Coaching Philosophy
Clarity of Expectations
- Ordered and structured
- Use this structured approach as a strength in the swimming programme
- Structure leads to self-disciplined athletes
Understand Self
- Know my strengths
- Plan to my strengths
Courage
- Courage to do what I believe in
- Not swayed by external pressures and ‘trends or fads’
Develop the Whole Swimmer
- Apply the human ‘touch’ – the recognition that every individual is unique, bringing to the programme personality, emotionality, ambitions and aspirations, personal circumstances, athleticism, anatomy and physiology
- Understanding that sport exists within a wider context
- Recognise that an elite or aspiring elite athlete should have a balanced lifestyle enabling athletes to balance the demands of work/study, sport and social events
- Provide the rationale to understand what we do, how and when we do it and why?
Science Based Approach
- Utilise sports science and sports medicine
- Skill the swimmers in knowledge of physiology and correct intensity of efforts, e.g. blood lactate testing and profiling to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the training programme
- Musculoskeletal screening for injury prevention to identify strengths and weaknesses
High Standards
- Expect high standards of self
- Expect high standards from swimmers
- Expect swimmers to use the knowledge
Passionate about the Sport and my Profession
- Keep up to date with
- Training principles
- Trends in world swimming
- Performances
Integrity
- Strive to be true to myself and my coaching philosophy at all times
Practices Underpinning my Coaching Philosophy
- Creating a learning environment
- Development of swimming technique – all strokes, starts and turns, at an early age combined with on-going monitoring and refinement
- Development of an aerobic base with emphasis on maintaining good skills throughout all stages of the training process
- Awareness of the athlete’s long term development
- Train the physiology, i.e. train the energy systems appropriate to age, maturation and development, and event specialisation
- Application of sports science, e.g. blood lactate testing and profiling to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the training programme;
- Application of sports medicine support, e.g. injury prevention through specific exercises derived from a muscular-skeletal screening to identify individual strengths and weaknesses
- Educate the athlete in the history of the sport, sports nutrition and hydration, rest and regeneration, mental skills, etc
- Coach the individual based on individual characteristics, strengths and weaknesses, maturation and development
- Develop the team and team-spirit – Promote participation in relays, swim camps, tours, etc
- Clear communication between all parties
- Mentoring and development of the coaching staff and support group, e.g. parents, volunteers
- Enjoyment