Coaching, yes or no?

RE: Coaching, yes or no?

indyswimbag — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 11:30:51 GMT

At the moment I swim alone but use workouts provided via email. I add a bit of yardage here and there to make up a workout that I feel like. I would LOVE to have a coach again because I feel that it helps to keep me going when I just dont feel like doing that last sprint or whatever....

RE: Coaching, yes or no?

Former Member — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 16:06:40 GMT

There was no option for "several coaches". I'm lucky enough to live in an area with big swimming participation. My team is coached and I love the team, but the workouts tend to be very similar. Each lane has a different interval, and workouts are never the same twice a week, but as a group we're able to predict what comes next. We laugh about it in the water, but really, it gets dull. Due to the above, I started to look for alternatives--more motivation, better feedback, and variety. Was able to start working out with my kids' team and got tons of variety. Lots of stroke work, fast intervals, drills with a purpose, and tons of kicking. The coaches are not afraid to make corrections, which is also great. I think my team coach is worried that as adults we will walk away from the team rather than accepting criticism. I also recently started swimming with another masters group with coached workouts. Again, tons of variety and a coach who won't let me be lazy (I tend to like a lot of rest. She makes me swim the faster interval when she sees me on the wall too long.) Major personal breakthroughs this past season are attributed to knowing I needed something more and then finding it. Bottom line is do what works best for you, but if you feel something is lacking you're probably right! Be your own coach and fix it. Dana

RE: Coaching, yes or no?

Former Member — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 06:38:28 GMT

I self coach at the moment. I have a pretty good idea of what I need to do to improve. The drawback though is sometimes I don't train things I'm not good at. A coach can catch this. I prefer swimming as a group but only if I can get a good workout.

RE: Coaching, yes or no?

Muppet — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 01:42:08 GMT

I've been swimming with a team for about a month now. At first it was 2x/wk, then 1x and now I'm not so sure as I get more out of my workouts (with much help from swim friends from afar) than I do with the team. The issue is this: the coach brings a single workout, posts it at the of the lane, sits down and never looks up... BethAnne, This is exactly the kind of situations that are very irksome. We had a "coach" like that a while back. He'd go hit on the female lifeguards he was old enough to have fathered instead of sitting around. We didn't even have the chance to ask him for help. While he was only our coach once a week if you swam in the afternoon, he did all the morning workouts, and they've since dwindled significantly. Not good. In certain situations, some of these guys are just not used to coaching masters and take some warming up. Most of our coaches have done the whiteboard-and-sit thing. However, after we slowly start introducing ourselves, ask for help and share our goals, they also start getting into it and getting on our backs about bilateral breathing, body position, 2-hand touches, etc. In our situation, we're much older than our coaches, which can be a bit intimidating, so it does help to be proactive from inside the pool. Unfortulately, it sounds like this guy isn't interested in warming up to you guys at all. Does this team have a Membership Board or program director? Perhaps you, along with other members, can suggest to your representatives some of your wishes for the coach. If he won't listen to your suggestions on deck, the board can either approach the guy and ask him to be more proactive or go out and hire someone new. In the meantime, it sounds like you've got an alternative. If you decide to go back to the team at all, perhaps you and some of your lanemates/lane neighbors can put your heads together to modify the workout to fit your needs. When we had that coach, we'd do whatever we could do do intensify the crap that was written on the board, things like: make intervals tighter (1:20 instead of 1:40 per 100), break up distance things (ie 4x200 instead of 800) when we wanted to work on speedier things, combine things (2x500 descend 1-02 instead of 10x100) when we wanted to work on endurance, do the freestyle sets IM and the shorter IM sets freestyle, do a short kick set pulling kick for a long pull set

RE: Coaching, yes or no?

Former Member — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 16:28:49 GMT

I needed a "sometimes I have a coach" option since I have a really good coach twice a week, and that's more often than "infrequently." But I wouldn't count it as "most of the time" because I really do need a whole heck of a lot more help than I'm getting, and at the moment, my solo workouts are much more satisfying and intense so I'm more motivated to do them.

RE: Coaching, yes or no?

Former Member — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 06:13:59 GMT

... The issue is this: the coach brings a single workout, posts it at the of the lane, sits down and never looks up.... that's not a coach, or even a babysitter, that's a bum. try looking for another team if you want to go the team route. but if you just want to be your best without making a major production out of it then hiring a personal coach 1-4x/mo should be fine. if you like workouts w/ variety there are plenty of on-line resources... including this forum. see: Workouts i'm kinda surprised at all the posts i've seen recently about bum coach experiences. maybe i should be a coach, it'd give me a great excuse to tell people how to swim. ...

RE: Coaching, yes or no?

Former Member — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 05:38:25 GMT

I wanted join the master swim club in Nanaimo BC several years ago. They told me to come out for a trial swim. I went to the trial swim and the lifeguard looked at me and asked me to perform all of the strokes. I told her I don't do backstroke or breaststroke. The life guard told me that you must swim all strokes. I laughed and did not get in the water.

RE: Coaching, yes or no?

