2017 ISCA Annual Hall of Fame Coaches ClinicAug 29, 2017
5 Key Takeaways From 2017 ISCA Hall Of Fame Coaches Clinic
5 Key Takeaways From 2017 ISCA Hall Of Fame Coaches Clinic
This article is a recap of the 2017 ISCA Hall of Fame Coaches Clinic in Florida. The author, Tony Carroll, is an age group swim coach with the Lakeside Seahawks in Louisville, Kentucky.
The ISCA Hall of Fame Coaches Clinic always delivers a wealth of knowledge from some of the best coaches in the business, and the 2017 version in Clearwater, Florida, was no different. Here are the five biggest takeaways from last week's annual clinic.
While some coaches stretch themselves thin trying to give everyone the feedback they require, the best coaches are empowering their athletes by teaching them where they can get feedback. The information swimmers crave is all around them -- they are just trained to filter it out.
Sensory Integration is defined as "the neurological process that organizes sensation from one's own body and from the environment and makes it possible to use the body effectively within the environment."
How do swimmers know they are going fast? Are they simply measuring their effort or can they feel when they are going fast?
The biggest sensory organ in the body is the skin, and your skin is giving feedback all the time. Swimmers can develop their neuromuscular skills by moving forward off the water and thinking about what that feels like. Instead of asking swimmers to focus on a "harder kick" or "keeping their head down" at the end of a race, have them try to duplicate the feeling of "being fast."
Every swimmer can be their own best coach; to do so they need to be aware of their environment and make adjustments based on that information.
Feedback also comes through results. In theory, there is no such thing as a bad swim or practice, because every swim provides feedback. Sometimes swimmers are going to be successful, and other times they are going to fail. It is OK that an athlete fails at times, but it's equally important that they understand why they fail.
Was it mental? Was the kick not as effective as it could be? Was the tempo too slow? Was the stroke inefficient?
If you are writing sets that are not specific enough as a coach, your athletes may not know why they failed and they could get frustrated. If you make failure or success specific within the workout, however, they will know why they failed and can then make an adjustment based on that feedback.
In the example below, Set A is relatively straightforward. If your swimmers make it under 15 seconds on each 25, they are successful. If they fail, however, there may be confusion as to why they failed. Compare this to Set B. Now to be successful, they must make it under 15 seconds with added resistance, limited underwaters, and a limited stroke count. If they can make it in less than 15 seconds but it takes them 12 strokes, they failed but they know they need to work on their distance per stroke.
- Be up by the 7m mark
- No more than 10 strokes
- Be under 15 seconds each 25
Swimmers are going to fail often if they are training well. Even on their worst days, however, they should still be able to walk out of every practice feeling great about something. Maybe they failed to make their pace times during the main set, but they can still walk away knowing they made their turns or finishes better.
One of the most common themes of the week was culture. Team culture is a reflection of the relationships within an organization. As one coach noted, "Most athletes don't care how much you know until you've shown them how much you care."
Changing your team culture is not an easy task, and, to create a lasting culture, it starts with you and your staff. Coaches need to expect the very best from themselves. The only way to expect others to do their best is to lead by example. After that, show genuine interest in everyone in and around the program to create a culture in which people look out for each other and are accountable.
During their talks, both Mission Viejo Nadadores coach Mark Schubert and Florida State coach Neal Studd said they've been told they didn't take enough time to talk to their swimmers, and therefore both had to adjust to make that a priority.
Schubert told us he started every practice of the next season with a huddle, so he could make quick announcements, describe the workout, and go over the goal/focus for the day. He also said he made more time available outside of practice to talk with his swimmers.
Studd implemented weekly team meetings on Wednesdays and made time available outside of practice for individual meetings. On Fridays, he also spends all day at the pool working with his swimmers one-on-one in 30 minute increments -- focusing on whatever they want to work on during that time slot.
