“It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make the big things happen.”
-John Wooden, Legendary College Basketball Coach
In explaining what it means to make the play, I often point people toward their own areas of expertise, their own endeavors, their own lives, and ask, “What are the little things that make the big things happen? Those are the plays to be made.”
Here is a letter I wrote to my daughter’s basketball team helping explain this concept. I think it will help clear it up for you, and it’s a great resource to share if you have kids. It’s about basketball, but I think you will be able to easily apply it to other activities.
Here’s the letter:
Ladies, what a pleasure it is to get to coach this great team.
Did you know that great teams look at every single day, every single practice, and every single rep in every practice as an opportunity to either get better or get worse. Do you agree? What little things are you striving to improve today?
As we move forward and continue to get better as a team, it is very important that we improve our performance on the little things.
What are the little things? The little things are the important little pieces of the puzzle that make big things – like winning – happen.
Here is a list of little things you might improve today:
Boxing out;
Playing defense with our feet;
Not reaching and not committing silly fouls;
Improving shooting form; Improving ball handling;
Improving passing;
Improving catching;
Calling out picks;
Moving around picks;
Playing great help defense;
Calling and running offensive plays;
Picking up teammates with enthusiasm.
Can you think of others?
What little things are you committed to improving today?
What is your commitment level to getting better at the little things today?
We then talk more about their ideas about the little things, and they give themselves a silent rating of their own commitment at moment, just a little reminder self-pointing in a certain direction.
So in making your own plays out there in life – be it sports, school, family, business, education, law, etc. – I ask you:
What little things are you committed to improving today?
What is your commitment level to getting better at the little things today?
I hope your day is great and you rise and shine.
Making the Play 