Phil Jackson's "Sacred Hoops"

Summary: Sacred Hoops by Phil Jackson

In the book Sacred Hoops, Phil Jackson explains his approach to coaching and his philosophy behind it. He mixes ideas and values from Christianity and the practice of Zen. His main focus, when coaching, is not on winning or losing but he is concerned on focusing your attention on what’s happening right now in this moment. He believes to achieve success, each player on the team needs to feel as though they have a key role, no matter if they start or sit on the bench. He wants everyone on the team to be aware of what’s happening. In order to obtain these larger goals he believes there are various ways to get there.

He believes to begin your road to success you need to have a clear mind and not think. This way your body is able to do what is has been trained to do. He talks about how even the best players struggle with mastering the idea of a clear mind. He says that many players “tend to lose their equanimity after a certain point as the level of competition rises, because their minds start racing out of control” (Jackson 116-117). To help players quiet the mind he uses mediation and specifically mindfulness. The idea is to find stillness within the mediation. This stillness allows you to be passionate without getting overwhelmed. He believes this is one way to calm the anger. He thinks that anger does no good it just interferes with your concentration. He strongly thinks that there is distinct “line between playing hard and playing angry” (Jackson 133). He says there are other ways to handle the anger. In moments of rage, you need to be able to obtain that stillness and not get overwhelmed or caught up in it. “Bottom line, there’s no need to overpower when you can outsmart” (Jackson 137).

Another key component to his philosophy is visualization. He believes that if you take time before a game or practice to visualize small or big moments, you will be able to recreate them later on. You have already seen the actions in your mind so your body is familiar with the movements meaning you are more likely to complete the action when the time comes. He uses this same idea of visualization to coach. It became a part of his pregame routine. He would take time to visualize how to neutralize the opponents. When it came time, he was able to coach through the intensity because he’s seen it all before and his mind knew what to do.

Phil Jackson’s overall goal is to create an intimate, close-knit team that does not depend on specific people. He coaches by acknowledging that everyone is different and places them where they are best going to help the team. He believes that not just the players but the coaches as well need to open their mind to better understand situations. A big part of his coaching style is to find the middle path between a ‘control-oholic” and being too lazy. You have to be a compassionate leader. To be this kind of leader, he uses a method from Buddhism called skillful means. This is an approach to decision making, to problem solve in the moment. This concept relates back to the idea of meditation and visualization and being able to perform in intense situations.

Works Cited

Jackson, Phil, and Hugh Delehanty. Sacred Hoops: Spiritual Lessons of a Hardwood Warrior. New York: Hyperion, 1995. Print.

Research Paper:

Phil Jackson- The Zen Master

Phil Jackson is considered one of the best coaches to have coached in the NBA. As former player, he has a knack for the game. He holds the NBA record with winning 11 championships and has the highest winning percentage out of any coach. These successes come from his unusual views on coaching. He approaches it in a unique way that has created quite a big impact. He earned the nickname “Zen Master” which suits him well. He’s all about clear minds, not over thinking, mediation, and visualization. These methods, along with other smaller techniques, are what have brought him great success over the years. Of course with any philosophy there are going to be skeptics. But although there are some people who are doubtful about Phil Jackson’s philosophy, his results speak for themselves.

Not everyone admirers Phil Jackson’s philosophy. There are people who believe that “Phil Jackson might be the most overrated coach in NBA history” (Feldman). These people believe that although Phil Jackson has the records and statistics to say he is a good coach, the real reason comes from his players. He has coached the best of the best, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kobe Bryant. They think of course Phil Jackson is going to win games and championships with players like that. There is statistical evidence that when these top players aren’t playing, the records and winning streaks are lowered. “In the 147 games Jordan did not play with the Bulls in 1993-94 and 1994-95, Chicago won 60.5% of its games” (Berri). Although this agreement can be made, “this record was [still] better than most coaches” (Berri). If there is talent on your team the chances of winning gets higher, but it doesn’t automatically mean you will win or set records. People tend to look past the fact that it’s a team sport and that it shouldn’t rely on certain people. They focus on records and specific people. They say that “when O’Neal was traded…The Laker’s record declined significantly…” (Berri). The question that people need to ask their selves is “how can one separate the performance of management from the performance of the workers?” For some people “it is hard to separate Jackson’s ability as a coach from the talents of his players” (Berri). This isn’t to say he is a bad coach and his philosophy didn’t work, because even if he had talent on his team, his ability to utilize that talent to its full potential is what really matters.

The best critics to ask are the players Phil Jackson coached. Many of these players think very highly of him, including Kobe Bryant. When asked, Kobe Bryant has nothing but positive things to say about him. “The thing that separates Phil is that he teaches his teams how to problem solve. That’s the big thing, so we can make adjustments on the fly ourselves. As a result, you see him sitting back and we’re doing most of the talking, that’s because he’s taught us to be able to figure things out on our own” (Trudell). This does indeed separate Phil Jackson from the rest of the coaches, his ability to coach without over controlling. He always strives for the middle path, not too control but not lazy either. He genuinely cares about each player he coaches because he knows that a great team is built off a trusting foundation. Because he is able to create such a secure and safe environment, the team is able to bond and flow. Kobe says, “He has a great knack for bringing guys together” (Trudell). Another one of Phil Jackson’s players, Steve Blake, says, “I just appreciate how consistent he is, how he continues to make us better at both ends of the floor. A lot of teaching, a lot of watching film and correcting ourselves. I really enjoy the consistency and the knowledge he bring every day” (Trudell). Even the players he has not directly coached appreciate and respect him. Carmelo Anthony is a perfect example of this. Although Phil Jackson is the president of the New York Knicks he still offers up his advice to the players. Before the game started, he pulled Carmelo Anthony aside and had a little conversation with him. “It gave me some clarity whether it was in the system, whether it was things I should do out there for myself, whether it was things I should do out there for the players, for my teammates… I took it extremely well” (Begley). Players respond and react well to his philosophy. They seem to be able to understand and grasp the concepts rather well. Even people who have never been coached by Phil Jackson would argue that he is one of the best ever. Roland Lazenby would say that he is “not just a coach but a truly great one, a coach who would reshape and redefine the nature of the job, broadening the position’s parameters to the extent that he in some ways liberated the game.” Phil Jackson has a distinct style that can be easily recognized. “One of the many things that separated him from other coaches is that he preferred to heap pressure on opponents as oppose to his own players. For them, he sought a million different ways to lessen the anxiety of the performance, from meditation to mindfulness to yoga” (Lazenby). This goes to show that he builds bonds with his players and he cares about them, one of his key teachings of his philosophy.

