Would you expect a high school swim coach to know what a split is and why it is important?
Last night my daughter was watching my granddaughter's HS swim practice. The assistant coach asked my daughter to time a 500 for a couple of kids. My daughter asked the coach if she wanted splits or just the finish time. The coach said, "Split, I don't know what that is." My daughter explained. The coach then asked, "Why would I want to know that?"
Well, I have to give the coach credit for asking.
Should a HS coach know this, or do I have an unreasonable expectation?
I feel badly for most of these minority/from poverty students who join the team, not knowing how to swim--at all--hoping to get some good instruction.
The two BOYS my daughter timed last night swam 500 in slightly under 10:00.00 :(
My daughter, who swam for Curt Myers, offered to become a community coach and help the team. She was told by the head coach that he didn't need help. (Head coach doesn't know how to swim--literally--if he fell in the pool a lifeguard would have to pull him out)
A swim coach at any level should certainly know what a split is, and why it's important.
I'm guessing this person is a teacher in the school looking for a couple extra bucks with no swimming background?
How long has this person been coaching? For that matter...how long has she been involved with swimming? Yeah, she ought to know. Your expectation is not unreasonable.
Dan
(Head coach doesn't know how to swim--literally--if he fell in the pool a lifeguard would have to pull him out)
This coach and my high school coach would have made a great pair. I learned my senior year that our coach didn't know how to swim. After we beat our rivals in the last meet of the season, we threw her into the pool. She dog paddled to the edge of the pool in tears and finally admitted she didn't know how to swim . (She was a P.E. teacher who evidently got stuck with the girls swim team.) :shakeshead:
This coach and my high school coach would have made a great pair. I learned my senior year that our coach didn't know how to swim. I am not sure knowing how to swim is a requirement. I had an exceptional coach who I never, ever saw in the water and really never knew if he could swim. He knew the sport inside and out, though, and was an outstanding coach.
I am not sure knowing how to swim is a requirement. I had an exceptional coach who I never, ever saw in the water and really never knew if he could swim. He knew the sport inside and out, though, and was an outstanding coach.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case with my coach. I learned how to swim breaststroke by sharing a lane with the only other breaststroker on the team. I followed her and watched everything she did.
I had never swum competitively before high school and had only taken swim lessons for one summer when I was young. Breaststroke seemed to come naturally to me, though, and the coach was eager to fill the slot.
My coach didn't teach or coach stroke to anybody on the team. I think she just handled all the rest of her responsibilities by following a coaching manual or getting advice from one of the other coaches in our league.
Many people that are in swimming come from a different background. Swim coaches are not paid as equals to football & basketball, EVEN IF YOU CAN DIE IN OUR SPORT FROM DROWNING!!!
The coaches haven't even made the effort to learn what is correct technique. My daughter warned them, the athletic director and the principal someone was going to get hurt... And sure enough a young woman hurt her shoulder. The orthopedist who didn't know the girl was on the swim team said, "Let me guess you are swimming. Your injury almost always occurs in swimmers with poor technique and no one else." They 'teach' technique by telling the swimmers to watch YouTube videos! Told my daughter the other day that it was a good thing most of these kids were not physically strong... Swimming by purely bullying yourself through the water could result in more injuries.
