Talking to Your Athlete At A Swim Meet

By John Leonard, ASCA,

April 20, 2011

Our purpose today…

• What is the difference between the coach in practice and the coach in a swim meet?

• What are the key skills in each case?

• How much overlap?

• What differences?

• How can the Coach best help the athlete at a swim meet? (key question of the day.)

Does One Style Fit All?

Clearly you need to work within your own personality.

• It won’t help anyone to have a “new Coach” at the meet.

• You need to be consistent.

• AND, you need to recognize that your athletes are all different people and…

• NEED DIFFERENT THINGS AT A MEET TO SUCCEED!

Start with Basics..do you know what you look like at a swim meet?

George Haines Richard Quick

If You Don’t…

• VIDEO.

• Yourself.

• In repose.

• In action.

• In conversation.

• Not many of us will be happy when we review this. Do you want to see what others see, or…?

How You Communicate with athletes is …

Verbal

• The words we SAY

• The WAY we say them.

• How athletes HEAR them. (or here them)

• Can your athletes focus in the “here and now”. ?

• Mark Schubert in conversation with an athlete. Don GambrilIn conversation with an athlete. Others.

Non-verbal

• Facial expression.

• Body language.

• Movement language.

• Who’s watching?

• Other athletes.

• The Child’s Parent

Conversation.

Where do you stand?

• Side by side – implications.

• Face to Face – Implications.

• Mixture – how to use.

The Challenge..what else are you doing?

• Watching others race.

• Taking splits.

• Cheering?

• Telling others on the way to the block what to remember.

• You’re busier than a one arm paper hanger.

The “Package”

• Information you deliver: “standard”

• BEFORE THE RACE….

• What to do.

• How to do it.

• Express confidence, give permission to go fast.

• Tell or Ask.

• Age/

Age Groupers – 8 to 13/14

• I tell, I don’t ask.

• Set up by several weeks of discussion.

• REMINDERS, not new information.

• Focus on one key word/thought.

• Define the one rabbit you are chasing and have them repeat it back to you.

Older athletes 13/14 through Masters…

• Collaborative effort.

• Ask questions and “suggest”.

• Many times, primary purpose is to remind of reasons to be confident/aggressive.

• You MUST know your athlete.

• Music is a key.

Extremes…

In the pool communication Comfortable chat….

The Post-Race Talk

Younger

• Sandwich

• What did you do well?

• What were you trying to do? (test case.)

• What you can do better.

• How to get faster.

• What did you LEARN from this swim?

• WHAT NEXT?

Older Athletes…

• What went well?

• What needs improvement?

• Did you catch your one rabbit?

• How to get faster.

• More questions to elicit an intellectual response.

• WHAT NEXT?

Listening Skills..

• Try to listen with heart as well as ears.

• ASK QUESTIONS…Probe, go deeper…

• And? And? And? And?

• “what else did you think about during the swim?” (thinking…during the swim?)

• What did you learn about yourself in that?

• Listen to HOW they describe the race…”I think, I saw, I felt, etc. tells you…?

POST MEET CONVERSATIONS!

• Review to get closure.

• Review to get technical info to “stick”.

• Review for emotional reasons…

• WELL WORTH THE TIME IT TAKES.

• Key Questions

• What was your BEST Race? Why?

• What was your worst race,? Why?

• What was your most memorable moment of the meet? Why?

Contrasts

James “Doc” Counsilman Jack Nelson, Jon Urbanchek

Other Conversational Considerations.

• 1. Emotion - who needs to pump up, who needs to calm down?

• Intellect – the role of analysis versus role of emotion and “cheerleading”.

• Attention Seeking Behavior.

• Philosophical interface with “talk”

• Checking for retention…all ages.

Conversational Considerations..con’t

• 2. age groupers.

• What you say versus what they hear.

• Prep WELL before meet. Then right before meet. Then right after meet…it’s endless!

• Communicate with parents as well as children….John’s standard speech to parents.

• “so you know what we are doing…”

Considerations…

• 3. Words mean something.

• Careful what words you use.

• Danger of extravagant praise.

• End with giving hope and high expectations.

• Get good at “reframing” situations.

• Get good at “refocusing” distracted children for good or bad reasons…..

• It’s all about “the future” and GIVING HOPE.

The Greatest..when it comes to talking with Athletes….

And a very close second…

Hope you Enjoyed It!

• All the Best,

• John Leonard

• Jleonard@swimmingcoach.org

• 800-356-2722.

• Questions anytime…I’m here to help. JL