SWENSDAY STUFF

Checklists are Cool
Swen Nater

In my last past posting, I proposed teachers create a culture of detail and excellence by using step-by-step instruction whenever possible. I used the example of how Coach, two weeks before the first practice session, showed us how to properly put on our socks. That set the tone for the way things were going to be. We were going to do everything correctly and we are going to do everything correctly the first time. That way we wouldn’t waste time, get to the more advanced stuff, and then go win a championship or something.

After I wrote the posting, I got to thinking, ‘I wonder how many checklists Coach has.’ So I dusted off my copy of Practical Modern Basketball, turned the pages, and, low and behold, Coach Wooden was a checklist fanatic. The book contains checklists for treatment of floor burns, blisters, sprained ankles, shin splints, staleness, and even weight control. It has an 8-point checklist for avoiding the common cold which Coach says is the number one reason players will miss practice.

He has a checklist for half-time procedure, post-game procedure, scouting, road trip organization, dressing room condition, and academic study. And get this; he has a 21-point checklist for the responsibilities of assistant coaches. No wonder those guys were always grumpy. I’m just scratching the surface. Just about the whole book is checklists. 

Every morning, before I walk out the door, I go through my checklist to make sure I haven’t forgotten anything: Wallet, Watch, Keys, Spectacles, and Briefcase. If I am taking my grandson to daycare I add diaper bag, car seat and, oh yeah, baby. I never have to go back. That’s the thing about checklists. If you use them, you cover all the bases, and if you cover all the bases, things usually go rather smoothly. Checklists are cool.

Coach has a checklist for rebounding that helped me tremendously.
1. Assume every shot is missed.
2. Get your hands up.
3. Go get the ball.

Since the day Dr. Naismith threw up the first jump ball, every reason for a player not getting a rebound he or she should have gotten, can be attributed to a failure to comply with one or more of these three steps. When Coach taught them to me, I believed him. (My Momma didn’t raise no fool.) So checklists are cool. Because they help prevent omissions and mistakes, they save us precious time and increase productivity.

You know I like writing. Do you like to write? Well if you ever get the urge to become a writer, I found a really good checklist that will be helpful.
1. Don’t use no double negatives.
2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
3. Be more or less specific.
4. A writer should not shift your point of view.
5. Its not good to use apostrophe’s incorrectly.
6. And, finally, avoid starting sentences with conjunctions.
Credit to http://home.snu.edu/~HCULBERT/cheklist.htm
Checklists are cool.