The best coaches recognize relationships are built through communication, and quality communication (positive, uplifting, motivating, honest, etc.) with your team builds a positive team culture. However, it is important to note that once you start communicating this way with your team, you have to continue communicating this way. If you make an effort to communicate more and suddenly stop, the athletes are going to come up with their own reasons why that is happening. Silence breeds negativity; if you don't give them a reason, they're going to jump to their own conclusions.
Lastly, create a culture of inclusiveness. Everyone wants to feel like an insider. Discuss the direction of the team (why are we resting or not resting, etc.) and ask them for input when putting together your team standards. Asking for input will help the athletes feel that their opinion is important.
When coaches think of what it takes to be one of the best swimmers, most would say swimmers need to be intrinsically motivated to swim fast. While most would agree this is true, it doesn't take away the responsibility of the coach to motivate as well.
For younger or simply unmotivated swimmers, coaches can help them become intrinsically motivated by figuring out what they love. If you love something, you'll want to own it. You may have athletes who are doing well now, but are they simply accountable to the coaches or are they responsible for their performance? Once they take responsibility for their performance, there is a lot coaches can do to provide energy in practice.
Some days all it takes is to tell the swimmer they are doing a good job. If they aren't, tell them why it's not good so they can make adjustments and try to fix it. Have them feed off the people around them, and challenge them to race. If Johnny goes a 59, let the team know and challenge three more to go with him. You can also make sure the team is swimming the set together. If the group is silent and no one is supporting each other, stop the set and reset. Make sure they are swimming the set together and holding each other accountable.
Another way to provide energy in practice is to measure what they are doing. Timing 15m breakouts, 25m sprints, or turns becomes incredibly competitive, and you'll be amazed seeing how much faster swimmers will go when they are being measured and competing.
Networking with other coaches and learning how they think is an extremely valuable tool. This past weekend, several world-class coaches attended the conference, including Matt Kredich (Tennessee), Brian Schrader (Denver), Jim Richardson (Michigan), Tom Rushton (Canada), Sue Chen (NCAP), Dudley Duncan (Quest Swimming), Schubert, Studd, and many more. On top of that, coaches were able to share ideas with one another across all spectrums of the sport. As nerve-racking as it can be to reach out to coaches you may not know -- or who may even have a higher pedigree, more experience, etc. -- it is important to know that most coaches are more than willing to share what they know to help progress the sport.
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1.) Using sensory integration to continually provide athletes with feedback
While some coaches stretch themselves thin trying to give everyone the feedback they require, the best coaches are empowering their athletes by teaching them where they can get feedback. The information swimmers crave is all around them -- they are just trained to filter it out.
Sensory Integration is defined as "the neurological process that organizes sensation from one's own body and from the environment and makes it possible to use the body effectively within the environment."
How do swimmers know they are going fast? Are they simply measuring their effort or can they feel when they are going fast?
The biggest sensory organ in the body is the skin, and your skin is giving feedback all the time. Swimmers can develop their neuromuscular skills by moving forward off the water and thinking about what that feels like. Instead of asking swimmers to focus on a "harder kick" or "keeping their head down" at the end of a race, have them try to duplicate the feeling of "being fast."
Every swimmer can be their own best coach; to do so they need to be aware of their environment and make adjustments based on that information.
2.) Writing workouts with clear successes and failures
Feedback also comes through results. In theory, there is no such thing as a bad swim or practice, because every swim provides feedback. Sometimes swimmers are going to be successful, and other times they are going to fail. It is OK that an athlete fails at times, but it's equally important that they understand why they fail.
Was it mental? Was the kick not as effective as it could be? Was the tempo too slow? Was the stroke inefficient?
If you are writing sets that are not specific enough as a coach, your athletes may not know why they failed and they could get frustrated. If you make failure or success specific within the workout, however, they will know why they failed and can then make an adjustment based on that feedback.
In the example below, Set A is relatively straightforward. If your swimmers make it under 15 seconds on each 25, they are successful. If they fail, however, there may be confusion as to why they failed. Compare this to Set B. Now to be successful, they must make it under 15 seconds with added resistance, limited underwaters, and a limited stroke count. If they can make it in less than 15 seconds but it takes them 12 strokes, they failed but they know they need to work on their distance per stroke.
