Coaching & Teaching
Articles mainly about coaching athletes, teaching, how to instruct and develop people.
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Your Beliefs Dictate Your Behavior
Behavior is the result of a person’s beliefs. In my early years coaching basketball and counseling families, it became clear to me the most important key to effective education is knowing this principle: If you wish to change…
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Curiosity Trumps Anger
Curiosity opens doors; anger closes doors. The Apostle James gives us solid counsel when he said, “Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger for anger never brings about the righteous life God desires for…
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The Why of Rules
I recently wrote an homage to my dad on LinkedIn highlighting a lesson he imparted to me and Jay as a great father. A few people interacted with the post.
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Stalwart
I love words and the word stalwart isn’t a common one, though it should be. Stalwart is a synonym for stable, committed, foundational, and secure.
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Basketball Healers
Dad was a basketball healer. He knew how to bring repair and healing to teams who were divided or despairing. Not many people describe someone as a basketball healer.
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Set the Table
Dad loved the phrase, “Set the Table.” For him, it was a call to action for those in leadership to provide a space for true community and transformation to occur.
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Good Judgment
If you fly to Oklahoma City, you will see a famous quote by Will Rogers: “Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.” Dad was a phenomenal teacher of good judgment for…
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Do the Difficult
I had another dream of Dad. I saw him walking with mom into the door of the church where we hold the NBC musical theatre camp.
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The Highest Goals
My Dad was incredibly pragmatic. He was a genius at making complex concepts simple and easy to understand.
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Retribution
Being a basketball coach, my Dad studied momentum. He analyzed how teams and coaches responded to mistakes and difficulties. He often asked, when crisis strikes, how does a family or business, or country respond?
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The Art of Love
Dad thought outside the box as a basketball coach and had insightful ways to keep students engaged.
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Creative Learning
When I was young, Dad would make devotional times meaningful. He would grab plain white paper and put color crayons, markers, and highlighters on the table.
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Master Teacher
Dad was a maverick and exceptional teacher. He grasped ways to make concepts understandable way before the science of pedagogy confirmed his teaching methods.
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Decide
Deuteronomy 30:19 “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life so that you and your children may live.” This verse was one of my Dad’s favorites.
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Never Bored
Dad hated the phrase, “I’m bored.” He believed great coaching, teaching, and parenting never allowed for boredom. He believed it was the responsibility of the teacher and the student to work together to create exciting learning opportunities.
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Finding Balance
I loved asking Dad his thoughts about parenting and coaching- both are similar. An authoritarian coach or parent who leads with fear and intimidation creates difficult home and team dynamics.
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The Gift of Mentoring
My Dad believed in the intentional work of mentoring. Many of you reading Words of Hope are testimonies of Dad’s investment in your life. My husband, Shann, is a perfect example of Dad’s mentoring vision.
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Sing for Joy to the Lord
Dad loved to sing, and for a long time, he was not good—so poor people thought he purposely mocked the song when he sang in church. Yet, Dad still sang— in church and in public.
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Stay in Your Lane
Yes, Fred Crowell loves to drive a car! And the better the car, the better I love driving! And how fun it is to drive on a multi-lane highway!
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All in Today?
The crucial question… My daughter Jennifer tells the story of being seven years old. She braved a flight of steps to the high board at the Samford U pool.
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The Climb
Today is the 43rd day of the year 2021. Wow! At least 10% of the year 2021 has already evaporated!
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Guard Your Heart & Mind
“Defense is the best offense in basketball and in lifeball” – Fred Crowell One of my father’s passions I inherited was a clean car.
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Stop Being a Bully — Start Being a Friend
October is Bully Prevention Month . What better month could there be because October comes soon after the start of a new school year?
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Meet Miss Hope, My New Teacher
Everyone is a teacher ! The title teacher is not inclusive to those who are certified academic instructors. The most effective teacher is one’s life experience.
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NBC Camps Never Quits
For the first time in 49 years, NBC Camps worldwide have not been able to host even one single live day or residential camp.
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Joy of Fatherhood
What are the two most important qualities of father excellence in teaching Lifeball to children? My life experience in being a teacher/coach and a father, tell me children crave father figure leadership.
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Mathematical Analysis of the Human Condition
No one would expect a university physical education major to attempt to analyze the human condition mathematically! Well, here we go! At least the analysis will be crystal clear simple, and hopefully accurate.
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Can’t – Never Did Anything | Can – Does Almost Everything
Long ago when my dad was in school one of the basketball games fan chants was: “Ash can, tin can, who can, we can beat Everett…Bellingham… Mt.
