Know your swimmers!

When an athlete knows their coach truly believes in them, they usually will achieve so much more.  I believe this has always been true.  Coach-athlete relationships have evolved from an authority figure (coach) dictating what the athlete must do and the athlete following those instructions without questioning it.  Today, the coach and athlete relationship is much more of a partnership (possible topic for a later blog about the coach-athlete relationship).  Today's athlete demands that the coach be supportive more than ever.

When I say supportive, I am talking about the coach working to understand each athlete and recognize each one is unique.  The more the coach takes the time to understand each athlete, the more the athlete trusts the coach.  As the trust grows, the athlete is more willing to do whatever the coach asks of them.  Notice I did not say demand as demanding things from our youth today does not work very well until a very strong bond of trust is built between the coach and athlete.  Even after that trust is built, there will still be respectful questioning from the athlete.

A coach can build that trust by learning from day to day, week to week, etc. what the athlete is capable of.  The coach must work hard to learn what motivates the athlete.  The coach must also recognize the motivation can differ from day to day.  Some days you can easily push the athlete to do more, but other days you just have to back off and let the athlete work through things knowing you care.  The coach can never stop trying to read their athletes and their mood and temperament.  As a coach you will make mistakes.  Own up to those mistakes to the athlete and they will respect you.  The most basic advice I can give to getting to know your swimmers is to be the first to arrive at practice so you can greet them as they arrive.  As they prepare to start practice you can engage the swimmers in some casual talk.  By doing that you can figure out how they are feeling that day, but more importantly you start to learn about them as a person (and they learn some about you too).  Also talking with the parents before and after practice is a good way to learn about the athletes.  The parents can give you insights about their children and will appreciate you showing you care about their child beyond their performance in the pool.  This process can take multiple seasons, but it is well worth it.  Even when you think you know the swimmer, do not stop interacting with the athlete and parent to better understand your athlete.