'Old school' coaching methods changing

By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer

Lakers coach Phil Jackson is a spokesman for Positive Coaching Alliance, which opened an office in Hawai'i. Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser NBA exhibitions Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors Where: Stan Sheriff Center When: Tuesday at 8 p.m.; Wednesday at 6 p.m. Tickets: $10, $22, $30, $55 and $75. Available during normal business hours at the Stan Sheriff Center box office, or by telephone at 944-BOWS, or at www.etickethawaii.com Practices: Closed to the public

"I used a yardstick to teach kids how to slide," Jackson said Tuesday evening at the Pacific Club. "If they did it wrong or if we thought they were slacking, we'd give 'em the stick. But this was in the mid-1960s, and that symbolized the military style of coaching at the time. Since then, we've learned that coaching kids shouldn't be about warfare but about enjoying the game."

Jackson, who has since coached the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers to a combined nine NBA championships, believes so strongly in the change of philosophy that he has become an official spokesman for the Positive Coaching Alliance — a national non-profit organization designed to train youth coaches and parents in putting sports into perspective.

PCA announced the launching of its Hawai'i office on Tuesday with a fund-raising dinner at the Pacific Club. The Alliance, headquartered at Stanford University, also has offices in Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland, Sacramento and Washington, D.C.

"I think this is great for Hawai'i, because I noticed right away that this is a sports-crazy place," said PCA founder and executive director Jim Thompson. "I hope the local people will embrace this and it works at the organizational level."

The Honolulu office will be at the University of Hawai'i's Department of Kinesiology and Leisure Science. Chip Hammond of Kalaniana'ole Athletic Club basketball is the president of PCA Hawai'i, and he said a director for the Honolulu office will be named soon.

Having a local office should result in increased workshops and better access to PCA guidance. Thompson and other PCA officials have held several workshops in Hawai'i over the past two years.

Hammond said ultimately the PCA Hawai'i office would like to gain partnerships with local youth organizations such as AYSO or Little League baseball. It already has an affiliation with the Boys and Girls Club.

"The first thing we need to do is raise enough money to meet a three-year budget," Hammond said. "We'll appoint a local director soon, and eventually we'd like to set up partner programs in the community."

As its name suggests, PCA emphasizes positive reinforcement in coaching and parent support, as opposed to negative remarks and an overemphasis on winning. It also stresses the importance of sportsmanship and civil behavior.

According to Thompson, 70 percent of athletes involved in youth sports quit by the age of 13, usually because of negative experiences.

"We've got to stop the dropout rate that's happening in our country," Jackson said. "It's been shown that kids who are involved in sports do better in school and in life. It (impacts) other aspects of their life, so it's important to our society."

Jackson added that winning does not have to be sacrificed, but rather often is a by-product of positive coaching. And he's got nine NBA title rings to prove it.

"I took parts from Jim's book and the reception was very good with the Bulls," Jackson said. "Winning is not the end result all of the time, but good chemistry can help you win."

The phone number for PCA Hawai'i is 532-2826.

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2456.