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A Healthy Coach Has Character
This guest Words of Hope is written by Janice Foland. OUR KIDS NEED HEALTHY COACHES WITH CHARACTER. How do we select healthy coaches for our kids?
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Walk It, Don’t Talk It
“If you know it and you don’t do it, you don’t know it.” – Mike Nilson The Apostle James short book on walking your talk reminds me of a college basketball game.
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Winning Is Not Luck or Accidental
“That was a fluke!” When someone said that, did you believe them? Was it a freak course of nature? Yet, winning is never pure luck or accidental. Rather, winning is learned behavior .
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Mindful Management & Self-regulation, Part 1
I have been privileged to spend many years educating, encouraging, inspiring and challenging youth. The foremost life skills have been: I have been privileged to spend many years educating, encouraging, inspiring and challenging youth.
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Truth Truism
Tell me, promotes learning – I know, stops learning. The other day at the Oncology clinic several of us were in a conversation.
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Encouragement Is Oxygen II
You can become a true game-changer, someone who makes a big difference. How? By the word ENCOURAGEMENT . Encouragement is giving another person confidence, support, hope, motivation, strength, comfort. E ncouraging words can make a difference .
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Destiny Dream Makers
“Why did your father end up living alone with a bottle of alcohol in his hand with no hope?” -Dr. Shann Ferch This question could be asked of every street beggar and homeless person.
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Win at School
Millions of USA students enroll in schools across the continent in September with the hope of winning! Unfortunately, far too many will lose the battle to win. Questions: Why so many failures?
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Train to Win
WIN – “To be successful or victorious in a contest or conflict.” – Dictionary To win is a verb; a verb connotes action; action involves work; work is learned behavior. Therefore to win is learned behavior. Fact.
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3 Skills of Excellence
Life Skills. Imagination. Imitation. If we don’t teach winning, we cheat our students because they don’t learn the skills necessary to win. The life of a deadly serious basketball coach is no different than the diehard Lieutenant.
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Your Eternal Impact
Questions: What impacts a person the most? What lasts the longest in a person’s life? The answers may well be different for each person.
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Passion and Competency
“Which one comes first?” In reading through Van Gogh quotes one stood out because of the fact NBC Camps hires more than 400 coaches each summer.
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Shut up Mode
Key Statement: It’s so simple, yet so hard to do; open ears and mouth shut! Three keys: Slow to speak Quick to listen Slow to anger Telling people to shut up is not acceptable in the Crowell household.…
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Why We Coach
Do we coach for the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat? Or do we coach for the agony of defeat with seldom a thrill of victory? In my view, competitive sports is like real war.
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The Fred Crowell Story
All things work together for good to those who love God (Romans 8:28) is a true reality for these 77 years of my life!
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Kiss the Edge
Recently, my yoga instructor had her class members in semi-pain as they held a position.
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NBC Basketball Camps Coming to Stebbins, Alaska
FEATURING COACH JOYCE WALKER30+ YEARS BASKETBALL EXPERIENCE, 3-TIME KODIAK ALL-AMERICAN, HALL OF FAME HONORS IN THE FOLLOWING: NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL, WASHINGTON BASKETBALL, LSU, AND SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS SPORTS.
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Prime over 50
by: Darin Burt / in Prime Living , Spokane CDA Living Fred Crowell, 76 Every winning coach has a game plan and a playbook.
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Start Stop Rule
Chances are if you tell someone to stop doing something, there will be an instinctive resistance. By nature, we resist correction and do not like to be told “No.” True?
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Train Children to Win
The idea of teaching – coaching a child to win hit me like a ton of bricks. As a general rule parents are not teaching their children to win. Teachers are not teaching their students to win.
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The Crowell Basketball System
THE CROWELL BASKETBALL SYSTEM This logical, organized system of basketball is based on over 50 years of basketball experience. Coach Crowell has learned through competitive coaching experience from the best coaches in the history of basketball.
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Effective Parenting Part 1 – Three Master Keys
Crowell’s Life Skills for Effective Parenting by Fred Crowell The Difference: A Relentless Pursuit of Excellence The difference between poor and good; good and great; great and excellence is a “never quit” mind set.
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Destiny
Knock, knock! Who is there? Destiny, I’ve been expecting you. -Bolt Destiny is what one can become, as opposed to what one is at the present time.
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Crowell’s 80-20 Rule
This is a valuable rule for aspiring basketball players who come to NBC Camps . Actually, it is valuable to all people. Personally, I delight in teaching it to those who come under my coaching influence.
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Leading Men for 50 Years
Jeff Erickson has been my friend, mentor, and hero from the first day I met him at NBC Alaska Camps. Jeff loves people; especially the youth of Alaska.
