Constant Improvement (Kaizen)

Constant Improvement (Kaizen)

Sense of urgency
Buying-in
Attention to detail
Team workouts

Types of Players

4 Types of Players:
1.  Unconscious  &  Incompetent:  These  types  of  players  “don’t  know  that  they  don’t know.” They aren’t even aware that they don’t have a feel for the game. These players
aren’t going to contribute on a winning team.
2.  Conscious & Incompetent: These players now realize that “they know they don’t have it.”  These  players  still  don’t  have  a  feel  for  the  game  and  are  lacking  in  the  skill
department but they realize where their weaknesses are and can now begin to improve
-> Awareness is the beginning of correction.
3.  Conscious  &  Competent:  At  this  level  of  development,  the  player  is  able  to  perform various  skills  (competent),  but  he  /  she  must  think  about  everything  that  he  is  doing
before performing the skill; i.e. catch the ball, go into triple threat, direct drive, etc.
->You know, but you don’t flow. Very robotic.
4.  Unconscious  &  Competent:  The  most  difficult  level  to  reach,  this  player  can  perform the skills without having to think about them. For this type of player, the game naturally “flows.”

Guiding Principles

“Simplicity is Complicated.” You must keep the game simple for your players. If they have to think too much, they won’t be able to react. A good quote is “the more they think, the slower their
feet get.” A great coach teaches his or her players a few simple principles from which the program is known by, and then, that coach lets the players play the game.


I try to live one day at a time, and not worry about tomorrow. I try to live a disciplined life and accept the result of that disciplined life as the will of God.

Victory is achieved before, not during the game.

Team Building

Team Sports Are Really Difficult Things. Sometimes Your Team Wins Because Of You, Sometimes In Spite Of You, And Sometimes It’S Like You Are Not Even There. That’S The Reality Of The Team Game. At One Point In My Career Something Wonderful Happened; I Don’T Know Why Or How, But I Came To Understand What “Team” Meant. It Meant That Although I Didn’T Get A Hit Or Make A Great Defensive Play, I Could Still Impact The Team In An Incredible And Consistent Way. I Learned I Could Impact My Team By Caring First And Foremost About The Team’S Success And Not My Own. I Don’T Mean By Rooting For Us Like A Typical Fan - Fans Are Fickle. I Mean Care, Really Care About The Team…About “Us.” I Became Less Selfish, Less Lazy, And Less Sensitive To Negative Comments. When I Gave Up Me I Became More. I Became A Captain, A Leader, A Better Person And I Came To Understand That Life Is A Team Game…And You Know What? I’Ve Found Most People Aren’T Team Players. They Don’T Realize That Life Is The Only Game In Town. Someone Should Tell Them. It Has Made All The Difference In The World To Me.            

Don Mattingly