His philosophy for coaching hasn’t only influenced the basketball world but the general public as well. A law firm in Minneapolis took Phil Jackson’s philosophy and applied it to the practice of law. A few years ago Robert Zeglovitch introduced the idea of mindfulness mediation. It was an unexpected hit with the firm. He wanted people to learn how to pay attention by being in the present moment and having no judgment. The concept behind the meditation was to be able to “calm the inner turmoil so that when you are thinking, you are aware that you’re thinking…” (Keeva). These are the same concepts in Phil Jackson’s philosophy. He uses mindfulness mediation to help clear the mind to stop the over thinking and be aware of what’s happening in the moment. The law firm had positive reactions to the meditation. Most found it gave them a “conscious calmness” and their minds tended to be in the present moment rather than worrying about the past or future (Keeva). They felt as though it helped them tremendously with work. They are calmer than before and better understand situations. It helps them deal with clients in a more productive way.

Along with the positive effects Phil Jackson’s philosophy had in the law firm, his philosophy was also applied to soccer. José Mourinho is a soccer coach who has led three different teams, F.C. Porto, Inter Milan, and Chelsea, to 14 major titles which includes winning the Champions league twice. He draws many similarities in coaching style with Phil Jackson. When asked about Jose Mourinho and the way he coaches, Phil Jackson responded with, “The aspect of getting good shots and opportunities, setting it up and deploying the defense while committing to an extra pass or two (is similar). To get guys to really commit to their teammates and what the purpose is of what you’re doing out there is where the similarity is” (Trudell). There are some clear similarities between the two coaches. Drogba, one of Jose Mourinho’s players, says, “You can see how close players are with him. He has a way of getting into players’ minds as a manager—and as a man…” (Trudell). He treats his players with the same respect and mannerism as Phil Jackson does. Another part of Phil Jackson’s coaching style is to really connect with the players which Jose Mourinho does well. His philosophy has spread to different activities but in each the outcome is positive and effective.

Overall, Phil Jackson has made an impact with his philosophy. Not only in the basketball world is he well thought of but also in the eye of the general public. He has come up a system that is effective and works for not just sports alone but almost anything. It is this philosophy that has made Phil Jackson one of the best coaches to have ever coached. And now his philosophy is being applied elsewhere and influences the daily lives of a great majority of people.

Annotated List of Works Consulted

Begley, Ian. "Carmelo, Phil Jackson Talked triangle." ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 17 Nov.

2014. Web. 19 Nov. 2014. <http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/story/_/id/11892929/carmelo-anthony-discussed-role-triangle-offense-new-york-knicks-president-phil-jackson>.

Ian Begley is a sportswriter who writes for the New York Knicks. He works for ESPN which is the primary sports network. This source was used to provide evidence of players who respect and appreciate Phil Jackson.

Berri, David, et.al. "International Journal of Sports Finance." The Role of Managers in Teams

Performance Vol 4.Issue 2 (2009): 78-79. Print.

David Berri is a sports economist and a professor of economics. The International Journal of Sports Finance Blog researches current sport finance topics worldwide and also address key issues in sport economics. This source was used to show that not all people are on board with Phil Jackson’s philosophy.

Feldman, Dan. "67RIEFNS No. 10: Phil Jackson’s influence." ProBasketballTalk. 9 Oct. 2014.

Web. 16 Nov. 2014. <http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/10/09/67riefns-no-9-phil-jacksons-influence/>.

Dan Feldman is a sportswriter for ProBaksetballTalk which is a part of NBC Sports. NBC Sports is a big sports network. This source was used to provide opinions that go against Phil Jackson.

Keeva, Steven. "A Mindful Law Practice." 90 (2004): 78-79. American Bar Association.

American Bar Association. Web. 16 Nov. 2014. <http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/a_mindful_law_practice/>.

Steven Keeva is a former editor for the ABA Journal who wrote columns for ABA Journal on life and law practice. He is also the author of the book Transforming Practices: Finding Joy and Satisfaction in the Legal Life. This source was used to provide information about how Phil Jackson’s philosophy was applied.

Lazenby, Roland. Mindgames Phil Jackson's Long Strange Journey. Chicago: Contemporary,

2002. Print.

Roland Lazenby is a sportswriter and educator who studied at Virginia Military Institue and Hollins University. He has written more than 60 books mostly on basketball and football including Mindgames: Phil Jackson’s Long Strange Journey. This source was used as evidence that people admire and respect Phil Jackson as a coach.

Trudell, Mike. "The Art of Coaching." Lakers Blog. 16 Mar. 2011. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.

<http://blog.lakers.com/lakers/2011/03/16/the-art-of-coaching/>.

Mike Trudell is a reporter for the Los Angeles Lakers who graduated from Northwestern University. He has previously worked for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Vikings. This source was used to show how players feel about Phil Jackson.