I am wondering what methods clubs have used to show their appreciation to and motivate their coaches. Our club is run by the facility we swim in and they pay our coach. Unfortunately this arrangement has led to a certain level of apathy on the part of the club members. I think there is a developing danger of the coach losing motivation if we, the swimmers don't find ways of showing our appreciation and providing motivation. I believe our coach is motivated by his passion for swimming, the amount he is paid to coach us is certainly not sufficient to motivate him. This year he has started coaching the age group club so I think he now has another outlet for his passion for swimming and coaching and I think we need to work harder to make sure he finds coaching us a fullfilling experience. I am sure many other clubs have been in similar situations where a coach who has put in incredible efforts to build the club up from almost nothing starts to suffer from burn out and lack of positive feedback. What has worked for you? I am sure I once read an article on the role that swimmers can play in providing a motivating environment for their coach but I can't remember where it was...
Parents
Former Member
Money may motivate, but it's not necessarily the main motivator. People tend to stay where the environment is positive; a previous post mentioned the importance of thanking the coach, being positive, and asking the coach what his/her goals are. These points are key. A bit of public recognition (thank you letter in the local paper, coach's picture in the pool foyer, etc.) is often appreciated. But ultimately,a person has to want to be a team member, whether coach or player.
I have two situations that relate to this. One is soccer - I have played in a recreational women's soccer league for about eight years. I played on one team where the coach quit after the season and I'm pretty sure it was because he was fed up with the whining. There were a few women on the team who always had something unproductive to say about the practice or drill: "This is boring. Let's do something else." "We should be practicing set plays (or corner kicks, or give and gos, or whatever...)." "I'm not doing sit ups on the wet ground." In hindsight, we wish that we (the other players) had dealt with the negativity and encouraged these women to let the coach guide the team with his vision.
The other situation involved swimming. We had a coach, and for the first while it was great. But as the months went by, antagonisms grew. Some team members felt ignored, others felt they were being pushed too hard, the coach seemed angry a lot. We had team meetings to problem solve. Both the coach and members brought up conflicts. We thought we had worked through it - more money for the coach, recognition and practice accomodation for the non-competing swimmers, and a renewed commitment from all swimmers. However, despite an initial improvement, the atmoshpere deteriorated again. The coach threatened to quit. More meetings and goal sharing - but to no avail. Basically it became the coach's way or nothing - the coach was unable to hear the needs/wants of many swimmers. One night he quit in a huff .
So they are opposite sides of the same coin: in soccer, the coach didn't feel valued or appreciated. In swimming, the swimmers didn't feel valued or worthy. Both wound up with the coach quitting.
Bottom line? Honest open communication is needed, as well as flexibility. And if someone (coach or team member) is really miserable, and can't/won't resolve the issue, then maybe it's better that they weren't part of the team.
After our swimming coach quit, the members decided that no one person was larger than the team. So we coached ourselves for a while; two or three of the more experienced swimmers posted workouts and took turns on deck. Membership waned but a core group remained. After a year or so we "found" another coach, and things are really going well. But at the beginning of the season we established some ground rules - coaches' pay, policy regarding drop-ins/leaving practice early or coming late, and a "no negative talk or festering" policy - a commitment from both coach and members to discuss problems positively before they get out of hand or turn nasty.
It all kind of relates to what my mom used to tell me: treat others as you would like to be treated.
Money may motivate, but it's not necessarily the main motivator. People tend to stay where the environment is positive; a previous post mentioned the importance of thanking the coach, being positive, and asking the coach what his/her goals are. These points are key. A bit of public recognition (thank you letter in the local paper, coach's picture in the pool foyer, etc.) is often appreciated. But ultimately,a person has to want to be a team member, whether coach or player.
I have two situations that relate to this. One is soccer - I have played in a recreational women's soccer league for about eight years. I played on one team where the coach quit after the season and I'm pretty sure it was because he was fed up with the whining. There were a few women on the team who always had something unproductive to say about the practice or drill: "This is boring. Let's do something else." "We should be practicing set plays (or corner kicks, or give and gos, or whatever...)." "I'm not doing sit ups on the wet ground." In hindsight, we wish that we (the other players) had dealt with the negativity and encouraged these women to let the coach guide the team with his vision.
The other situation involved swimming. We had a coach, and for the first while it was great. But as the months went by, antagonisms grew. Some team members felt ignored, others felt they were being pushed too hard, the coach seemed angry a lot. We had team meetings to problem solve. Both the coach and members brought up conflicts. We thought we had worked through it - more money for the coach, recognition and practice accomodation for the non-competing swimmers, and a renewed commitment from all swimmers. However, despite an initial improvement, the atmoshpere deteriorated again. The coach threatened to quit. More meetings and goal sharing - but to no avail. Basically it became the coach's way or nothing - the coach was unable to hear the needs/wants of many swimmers. One night he quit in a huff .
So they are opposite sides of the same coin: in soccer, the coach didn't feel valued or appreciated. In swimming, the swimmers didn't feel valued or worthy. Both wound up with the coach quitting.
Bottom line? Honest open communication is needed, as well as flexibility. And if someone (coach or team member) is really miserable, and can't/won't resolve the issue, then maybe it's better that they weren't part of the team.
After our swimming coach quit, the members decided that no one person was larger than the team. So we coached ourselves for a while; two or three of the more experienced swimmers posted workouts and took turns on deck. Membership waned but a core group remained. After a year or so we "found" another coach, and things are really going well. But at the beginning of the season we established some ground rules - coaches' pay, policy regarding drop-ins/leaving practice early or coming late, and a "no negative talk or festering" policy - a commitment from both coach and members to discuss problems positively before they get out of hand or turn nasty.
It all kind of relates to what my mom used to tell me: treat others as you would like to be treated.
