How Much Difference Does A Good Coach Make???

Originally posted by mark_varney47 I'm a pretty bad swimmer with the following times: 100m Free 2.00 200m Free 4.10 400m Free 8.45 Just how much difference would having a good coach make to those times???? I think it is a shame that you feel compelled to define yourself as a "bad swimmer" simply because of your times. I believe that because you were able to post those times on this message board it shows that you got what it takes to accomplish your goals: a lot of raw nerve. I find it rather intimidating at times to be surrounded by nothing but elite super swimmers who can go on and on discussing the minute details of things like hand positioning till my eyes glaze over. If I were to judge my performance on my times then I'd have to admit that I'm a pretty lousy swimmer too, but I know that isn't true, so I never even think it, let alone say so. In fact I think I'm a damn good swimmer, and so do a few others, especially those who really know me. My priorities can easily be established by asking: What are my swimming goals? Why do I swim? These were the first questions that popped into my head for you when I read your post quoted above. It appears you spend quite a bit of time at the pool: forums.usms.org/showthread.php forums.usms.org/showthread.php forums.usms.org/showthread.php I saw a sign at a meet (apparently to motivate the swim teams there) that said: "Its not how many hours you put in, but what you put into the hours." I agree with this wholeheartedly, I definitely go for quality above quantity. It strikes me as completely insane to swim 120Km/wk (that’s 10Km 2x/day, 6 days a week!), but if your goal is to get a medal in the Olympics these days, then I guess that is what you have to do. Ref: forums.usms.org/showthread.php Does coaching help? All indicators say "yes", and as always: quality will get you there for sure. How many non-coached swimmers have gotten an Olympic medal? My guess is none, at least not in the past 10-20yrs anyway. Does this mean that you have to be coached to enjoy swimming? I don't think so. In fact I'm beginning to realize that I enjoyed swimming more before I got involved in USMS, which probably explains why there are so few people like me in USMS. I have never participated in regular, coached sessions in my entire life. At my very first USMS meet attached to a team the coach came up to me after I completed a freestyle event and said that I have about the best stroke technique that they have ever seen! (This still remains the highlight of my 6yr USMS career.) Perhaps they were not a "good coach", or maybe they were just giving me an "attaboy". But I have no reason to believe they were being anything but completely sincere, and I did not hear anyone on that team complaining, and that team had probably the highest percentage of faster swimmers than any other team in my LMSC at the time. So I'm back to this: Why do you swim? What are your swimming goals? If you believe (better) coaching will make you a better (faster) swimmer then by all means get a (better) coach. All I know for sure (based solely on my personal experience) is that if you do not have it unconditionally confirmed in your head that you will become a better (faster) swimmer, then you never will be one.

Originally posted by mark_varney47 I'm a pretty bad swimmer with the following times: 100m Free 2.00 200m Free 4.10 400m Free 8.45 Just how much difference would having a good coach make to those times???? I think it is a shame that you feel compelled to define yourself as a "bad swimmer" simply because of your times. I believe that because you were able to post those times on this message board it shows that you got what it takes to accomplish your goals: a lot of raw nerve. I find it rather intimidating at times to be surrounded by nothing but elite super swimmers who can go on and on discussing the minute details of things like hand positioning till my eyes glaze over. If I were to judge my performance on my times then I'd have to admit that I'm a pretty lousy swimmer too, but I know that isn't true, so I never even think it, let alone say so. In fact I think I'm a damn good swimmer, and so do a few others, especially those who really know me. My priorities can easily be established by asking: What are my swimming goals? Why do I swim? These were the first questions that popped into my head for you when I read your post quoted above. It appears you spend quite a bit of time at the pool: forums.usms.org/showthread.php forums.usms.org/showthread.php forums.usms.org/showthread.php I saw a sign at a meet (apparently to motivate the swim teams there) that said: "Its not how many hours you put in, but what you put into the hours." I agree with this wholeheartedly, I definitely go for quality above quantity. It strikes me as completely insane to swim 120Km/wk (that’s 10Km 2x/day, 6 days a week!), but if your goal is to get a medal in the Olympics these days, then I guess that is what you have to do. Ref: forums.usms.org/showthread.php Does coaching help? All indicators say "yes", and as always: quality will get you there for sure. How many non-coached swimmers have gotten an Olympic medal? My guess is none, at least not in the past 10-20yrs anyway. Does this mean that you have to be coached to enjoy swimming? I don't think so. In fact I'm beginning to realize that I enjoyed swimming more before I got involved in USMS, which probably explains why there are so few people like me in USMS. I have never participated in regular, coached sessions in my entire life. At my very first USMS meet attached to a team the coach came up to me after I completed a freestyle event and said that I have about the best stroke technique that they have ever seen! (This still remains the highlight of my 6yr USMS career.) Perhaps they were not a "good coach", or maybe they were just giving me an "attaboy". But I have no reason to believe they were being anything but completely sincere, and I did not hear anyone on that team complaining, and that team had probably the highest percentage of faster swimmers than any other team in my LMSC at the time. So I'm back to this: Why do you swim? What are your swimming goals? If you believe (better) coaching will make you a better (faster) swimmer then by all means get a (better) coach. All I know for sure (based solely on my personal experience) is that if you do not have it unconditionally confirmed in your head that you will become a better (faster) swimmer, then you never will be one.