My team just got a new coach about four months ago. Now personally, I don't have any major problems with this coach. He gives a pretty good workout, he is quite knowledgeable about stroke techniques, and he is trying to build some team unity. Admittedly, we have had some issues with him about showing up for workouts a few minutes late and relying too much on the pool lifeguards to provide us with a workout when he sometimes doesn't show (a much bigger problem for the newer/less experienced swimmers).
The big conflict seems to be from the beginning/intermediate swimmers and the triathletes (I'm also a triathlete, but I have a pretty strong swimming background). Now, this may seem quite trivial, and even a little bit petty to those of us who swam in college and have an intense competitive drive and thrive on the thrill of a good swim, but many of our intermediate/beginners are complaining that they are not getting recognition for their efforts. Thinking back to my early age group days, I can remember when a coach simply saying "good job" to me meant everything. It's what kept me coming back for more painful workouts the next week. Now swimming Masters, I really don't care if a coach singles me out for accomplishing something. I'm happy with an occasional Top Ten or winning a medal at Nationals. But we are now losing a lot of swimmers because they feel they are working for nothing. They don't see why they should swim Masters vs. just lap swim.
What's brought this to a head is that this morning, after workout, my wife sent me a text expressing how disgusted she was with our coach. She didn't go into specifics, but she ended with the statement "I'm done!". I didn't see what brought this on, but I did notice that halfway through workout, she was just swimming laps by herself. Back and forth, no stopping. I glanced at our coach, and he gave me a confused look, saying "so-and-so just wants to swim". While I'm not trying to make excuses for anyone, coach is a pretty young guy, with most of our members being 20-30 years older than him, and I think he might be a bit nervous expressing himself to some of us.
So heck, now I'm stuck in the middle. What do I do? Do I try to talk to the coach? Do I stay out of it? Help!
You probably should first make it clear your wife is done with the coach and not you...:eek:
No problem there. We talked last night, and yes, I'm safe!
I think there is a big difference between those of us who have swum for years and don't need a whole lot of reinforcement from a coach and those who step out of their comfort zone to try on the sport of swimming. I can't tell you how many people walk onto my pool deck with all kinds of anxieties about their speed and abilities. Wanting some positive reinforcement is not indicative of a lack of maturity. It seems to make a big difference in confidence - which translates to better swimming.
That's exactly it. In my OP, I probably wasn't clear about that. Some team members had talked to me about lack of recognition, but I think they're more concerned about recognition of improvements during practice, not necessarily competition.
Couple of us did make the coach aware of some of the gripes this morning, in a non-confrontational manner, so we'll wait and see what happens.
Since I've been swimming with my current team (I think about 6 years), I could count on one hand the number of times a coach was late. I can't recall a single time they just never showed. Heck even when there's inclement weather and we won't be swimming, the coach is there anyway to let us know (along with sending out email, posts to FB, etc.)
I understand this. I was with my last coach for 6 years too. He never once missed a workout. Never.
Of course there's a difference in not receiving praise and being ignored. If these beginner swimmers are expecting feedback, and it's not forthcoming, that's a legitimate gripe.
There is a difference between praise and feedback, and I read "not getting recognition for their efforts" to mean praise. I agree with you about feedback. My pet peeve is watching a coach ignore his swimmers who are swimming with (obvious) poor technique that could cause injury and NOT providing any guidance or feedback. I have seen this happen numerous times with one of the coaches of a kids team at the pool I have been swimming at while our pool is closed for repairs. (Note to Rob Copeland who probably knows both coaches at this coach. It's not my buddy/part-time coach. He's an :angel: with his kids!)
I recommend that you speak with the coach. It does not sound like he spent any time exploring where the team is at and the teams expectations. If he is green under the collar, then help him out a bit. It will only benefit everyone in the end, himself, and the team. Do not be confrontational, if possible do this over an informal dinner.
I believe that a good coach is engaged in the practice. At Longhorn we may have fifty or more swimmers in the pool, yet Whitney will call out to me, "You're breathing late," or "Your fingers are separating." Having a coach that is engaged is not about receiving praise; she certainly doesn't give it gratuitously. When I was trying to refine my track start, she said, "That actually wasn't terrible." And that made my day.
Personally, I don't feel that adults should be so needy; this seems childish. They should be "working" for themselves and their own fitness/competition goals. It's hard for me to believe that masters swimmers only go to practice for a pat on the head ...
While I would tend to agree I also know everyone likes to hear "good job" every once in a while. Even the swimmer at Master's that doesn't compete is still probably working hard. I don't mean every set, every day - this isn't a participation award - but after a particularly hard workout it is nice to hear.
Maybe it's different as an adult-onset swimmer? I have been swimming solo for 10 years, just started competing a year ago and started going to coached Master's workouts 2x/week in January. When the coach would say stuff like "your breastroke is looking better" or "you are definitely getting faster" it was nice to hear. It meant all the hard work I had been putting in (solo and with the team) was working.
To the OP, a conversation is probably in order. (before/after practice) Coaching Master's is definitely different than coaching age-groupers and maybe he doesn't know how to give constructive feedback to adults?
. but many of our intermediate/beginners are complaining that they are not getting recognition for their efforts.
Not to be ugly, but I thought this was a swim team, not swim lessons. Feedback is great, clapping your hands and patting them on the head suggests they are children. Or acting like children. Just sayin.
Not to be ugly, but I thought this was a swim team, not swim lessons. Feedback is great, clapping your hands and patting them on the head suggests they are children. Or acting like children. Just sayin.
To a point, you're right. But look at it this way:
Imagine you are a 40-or 50 something who has never swam more than splashing in a pool to cool off. You decide to try something different, and you join a master's team to 1) learn to swim properly, and 2) get in shape. So you show up, get in the slow lane, and are promptly humiliated by the slowest people on the team. Now think about it, what is the only thing that is going to keep you coming back for more? Yup, that's right- some coaching encouragement. Not necessarily feedback or stroke critique, but quite literally, a pat on the back, or a comment such as "nice job" or "welcome aboard". Let's face it, it's pretty intimidating jumping into a swim team when you've never done any serious swimming before. JMO
Not to be ugly, but I thought this was a swim team, not swim lessons. Feedback is great, clapping your hands and patting them on the head suggests they are children. Or acting like children. Just sayin.
Wait, I think I missed the post where we were clapping hands and patting heads. I think I also missed the memo stating coaches shouldn't be actively encouraging to all swimmers. Silly me, thinking that coaching is about sharing a love of the water and not just a USMS Top 10 ranking!!!
