Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court

Tough Toes Bring Hidden Rewards

In our first team meeting two weeks before UCLA’s actual practices began, I would ask players to start toughening up their feet. Waiting until practices began would guarantee blisters.

I advised them against scrimmaging. Instead I urged them to start with plenty of sliding side to side, starting and stopping, making quick changes of direction, and sprinting short distances rather than long. This would gradually toughen up their feet. Players understood the need for this. They knew they couldn’t hide blisters.

What I didn’t tell them was that by getting their feet ready, they would also get their lungs ready. If they did the drills I recommended, their wind would be in good shape when practices got underway. Players ...