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Shout Outs
Everyone delights in and appreciates an encouraging thank you shout out. Alaska Airlines deserves a Fred Crowell – NBC Camps shoutout .
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Good Brag Bad Brag
So vividly the memory of a bad brag rests in my memory bank. It was my 9th-grade year; basketball was the brag.
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Eyes on You
Do you want single or double knocks? Every time the aspiring basketball youth yells back to Coach Crowell, “give me double knocks, Coach!!!!!” Coach Crowell makes two-fisted fake binoculars and points to the action.
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Destiny
Key statement: Destiny is the product of habits; habits are the products of actions; actions are the products of words; words are the products of thoughts, and thoughts are the products of dreams.
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I.c.e.
I – Imagination C – Conscience E – Exercises Catchphrases and acronyms are effective tools in teaching young athletes the principles to success in basketball and Lifeball .
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T E a M S + R P E = W I N S
The NBC Thunder 9th Grade Spokane Champions were a great team because they were dedicated to being great teammates. Too often it is assumed winning is based on talent.
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Game Changer –
One who turns the course of a life, event, or history. In sports, Curry, Brady, Felix, Bird, Mantle, MJ, Ruth and Magic qualify as game changers. In history, Churchill looms large as a game changer.
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Oxygen Is Encouragement – Encouragement Is Oxygen
Both oxygen and encouragement cure disease and negativity. Lack of oxygen and encouragement create poor physical, mental, and spiritual health. One of the most amazing women living today, in Dillingham, Alaska, was transported to Anchorage.
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Is High School a Joke?
Nearly 25% of high school students at a large school district in the state of Washington skip school every day.
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Young Lions
A young lion is a boy/man who is hungry, dedicated, loyal, hard-working, and willing to do what it takes to become a trustworthy man I called these rare type of boys/men young lions because the lion is the…
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Game Changer
PREPARE TO MAKE YOUR PEOPLE BETTER PEOPLE BETTER PLAYERS The job of a COACH/CEO/LEADER is to train players how to WIN. Winning begins in the mind and heart, not on the basketball court.
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Ready? – Ready Freddy!
For years, NBC campers have been asked if they are ready. The expected response is a loud, “READY FREDDY!” I have no idea who came up with this slogan but campers seem to love it.
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Men of Valor
The two essential qualities of mentor leadership are proven track record and worthy of being imitated. For rapid recall of these two dynamic, life-changing principles I call them PTR & WOBI.
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Lessons Learned from Italy
For 13 days 37 basketball players and adults toured fantastic Italy. These are a few of the lessons we learned and hopefully live out the rest of our lives. CONTENTMENT IS AN ATTITUDE!
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Meet My Head Coach
Thank you, Jill Logie, daughter of Coach Ed Pepple, one of the USA’s most successful high school coach and leaders of young men. Jill is the mother of Whitworth University’s men’s nationally acclaimed basketball program.
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The Walker Legacy
NBC Camps – 3 Generation Family Key statement: The legacy we leave will impact our children and their children’s children. The way we choose to live our lives will impact the next three generations.
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Dream Come True
Key statement: The martyred missionary, Jim Elliot, has often been quoted with this amazing statement. “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” True story: Fairbanks Alaska 1966.
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Fantastic News – Crowell Basketball
KEY STATEMENT: As Deuteronomy suggests, write it on your forehead, place a string around your forehead, so you never forget what God has given you in wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. Remember this!
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95 to 5 or 5 to 95?
Key Statement: On average the human mind is engaged 95% of the time in the subconscious mind and only 5% in the conscious mind.
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The Wonder of Youth
One day I was a player; next a coach; then a father and now Papa to hundreds of young players who love basketball and LIFEBALL!
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The Father of Learning
Imitation, leading by example, is the superior method of education. To qualify to be a credible father or significant mentor, it is a twofold process: *PTR – proven track record. *WOBI – worthy of being imitated.
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Coach Crowell on April to November Basketball
Key Statement: School ball season is ALL about the team. The player sacrifices for the team. Off-season is all about the player; not the team. In-season selfishness is team poison.
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The Crowell Basketball – Lifeball
“Shooting a bad basketball is like chewing food with a broken tooth. In LIFEBALL fixing a problem with the wrong tool creates more problems.” How can I more effectively teach basketball’s most important and most difficult skill has…
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Anecdote for Bullies
“Do not be afraid; be strong and courageous.” -Joshua Joshua was challenged three times to: Be strong and of good courage. Only be strong and very courageous.
