Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsOne of my very favorite parts of this book is the quote
Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2018
If you’ve been present in the twenty-first century you know days have vanished for when coaches were respected as much for their off-court performances as for their success on the court. However, in, A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections on and off the Court brings to light the timeless wisdom of the extraordinary UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden. In honest and telling passages, Coach brings to light his Reflections and Observations about virtually every aspect of his life. Wooden shares his personal philosophy on family, achievement, success, and excellence. Raised on a small farm in Halls, Indiana, he offers the lessons and wisdom he’s learned over the course of his journey through life, being a coach for UCLA, and what he’s as a husband, and being the father of two kids. These lessons, along with personal letters from Denny Crum, and Kareem Abdul-Jabber, have made Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections on and off the Court, a book for the ages. One of my very favorite parts of this book is the quote, “Always try to be the very best you can be. Learn from others, yes. But don’t try to be better than they are”(Wooden 92). My gymnastics coach uses this idea from the quote a lot during practice. He tells us not to compare ourselves to others but to focus on our success. When you waste all your energy trying to become someone else, you won’t become what you could be. This is what Wooden expressed in the quote, and it struck out to me because of how raw and true it was. If your into books that help create a new sense of confidence or books that can help get you out of something tough, this book is for you! Wooden’s book, A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections on and off the Court, plays more into mental survival rather than physical. He expresses the lessons he’s learned while coaching, and raising a family. He takes what anybody could be struggling with and shares how he handled it and what he learned from it from his personal experience. It has helped others to get through there rough patches. Wooden’s book is full of different lessons he has learned, but in a style where each excerpt is only 3-4 pages long. So if you’re like me, and don’t like to read long passages, this book is for you! Wooden was a very influential person, and that was shown very clearly in this book! So if you are struggling with anything, he may just be your solution.
