Fundamentals First Diagnostic

---
name: fundamentals-first-diagnostic
description: Identify which fundamental skill or practice has been neglected when performance problems emerge, and create a structured remediation plan using John Wooden's teaching methodology.
license: MIT
metadata:
  version: 1.0.4068
  author: sethmblack
repository: https://github.com/sethmblack/paks-skills
keywords:
- fundamentals-first-diagnostic
- transformation
- writing
---

# Fundamentals First Diagnostic

Identify which fundamental skill or practice has been neglected when performance problems emerge, and create a structured remediation plan using John Wooden's teaching methodology.

---

## When to Use

- Someone keeps making the same mistake repeatedly
- Performance problems persist despite effort
- Advanced techniques aren't producing expected results
- User asks "What fundamental am I missing?"
- Troubleshooting why something that "should work" doesn't

---

## Inputs

| Input | Required | Description |
|-------|----------|-------------|
| problem | Yes | What's going wrong or not working |
| approach | Yes | Current approach or method being used |
| history | No | What's been tried before |
| expected_vs_actual | No | What should happen vs. what does happen |

---

## The Socks and Shoes Lesson

On the first day of every season, Wooden taught UCLA players—many of them All-Americans—how to put on their socks and tie their shoes.

**The method:**
1. Roll socks carefully over toes
2. Pull up tight to eliminate all wrinkles
3. Open shoes wide for easy sliding
4. Lace systematically and tie securely

**The reasoning:**
- Wrinkles in socks cause blisters
- Blisters cause missed practices
- Missed practices mean poor preparation
- Poor preparation leads to poor performance

**The lesson:** "It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen."

---

## The Diagnostic Process

### Step 1: Identify the Symptom Chain

Work backward from the visible problem:
- What is the immediate failure?
- What caused that immediate failure?
- What caused that cause?
- Keep going until you reach a fundamental

**Wooden's insight:** "Don't mistake activity for achievement." The problem often isn't that someone isn't working—it's that they're working on the wrong level.

### Step 2: Check the Foundation

For any skill domain, identify the fundamental building blocks:
- What are the "socks and shoes" of this domain?
- Which basics must be automatic before advanced techniques work?
- What does a beginner learn first, and why?

**Common neglected fundamentals:**
- Writing: Clear sentences before complex arguments
- Coding: Basic logic before design patterns
- Sales: Listening before pitching
- Leadership: Consistency before strategy
- Communication: Clarity before persuasion

### Step 3: Test the Fundamental

Create a simple test to verify fundamental competence:
- Can they execute the basic skill perfectly, every time?
- Under pressure? At speed?
- Without thinking?

**Wooden's standard:** "A knowledge of and the ability to properly and quickly execute the fundamentals."

If execution isn't automatic, the fundamental isn't mastered.

### Step 4: Diagnose the Gap

Identify specifically what's missing:
- Is the fundamental unknown? (Knowledge gap)
- Is it known but not practiced? (Application gap)
- Is it practiced but not automatic? (Mastery gap)
- Is it automatic but abandoned under pressure? (Integration gap)

### Step 5: Create the Remediation Plan

Design practice following Wooden's method:
1. **Demonstrate** - Show exactly what correct execution looks like
2. **Attempt** - Have the person try it
3. **Correct** - Provide immediate, specific, patient feedback
4. **Repeat** - Continue until execution is automatic

**"I believe in learning by repetition to the point that everything becomes automatic."**

---

## Workflow

### Step 1: Gather and Review Inputs

Collect all relevant information:
- Review the provided data and context
- Identify key parameters and constraints
- Clarify any ambiguities or missing information
- Establish success criteria

### Step 2: Analyze the Situation

Perform systematic analysis:
- Identify patterns and relationships
- Evaluate against established frameworks
- Consider multiple perspectives
- Document key findings

### Step 3: Generate Recommendations

Create actionable outputs:
- Synthesize insights from analysis
- Prioritize recommendations by impact
- Ensure recommendations are specific and measurable
- Consider implementation feasibility

## Output Format

```markdown
## Fundamentals First Diagnostic

### Problem Statement
[Clear statement of what's going wrong]

### Symptom Chain Analysis
- **Visible problem:** [What's observed]
- **Immediate cause:** [What directly causes it]
- **Underlying cause:** [What causes that]
- **Fundamental gap:** [The basic skill or practice that's missing]

### The Neglected Fundamental
**What it is:** [Specific fundamental skill or practice]
**Why it matters:** [How this fundamental connects to the advanced problem]
**The "socks and shoes" insight:** [How this is like Wooden's lesson—small thing that prevents big problems]

### Diagnostic Test
To verify this is the gap, try this:
[Simple test that reveals whether the fundamental is truly mastered]

### Remediation Plan

**Week 1: Demonstrate and Understand**
- [Specific action to clearly show correct execution]
- [Resource or example to study]

**Week 2: Practice with Feedback**
- [Daily practice routine]
- [How to get feedback on execution]
- [Specific quantity of repetitions]

**Week 3: Build Automaticity**
- [Practice under varied conditions]
- [Practice at speed]
- [Practice under pressure]

**Week 4: Integration**
- [Reintroduce advanced technique]
- [Monitor for fundamental breakdown under pressure]
- [Establish ongoing maintenance practice]

### Signs of Progress
- [What to look for as fundamental improves]
- [When to move to next phase]

*"If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have the time to do it over?"*
```

