your team can be one of the most difficult tasks for any basketball coach. But sometimes, those words of wisdom might very well be the difference between an engaged and ready squad, and one that falls flat. Here’s a look at another set of great quotes for basketball coaches.

Quotes for Coaches: Practice

  • When I played with Michael Jordan on the Olympic team, there was a huge gap between his ability and the ability of the other great players on that team. But what impressed me was that he was always the first one on the floor and the last one to leave. – Steve Alford
  • But it’s the wrestler who can put the fatigue out of his mind and break through the “wall,” like a marathon runner after 18 or 20 miles, who will survive. The key to that survival is in hard workouts that develop mental confidence to the point where you won’t submit to fatigue and pain descending upon you. – Lou Banach
  • If I had stood at the free-throw line and thought about 10 million people watching me on the other side of the camera lens, I couldn’t have made anything. So, I mentally tried to put myself in a familiar place. I thought about all those times I shot free throws in practice and went through the same motion, the same technique that I had used thousands of times. You forget about the outcome. You know you are doing the right things. So, you relax and perform. – Michael Jordan
  • Practice without improvement is meaningless. – Chuck Knox
  • There’s a lot of blood, sweat, and guts between dreams and success. – Paul “Bear” Bryant
  • It takes less time to do something right the first time, than it does to explain why you did it wrong. – Unknown
  • It isn’t the hours you put in, but what you put in the hours. – Unknown
  • Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together. – Vincent Van Gogh
  • The wise does at once what the fool does at last. – Gracian Balthasar

Quotes for Coaches: Preparation

  • I’ve found that when you go the extra mile, it’s never crowded. – Unknown
  • Most battles are won before they are fought. – Sun Tzu
  • Spectacular achievements come from unspectacular preparation. – Roger Staubach
  • Before I’d get in the ring, I’d have already won or lost it on the road. The real part is won or lost somewhere far away from witnesses – behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights. – Muhammad All
  • The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war. – Chinese proverb
  •  Winning is the science of being totally prepared. – George Allen
  • There will come a time when winter will ask what you were doing all summer – Henry Clay
  • The secret of our success is found in our daily agenda. – John C. Maxwell
  • Yelling doesn’t win ball games. It doesn’t put any points on the scoreboard. And I don’t think words win ball games all the time. Players do. Preparation does. – Jerry Tarkanian
  • Spectacular achievement is always preceded by spectacular preparation. – Robert Schuller
  • The only preparation for tomorrow is the right use of today. – Unknown
  • Confidence comes from being prepared. – John Wooden
  • If you plan to go the distance, you have to do the roadwork. – Chuck Parker
  • If you fail to plan, plan to fail. – Unknown
  • Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you are ready or not, to put this plan into action. – Napoleon Hill
  • Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. – Unknown
  • Chance favors those who are prepared. – Louis Pasteur

Related: Quotes for Coaches: Hard Work and Opportunity


Resources:


Coach Unplugged Podcast: 

Youth Player Development

Ep 1561 Practice Structure and Thoughts


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