Does anyone know where I could find a swim coach who can specifically help a blind athlete. The athlete is a pretty fit triathlete and I would love to be able to help him , but I just don't feel that I have the skill set. Not looking for something "free" and am in the Houston area. 2 days per week 1 on 1 lessons...
Sorry - I'm not i your area. We in Ill have a blind swimmer that I have seen swim with a coach/friend. She 1st started out swimming & with a long pole with a tennis ball on the end was tapped on the head/shoulders when the pool wall was coming up along with voice commands. Why don't you give it a try. I'm sure any help will be good.
Does anyone know where I could find a swim coach who can specifically help a blind athlete. The athlete is a pretty fit triathlete and I would love to be able to help him , but I just don't feel that I have the skill set. Not looking for something "free" and am in the Houston area. 2 days per week 1 on 1 lessons...
In disability sport, "blind" covers a lot of ground. What residual vision, if any, does the athlete have? Makes a big difference in what training adaptations will be needed.
I've trained with two blind triathletes (different types/degrees of vision loss), and I internet-know several others - I can put your athlete in touch if he isn't already, via Facebook or Twitter. Can't help with swim coaches in the Houston area, I'm afraid.
You could try contacting the Challenged Athletes Foundation. I volunteered at one of their clinics, and those guys are amazing. www.challengedathletes.org/.../Contact_Us.htm
CAF don't do a lot of work with blind/visually impaired athletes (tho they're definitely worth knowing about for their grants program, and no doubt have a good referral/resource database).
Houston has a Paralympic Sports program. It apparently offers swimming, tho that doesn't seem to be a major focus (I don't know anything about the program other than what's online).
That said, most para-swimmers and paratriathletes I know (a lot) do all or most of their training in mainstream programs. USA Blind Athletes has written comprehensively about sports adaptations for blind and visually impaired swimmers.
You say your athlete is a triathlete - does he just do pool triathlons, or does he also do triathlons in open water with a guide?
Video: 2012 Paratriathlon World Championships, Auckland (Jono Goerlach, the Aussie you see on the tandem bike and again in the run? One of the blind triathletes I've trained with)
USA Triathlon - Paratriathlon
Recent vigorous discussion amongst TRI6/blind paratriathletes on the Paratriathlon Athletes Facebook group about the best way to swim in open water - whether it's at the feet of your guide, or side to side. Actually, multiple discussions amongst TRI6/blind athletes - they've been far more chatty than the rest of us so far!
This reminds me of a story I've told many, many times.
In the 1980s I was coaching a blind swimmer who had a very successful Paralympics. During a training session he was swimming front crawl along the lane, keeping close to the lane rope. One of our other swimmers (a sighted swimmer) began swimming down the lane towards the blind swimmer, but on the wrong side of the lane. Both swimmers were swimming fast and a collision was about to happen.
Just as the two swimmers were about to crash head-on in the middle of the pool, I held my head in my hands, not wanting to watch.
The blind swimmer 'saw' at the last moment what was about to happen and ducked under the lane rope, avoiding an accident. He went on to win gold at the Paralympics that year.
Not sure if this will help but it's an article on coaching masters swimmers who are blind. They developed a devise call Adapt Tap which assists in guiding the swimmer.
Rules for competitive swimming are governed by the IBSA Swimming Rules, which can be found on this web site.
