John Wooden Advocated “Repetition” but Implemented “Deliberate Practice”

Abstract

John Wooden emphasized repetition, joking that his eight laws of learning were “explanation, demonstration, imitation, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, and repetition.” We believe Wooden’s laws of learning were rounded off not by repetition, but by deliberate practice. Deliberate practice is defined as “individualized training activities especially designed by a coach or teacher to improve specific aspects of an individual’s performance through repetition and successive refinement” (pp. 278–279). We draw on studies of Wooden, interviews with former players and coaches with whom he worked, and Wooden’s own writings to view his teaching through the lens of deliberate practice.