ON REACHING AGREEMENTS

To Genereal John C. Pemberton, who was commanding the Confederate forces trapped within Vicksburg, surrendering with the "honors of war" was an important issue. He wrote to Ulysses S Grant:

"...in justice voth to the honor and spirit of my troops, manifested in the defense of Vicksburg...at ten o'clock a.m. tomorrow [July 4, 1863], I propose to...surrender by marching out with my colors and arms, stacking them in front of my present lines. After which you till take possession."

To this Grant replied:

"If you mean by your proposition for each brigade to march to the front of the lines now occupied by it, and stack arms at ten o'clock a.m., and then return to the inside and there remain as prisoners until properly paroled, I will make no objections to it."

LESSON: Agreements are reached when each party thinks it has cut the best deal it can. A bargain is when each party thinks it has gotten the better of the other. Onve of the best ways to insure that the party you are negotiating with thinks it is getting a bargain is to yield on symbolic issues that are important to the other party but have no substantive impact on the results of the negotiations.

One Possession

By Jeff Smith

It was only one possession,
Why must my coach scream,
My poor defense permitted the basket,
But what can one hoop mean?

As the pass comes my direction,
And I fumble it into the stands,
The coach's voice rings loud and clear,
"Catch with your eyes and hands!"

C'mon coach, its a single possession,
Our team will be okay,
It's just the first two minutes,
My gosh, we got all day.

At the 2nd quarter mark I remember,
That the center is strong and stout,
A putback for two, quite simply due,
To my failure to turn and blockout.

But it was only one possession,
I didn't commit a crime,
My team is ahead and I'm playing well,
And there's still plenty of time!

As the halftime buzzer is sounding,
And I watch the ball bank in,
I know I will hear from my loving coach,
Of my questionable effort to defend.

But it was only one possession,
Coach - don't have a heart attack!
We're down by one, but were having fun,
I know we'll get the lead back!

The second half mirrors the first,
But it's early, it's not a big deal
That my failure to use a pass fake
Results in an unlikely steal.

But quickly I sink a jumper,
I'm greeted by high fives and slaps,
but the next possession I give up a layup,
while suffering mental lapse.

But its only one possession,
C'mon coach, chill out.
It's crazy to see you disgusted,
As you slap the assistant and shout.

"Victory favors the team making the fewest mistakes.
Single possessions are the key.
So treat them like gold and do as you are told.
And play with intensity."

I step to the line for one and one,
But I'm having a concentration lapse.
The ball soars through the air - Good Lord, it's a brick!
I'm afraid the support will collapse.

In post game I sit at my locker,
Pondering what more I could do.
I realize the value of each possession,
what a shame that we lost by two.

PUSHING

We will be PUSHING our athletes for success in athletics, academics, and in life.

Passion – do not be luke warm. Have a fire your teammates can depend on.

Unity – do not divide our house. A team united is a stronger team. Be more concerned with what is right, not who is right.

Servant-hood – make your teammates better. Doing what is best for our team brings the success we are all working for. Lead by example – be willing to do the little things needed for success.

Humility – have pride, not arrogance. Let the team’s performance speak for itself.

Identity – know who we are and what we do. The star of the team is the team. WE supersedes me.

Notable – bring positive attention to our program in everything that you do. You are an ambassador of our program in class, in the hallways, in the community – everywhere!

Gracious – learn to win and lose with class. Respect will be earned through our character revealed in athletic competition.

PEOPLE NEED MEANINGFUL WORK

When Ulysses S Grant's name is mentioned, the first image most Americans have is that of a hard-drinking general. This characterization of Grant dates from his last pre-Civil War army post, at Fort Humboldt, California. He had left his wife nearly two years earlier, pregnant and with their two-year old son. Grant was homesick, but more importantly, because he and his commanding officer did not hit it off, he was given no work to do. On February 2, 1854, he wrote a letter to his wife that began: "You do not know how forsaken I feel here."

"My family...consisted now of a wife and two children. I saw no chance of supporting them on the Pacific coast out of my pay as an army officer. I concluded therefore to resign." Ulysses S Grant

Because he had no meaningful responsibilities, Grant's feelings of loneliness were exacerbated. This, in turn, led to increased drinking and his resignation from the army.