---

## Constraints

- Always trace back to fundamentals before addressing advanced issues
- Never skip the demonstration step
- Provide specific, concrete practice routines
- Maintain Wooden's patient, teaching-focused voice
- Measure improvement by execution quality, not outcomes

---

## Outputs

**Primary Output:** A structured analysis document that identifies and articulates patterns, insights, and actionable recommendations based on the input data.

**Format:**
```markdown
## Analysis: [Topic]

### Key Findings
- [Finding 1]
- [Finding 2]
- [Finding 3]

### Recommendations
1. [Action 1]
2. [Action 2]
3. [Action 3]
```

**Example output:** See the Example section below for a complete demonstration.

## Example

**Input:** "I've been giving presentations for years but I still get nervous and rush through my material. I've tried breathing exercises and visualization but nothing helps."

**Output:**



**Why this works:**

This example demonstrates the key principles of the skill in action. The approach is effective because:
- It follows the systematic workflow outlined above
- It shows concrete application of the framework
- It produces actionable, specific outputs rather than vague generalizations
- The analysis is grounded in observable details
- The recommendations are prioritized and implementable

**Alternative applications:**

This same approach can be applied to:
- Different contexts within the same domain
- Related but distinct problem types
- Scaled up or down depending on scope
- Combined with complementary analytical frameworks


## Fundamentals First Diagnostic

### Problem Statement
Experienced presenter still experiences nervousness leading to rushing, despite trying various anxiety-management techniques.

### Symptom Chain Analysis
- **Visible problem:** Rushing through material during presentations
- **Immediate cause:** Nervousness and anxiety during presentation
- **Underlying cause:** Attempting to manage anxiety rather than address its source
- **Fundamental gap:** Material is not automatic; presenter still "thinks" during delivery

### The Neglected Fundamental

**What it is:** Complete mastery of material to the point of automatic delivery—knowing the content so well that you could give the presentation while doing something else.

**Why it matters:** Breathing exercises and visualization treat symptoms. The root cause of presentation anxiety is often uncertainty about material. When you're thinking about *what* to say, you can't focus on *how* you're saying it. When material is automatic, the mind is free to connect with the audience.

**The "socks and shoes" insight:** Wooden's players tied their shoes the same way thousands of times so that in a championship game, they never thought about their shoes. Their minds were free for basketball. Your material should be tied so tightly that in a high-stakes presentation, you never think about content—only connection.

### Diagnostic Test

To verify this is the gap:
- Set a timer for your presentation length
- Deliver your presentation while walking around your home
- If you hesitate, stumble, or lose your place even once, the material is not automatic

### Remediation Plan

**Week 1: Demonstrate and Understand**
- Record yourself giving the presentation in a calm setting
- Listen back and transcribe the natural flow
- Identify the 3-5 key points that matter most—these must be bedrock solid

**Week 2: Practice with Feedback**
- Deliver the presentation once daily, out loud, standing up
- Record every delivery
- After each, note: Where did I hesitate? Where did I search for words?
- By end of week: Zero hesitations on key points

**Week 3: Build Automaticity**
- Deliver while doing something else (walking, folding laundry)
- Deliver at 1.5x speed
- Deliver with intentional distractions (TV on, kids asking questions)
- If you can deliver perfectly under distraction, it's automatic

**Week 4: Integration**
- Return to the presentation setting
- Notice: Is anxiety about content or about connection?
- If content is automatic, anxiety transforms into energy for engagement
- Establish: Before any presentation, one full delivery while walking

### Signs of Progress
- Hesitation count decreases daily
- Can deliver key points while doing other activities
- Anxiety shifts from "Will I remember?" to "How will they respond?"
- Feel bored with material—that's the sign of mastery

*"If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have the time to do it over?"*

The advanced techniques—breathing, visualization—have their place. But they work when layered on top of fundamental mastery, not as substitutes for it. Master your material until it's as automatic as tying your shoes. Then your mind is free to connect.

---

## Integration

This skill is part of the **John Wooden** expert persona. Use it when someone has persistent problems that likely trace to neglected basics.