The Sock Seminar and Creating the UCLA Culture
Swen Nater

It was the team meeting, two weeks before the first day of UCLA basketball practice. We had won six NCAA championships in a row. In attendance were, Coach Wooden and his assistants, the managers, and fifteen of the best players in the country. It was my first year so I didn’t know what to expect other than Coach Wooden going over practice, game, and travel rules. To my surprise, he began the meeting with, “I want all of you to take your shoes and socks off. I’m going to show you how to put on your socks properly.”
 
I thought, ‘You have got to be kidding. This is boring. I’m way past that, Coach. I already know how to do that. Show me how we are going to win seven in a row.’ But, since the seniors were doing it, I joined in. Following is Coach, presenting his Sock Seminar. 

1. Roll the sock up with your hands so it’s just an inch or two deep.

2. Next, put the sock over your toes to the ball of your foot so it’s snug but not too tight. You should not feel too much pressure but the sock should be stretched just a little.

3. Now roll the sock back to just before the heel, maintaining gentle pressure at all times. Don’t put it over the heel yet.

4. Next, with both hands working backward in alternating fashion and overlapping, smooth the wrinkles back toward the heel.

5. Now, without overstretching the sock, release some of the gathered remainder of it and fold it over the heel to just below the ankle.
 
6. Now, starting from the toes, with both hands working in alternating fashion and overlapping, smooth the sock all the way to where the remainder of the material is gathered, just below the ankle. The sock should be stretched a little but not too much.

7. Last, you unroll the sock to its end so the sock is pulled all the way up but don’t yank on it. You don’t want any one part of the sock to be stretched more than the other parts. Once again, starting from the toes and with hands alternating, smooth the sock all the way to the top.

8. Do the same with the second sock on the same foot. [We were required to wear two pairs of socks.]

Some time ago, I asked Coach for the reason he taught us how to put on our socks. He said,

“I assumed my players didn’t know how to properly put on their socks. The proper way helps prevent wrinkles. When the foot sweats and there is a wrinkle in the sock, that wrinkle will get wet and stay as it is. It then rubs against the foot and creates a blister. Blisters make players miss practice and if I have a missing player in practice, it hinders preparation for games. The feet are the most important part of the body in basketball. You can have a sore hand, elbow, back, or shoulder and still play. But when you have sore feet, you can’t.”

But those of us who were involved in UCLA practice sessions will see another purpose for the detailed Sock Seminar.  Coach was creating a culture of doing things the right way, the first time. The Sock Seminar was just the first installment. The step-by-step checklist format for instruction was applied to everything, including teaching drills like “Jump Stops and Pivots.” 
 
1. From the baseline, with your right hand, you push the ball in front of you as you dribble to the freethrow line extended, accelerating all the while.

2. When you get there, you come to a jump stop, grab the ball with both hands and, with extended elbows, tuck the ball under your chin.

3. Next, staying low, you make a reverse pivot on the left foot by throwing your right foot behind you. Now you’re facing the next player in line.

4. Now, a quick but not too long forward step with the right foot, make the two-hand chest pass and make sure the ball is aimed at his chest.

5. Last, sprint toward him and when you get to about four feet away, make a quick change of pace, change of direction, and get to the back of the line.” 

When Coach introduced anything new, he took his sweet time, explaining things in detail and incessantly asking, “Do you understand?” I thought, ‘C’mon Coach! I got it! One time is enough.’ But he explained things as if the average IQ was 50, which in my case was not far off.  Beginning with the Sock Seminar, Coach was creating a learning culture where he demonstrated and explained and we imitated correctly. I didn’t understand it at the time but I have to admit, once he was done, nobody screwed up. 

Conclusion
Why create a culture of explicit, step-by-step, instruction, even down to how to put on your socks? The answer is: You will get better results in less time. A team with good feet gets things done. When a drill is done correctly the first time, repetition can follow to develop automaticity. When a play is run correctly without defense, the coach can take it to the next level—scrimmaging, where problems surface and are solved, and players are encouraged to come up with creative, and perhaps new, methods of execution (continuous improvement).

You may not believe this but since my first Sock Seminar, I have put my socks on that way ever since, not just before sports but my dress socks too. Come to think of it, I have never had a blister. Hey! I wonder. Do you think those Sock Seminars had something to do with the championship banners in Pauley Pavilion?