LESSON: Without meaningful work, life stinks. People become demoralized and incapacitated. Some become permanently turned off and lose their future potential. Having a chronically underworked staff is every bit as bad as having one that is overworked.

PERFORMANCE AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR

"When you give it your best effort, you may run out of time, but you will never lose a game, regardless of the score!"

Coaches expect their players to play with determination and effort, to play hard, and to play through adversity; but very few coaches give them the means or the tools that will allow them to accomplish these great expectations. Knowing and understanding the various phases of human behavior and how they effect performance will enable players not only to play through adversity, but to be more successful and productive in the process.

When faced with a difficult task or adversity, players will progress through the following three phases or levels of human behavior:

Phase I: EFFORT AND DETERMINATION

• Success is achieved through hard work and determination. Great athletes view adversity and pressure situations as challenges rather than threats. They are very determined, and will work harder for longer periods of time than mediocre ones.

• Players must learn to play through adversity to be successful. "Only worry about the things you can control." In fact, great athletes never allow a bad call or bad play effect their performance & concentration. They may have some bad moments, but never a bad game (or day).

• All great athletes possess the ability to bounce back. "No matter how many times you get knocked down, you are only beaten when you fail to get up."
Rev. Bob Richards: The Atmosphere of Greatness

Phase II: LOSS OF SELF-CONTROL

• When efforts are unsuccessful, players progress into the second phase of behavior and start to loose self-control. They become frustrated and aggressive, getting verbally and physically abusive. They look for excuses or scapegoats. This loss of self-control can sometimes get violent and hostile (push turns to shove).

• Since frustration and aggression requires a great expenditure of physical, emotional, and spiritual energy, this phase of loss of self-control only lasts for a short period of time.

• Because of their determination, work ethic and their ability to control their emotions in the face of adversity, great athletes very rarely advance to this second phase of human behavior.

Phase III: QUITTING

• Since players are physically, mentally and spiritually beaten, they will advance quickly into the third phase of behavior and quit.

• The situation is not worth any more effort. They give up entirely and throw in the towel.

BEST EFFORT

"Winning is the only thing!" This may be true on the Professional level, however, on all other levels of the game of basketball giving your best effort is of the utmost importance. Playing through adversity is one of the most important lessons players can learn from this great game.

IF YOU SHOOT THE MESSENGERS

While Ulysses S. Grant thought so highly of General Meade that he recommended his promotion at the same time he recommended General Sherman's, Grant was well aware of Meade's shortcomings.

"He was unfortunately of a temper that would get beyond his control, at times, and make him speak to officers of high rank in the most offensive manner. No one saw this fault more plainly than he himself, and no one regretted it more. This made it unpleasant at times, even in battle, for those around him to approach him even with information." Ulysses S. Grant

LESSON: If you keep shooting the messengers, they will stop coming.

IT'S NOT A DEMOCRACY

General Ulysses S. Grant did not believe in holding "councils of war."

"I believe it is better for a commander charged with the responsibility of all the operations of his army to consult his generals freely but informally, get their views and opinions and then make up his mind what action to take, and act accordingly." Ulysses S. Grant

LESSON: It's critically important to get input from you coaching staff before making a decision, but you abdicate your head coaching responsibilities by puttind decisions to a vote.

I DO HAVE FAVORITES

Someone might accuse me of having favorites on our team. You're right. I do have favorites. My favorites are those athletes who most fervently do what I ask of them. To those that do, I give more attention. I talk to them more. I spend more time teaching them. I also expect more of them.

The implication is made that my favorites improve more than others do because they are my favorites, that is somehow unfair. Don't mistake cause for effort.
Fact is that the athletes who come to me ready to learn, ready to listen, ready to act on what they learn, and try it my way even if it is more challenging and difficult than they imagine, are ready to get more out of our program. They are my favorites.

As a coach, I have only one thing to offer an athlete. What I can offer is my attention. This means I attend to their needs. The reward for good behavior should be attention - attending to their needs. The consequence of inattention, lack of effort, unwillingness or not ready to learn, or just plain offensive or disruptive behavior, is my inattention to that athlete.