Set A: 20 x 25 @ :30
- Be under 15 seconds each 25Set B: 20 x 25 @ :30
- Do the set with resistance- Be up by the 7m mark
- No more than 10 strokes
- Be under 15 seconds each 25
Swimmers are going to fail often if they are training well. Even on their worst days, however, they should still be able to walk out of every practice feeling great about something. Maybe they failed to make their pace times during the main set, but they can still walk away knowing they made their turns or finishes better.
3.) Team culture is built on relationships
One of the most common themes of the week was culture. Team culture is a reflection of the relationships within an organization. As one coach noted, "Most athletes don't care how much you know until you've shown them how much you care."
Changing your team culture is not an easy task, and, to create a lasting culture, it starts with you and your staff. Coaches need to expect the very best from themselves. The only way to expect others to do their best is to lead by example. After that, show genuine interest in everyone in and around the program to create a culture in which people look out for each other and are accountable.
During their talks, both Mission Viejo Nadadores coach Mark Schubert and Florida State coach Neal Studd said they've been told they didn't take enough time to talk to their swimmers, and therefore both had to adjust to make that a priority.
Schubert told us he started every practice of the next season with a huddle, so he could make quick announcements, describe the workout, and go over the goal/focus for the day. He also said he made more time available outside of practice to talk with his swimmers.
Studd implemented weekly team meetings on Wednesdays and made time available outside of practice for individual meetings. On Fridays, he also spends all day at the pool working with his swimmers one-on-one in 30 minute increments -- focusing on whatever they want to work on during that time slot.
The best coaches recognize relationships are built through communication, and quality communication (positive, uplifting, motivating, honest, etc.) with your team builds a positive team culture. However, it is important to note that once you start communicating this way with your team, you have to continue communicating this way. If you make an effort to communicate more and suddenly stop, the athletes are going to come up with their own reasons why that is happening. Silence breeds negativity; if you don't give them a reason, they're going to jump to their own conclusions.
Lastly, create a culture of inclusiveness. Everyone wants to feel like an insider. Discuss the direction of the team (why are we resting or not resting, etc.) and ask them for input when putting together your team standards. Asking for input will help the athletes feel that their opinion is important.
4.) The coach's role in motivation
When coaches think of what it takes to be one of the best swimmers, most would say swimmers need to be intrinsically motivated to swim fast. While most would agree this is true, it doesn't take away the responsibility of the coach to motivate as well.
For younger or simply unmotivated swimmers, coaches can help them become intrinsically motivated by figuring out what they love. If you love something, you'll want to own it. You may have athletes who are doing well now, but are they simply accountable to the coaches or are they responsible for their performance? Once they take responsibility for their performance, there is a lot coaches can do to provide energy in practice.
Some days all it takes is to tell the swimmer they are doing a good job. If they aren't, tell them why it's not good so they can make adjustments and try to fix it. Have them feed off the people around them, and challenge them to race. If Johnny goes a 59, let the team know and challenge three more to go with him. You can also make sure the team is swimming the set together. If the group is silent and no one is supporting each other, stop the set and reset. Make sure they are swimming the set together and holding each other accountable.
Another way to provide energy in practice is to measure what they are doing. Timing 15m breakouts, 25m sprints, or turns becomes incredibly competitive, and you'll be amazed seeing how much faster swimmers will go when they are being measured and competing.
5.) Network with other coaches
Networking with other coaches and learning how they think is an extremely valuable tool. This past weekend, several world-class coaches attended the conference, including Matt Kredich (Tennessee), Brian Schrader (Denver), Jim Richardson (Michigan), Tom Rushton (Canada), Sue Chen (NCAP), Dudley Duncan (Quest Swimming), Schubert, Studd, and many more. On top of that, coaches were able to share ideas with one another across all spectrums of the sport. As nerve-racking as it can be to reach out to coaches you may not know -- or who may even have a higher pedigree, more experience, etc. -- it is important to know that most coaches are more than willing to share what they know to help progress the sport.
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