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Basketball – Madness
“The game I love can be so cruel” -F. Crowell Basketball became the love of my life in fourth grade. Anacortes, Washington, a small town on Fidalgo Island was a hotbed for good basketball.
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Protect Your Teams
The name of the game is unity. It starts in the home. Life was not meant to be a lived alone; even my favorite childhood hero, the Lone Ranger, had Tonto whom he affectionately called Kimosabe.
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Harmony and Rhythm
Two character traits worthy of pursuit. Basketball is an excellent life skills teacher IF the coach has mastered the difficult skill of living above the line.
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Harley Sundown’s Alaska
Scammon Bay nestled on a hillside on the shores of the Bering Sea, is Coach Harley Sundown’s Disneyland. The saying, “Where you are, be all there,” fits Harley to a T.
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Leadership – a Worthy Ambition
“Leadership is always the problem & always the solution.” – Bobby Moore Leadership is a common topic of conversation these days.
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NO!!! no, no, no.
At the Crowell’s there is a big difference between NO! and no, no, no. Early in my teaching and coaching career, the following story impacted me.
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The Dumbing Down of America
“You either rise up and cross the bar, or you lower the bar to cross it.” Essentially, there are two ways in life to have success: 1. You get better, you compete and you excel. 2.
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When Dreams Become Goals
A dream is only a dream until you write out the dream in crystal clear terms; then it becomes a goal.
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Eq-emotional Quotient
Knowing, understanding and managing your feelings is the foundation of emotional intelligence. Today the political debate rages on about three major factors: jobs, borders and safety.
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So Easy
So easy has become the favorite expression after a shot is made among our amazing 15 year old Chinese boys Basketball team in Jiaozuo, China. An elegant question: When does so hard become so easy ?
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TIME TO BRAG – Time to be quiet
Until you become a grandparent you cannot understand the urge to brag to the point of ad nauseum about your grand children. No wonder we call them Grand .
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Love Kids Love Kids
“Come to me as a little child.” – Jesus My days are filled with wonder and joy, because I’m living in the world of kids. Kids who want to become men and women.
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Crowell Basketball Coaching System
BASKETBALL COACHES AND COLLEGE STUDENTS – GREAT NEWS! Eastern Oregon University is offering B.S. and M.Ed. college credit for the CROWELL BASKETBALL COACHING SYSTEM .
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Crowell Basketball System
CROWELL BASKETBALL SYSTEM IF EXPECTATIONS DO NOT EXCEED OUTCOME, UNHAPPINESS IS THE RESULT. This is the reason a high majority of high school basketball players rate their experience as unhappy. Crowell has a solution!
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Ukulele-jumping Fleas
New discoveries in music and in life. This miniature guitar originated in Portugal. The Hawaiians fell in love with this nimble, fun instrument. They named it the ukulele , the jumping flee.
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Crowell University Guard-center Camps
The NBA now either calls you a SF/PF or PF/C or Guard POINT GUARD and BIG MEN CAMPS are obsolete! They will become a thing of the past in a few years!
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Life Ball
Hello All, Each day I dedicate myself to my meaning and purpose for living. Love God Love Life Love People July 20 to 23 at Skagit Valley College I have the profound privilege to coach/teach/inspire, encourage as many…
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Effective Parenting Part 2 – The Power of Choice
Crowell’s Life Skills for Effective Parenting by Fred Crowell The Difference: A Relentless Pursuit of Excellence The difference between poor and good; good and great; great and excellence is a “never quit” mind set.
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Crowell Point to Post Basketball Camp 2015 – Skagit Valley
BREAKING NEWS! Skagit Valley College hosts CROWELL POINT TO POST BASKETBALL CAMP YOU ARE INVITED! July 20-24, 2015 “The Crowell Guarantee” – 100% Coach Crowell leadership involvement with exceptionally qualified assistant coaches.
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The Crowell Pure Basketball System
“Games don’t make you better, they reveal your skill. Fun D’ mentals make you better.” –Fred Crowell ARE YOU A COACH WHO IS LOOKING TO GET BETTER OR ARE YOU SATISFIED?
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Crowell Point to Post Basketball Camp
BREAKING NEWS! Southwestern Assemblies of God University hosts CROWELL POINT TO POST BASKETBALL CAMP YOU ARE INVITED!
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Crowell Point & Post Basketball System
“The best in fundamentals and game preparation” Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the Crowell Point & Post System from Coach Fred Crowell Q. Why is it best to combine point and post players? A.
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Food for Thought
Basketball has two seasons: school ball; off season ball. In each season there are two options. The focus is either on building a great team, or working on individual skills to improve.