As a coach, I want athletes that are eager to learn, eager to experiment, to improve, and eager to work hard. I want athletes who come to me for help in developing their mental and physical skills and are willing to accept what I have to offer. Otherwise, why do they come to me? I am going to reward that athlete with my attention. In doing so, I encourage others to become like the athlete above. If I spend my time with the unwilling, and/or disruptive player, I would only be encouraging undesirable behavior.

Over time, this makes it appear that my "favorites" are the better basketball players. This is not so at all. The better basketball players are those who pay attention. Thus, they become my favorites.

What the accusing person does not realize, is that you must have favorites if anyone is to develop in a positive fashion. The coach's job is to reward those who exhibit positive, developmental behaviors. Those are my "favorites", and they should be.

WHEN A BARGAIN IS NOT A BARGAIN

In the spring of 1852, Ulysses S. Grant's regiment, with him as quartermaster, was ordered to California via Panama. The last twenty-five miles of the trip across the Isthmus had to be made by mule-train.

"A contract had been entered into with the steamship company in New York for the transportation of the regiment to California, including the Isthmus transit...But when we reached Cruces there was not a mule, either for pack or saddle, in the place. The contractor promised that the animals would be on hand in the morning. In the morning he said that they were on the way from some imaginary place, and would arrive in the course of the day. This went on until I saw that he could not procure the animals at all at the price he had promised to furnish them for...I therefore myself dismissed the contractor and made a new contract with a native, at more than double the original price." Ulysses S. Grant

LESSON: A supplier who can't deliver as promised is not worth dealing with at any price. If you make price your only consideration, it will almost certainly cost you more in the end. Contracts with suppliers should include performance standards as well as penalty and exit provisions for failure to meet those standards.

Reasons To Use A Motion Basketball Offense

In a Motion Offense, five players move with a purpose to create both offensive situations that are difficult to defend and the best possible shot opportunities. There are several reasons for using this style of basketball offense. We will discuss these reasons, the components necessary to execute this basketball offense, the basic principles of Motion Offense, and key concepts.

Benefits of Using A Motion Basketball Offense

Difficult to Defend

The hardest offensive player to defend is the one who is moving. Furthermore, the most difficult offensive maneuver to defend is a basketball screen. Motion Offense involves five players constantly moving and screening for each other. This style is contrary to most pattern basketball offenses that do not have all five players in motion at any one time.

Flexibility

In Motion Offense, you can use different combinations of players without regard to traditional positions. For example, guards and forwards, number one man and number three man are all interchangeable. In addition, you can use the best type of offensive alignment and movements to take advantage of the specific group of players you have in the game at any one time. Motion Offense gives you the opportunity to use you personnel most effectively at any time during the game.

Adaptability

The problem with most basketball offensive systems is that the offense must react to the defenses presented by the opponent. Motion Offense rectifies this situation by giving the offense the power to attack all types of defense; consequently, the defense must react to your offense, not vice versa.

Enjoyable

Most players truly enjoy playing in a motion basketball offense. They enjoy the freedom of movement, love the scoring opportunities it presents, and don't feel restricted by the offense. As a coach, you're not teaching the same movements over and over; therefore, the offense is more enjoyable to teach.

Player Development

The Motion Offense maximizes the abilities of each of your players. Because the offense puts the player in a positive state of mind, it allows the players to use their talents more effectively. Motion also allows the player to constantly improve, for they can use the principles they have learned under all playing situations.

Difficult to Scout

Because most basketball offenses are based on a repeated patterns, they tend to be very easy to scout, giving the opponent an added advantage. In Motion Offense, there is no predetermined movement; therefore, the opposition has a difficult time diagramming its tendencies.

FOCUS ON WHAT YOU COULD BE DOING

Late in the afternoon of May 6, 1864, Confederate General Jubal Early successfully attacked troops under the command of General John Sedgwick. During the night General Ulysses S. Grant was receiving reports about the "disaster" that had befallen Sedgwick, one of the Union generals expressed grave concerns that Confederate General Robert E. Lee would follow up on the Confederate success and move to cut off the Union army. Grant's response was:

"Some of you always seem to think he (Lee) is suddenly going to turn a double somersault, and land in our rear and on both of our flanks at the same time. Go...and try to think what we are going to do ourselves, instead of what Lee is going to do."

LESSON: It is important to think about what your competition may be planning and the impact that could have upon you, but it is even more important to be thinking about what you could be doing yourself.