Former Member — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 05:30:37 GMT

RE: Coaching, yes or no?

Former Member — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 16:46:39 GMT

I think it's just difficult for some people, with busy schedules and kids and whatnot, to get there at the designated practice times. Good point. That's me. I'd love to get to Dynamo, Marlins, or Sting rays (too far) or the Rainbow Trouts (8pm practices). For an early morning workout I can get to most anywhere on the west side of Atlanta and can't find a team or coach. It might show money to be made and/or increased participation in Masters swimming. I think Tris are filling this niche. Less pounding on knees and no real coach needed for the swim to participate (as stated on another thread). As a life-long non-swimmer, I never considered Masters swimming until the desire to get better at Tri's lead me to USMS.:2cents:

RE: Coaching, yes or no?

Former Member — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 16:28:59 GMT

Interesting point. Maybe the solo swimmers read and post more frequently here because they're coach-less? I know I do ... Could be, but it could show a hole in the Masters swimming program that so many either can't (in my case) or won't go to a coach.

RE: Coaching, yes or no?

Former Member — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 12:49:44 GMT

I've had two great coaches; unfortunately, the good ones seem to leave! :( The only coach that's left mainly just puts up the workout and then goes to chitchat with the water aerobics teacher. Her two main pieces of coaching: 1) You should already know how to do that; and 2) How many times do I have to tell you that? Now I swim on my own. My workouts are either from the Workouts section here or workouts I've done in the past. (I wrote down most of the workouts the good coaches assigned). A good coach is hard to find! JIM

RE: Coaching, yes or no?

The Fortress — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 12:36:15 GMT

Could be, but it could show a hole in the Masters swimming program that so many either can't (in my case) or won't go to a coach. I think it's just difficult for some people, with busy schedules and kids and whatnot, to get there at the designated practice times.

RE: Coaching, yes or no?

The Fortress — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 11:58:46 GMT

For an informal poll, this is quite enlightening. I wonder if the USMS governing board were to run a broader based poll if the results would be similar. That would be alot of solo swimming going on! Interesting point. Maybe the solo swimmers read and post more frequently here because they're coach-less? I know I do ...

RE: Coaching, yes or no?

Redbird Alum — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 11:54:52 GMT

For an informal poll, this is quite enlightening. I wonder if the USMS governing board were to run a broader based poll if the results would be similar. That would be alot of solo swimming going on!

RE: Coaching, yes or no?

aztimm — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 03:58:12 GMT

Using your logic, it would be likely that the majority of our team just comes to practice and never checks out the website. I think we could get a few additional people to come more frequently to test out some new fitness theories or techniques learned from the website or from the forums here. Out of 125+ swimmers on my team, I know of 3-5 who actually look at these forums. Our team does have its own website, plus there's a state website, with a blog that you can respond to. The team does do various other events, such as Friday Happy Hour monthly, weekend breakfast periodically, etc....and the participation rate for those is quite high, higher than for meets.

RE: Coaching, yes or no?

Muppet — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 03:18:56 GMT

Interesting point. Maybe the solo swimmers read and post more frequently here because they're coach-less? I know I do ... Fort, thats an interesting observation. As a recent electee to our team board, one of the things I am working towards is getting more of our team involved in more USMS activities. Using your logic, it would be likely that the majority of our team just comes to practice and never checks out the website. I think we could get a few additional people to come more frequently to test out some new fitness theories or techniques learned from the website or from the forums here.

RE: Coaching, yes or no?

swimshark — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 03:04:08 GMT

I swim with the kids team partially because there is a coach. The masters team has a "coach" but most days he writes the workout on the board and then gets in to swim. I am the type that needs someone to correct my stroke on deck. The kids coaches are great. They are all trained. The one that I am swimming with now is an ASCA Level 1. He knows what he's talking about, too. As an adult in with kids I don't get "yelled" at as much but they still get on to me if I'm not doing it right and I love it. That's what I'm paying them to do. Alison

RE: Coaching, yes or no?

Former Member — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 15:26:07 GMT

I've had good and bad coaches in USS and High School. The worst ones were the ones virtually nobody could talk about without lapsing into profanity. I like the coach on our masters team because he is still learning and moving up the chain in coaching (masters is not his only coaching job), and is willing to try different things out on us, and doesn't consider his word to be the last word.

RE: Coaching, yes or no?

Former Member — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 15:12:00 GMT

Is a coach a person who does stoke correction or a drill sargeant??? I think there are very few real coaches and more drill sargeants.... A coach a wonderful thing for sure. I never had a coach of any type after 1952. After that I had people who were called coaches but they did not coach me. Eg. the coach of the 55 Pan Am Games, 56 Olympics, 54 and 58 BE and Commonwealth Games. All they did is train me. They gave me workouts that I was supposed to do. I only did some of the stuff they asked me to do. After those days as a long distance swimmer I had trainers who would go with me and make sure I did the workouts I planned for the day. I paid this trainer he made sure that I go to the pool or lake on time and I followed the plan. He accompanied me in a row boat or kayak when I swam in dangerous water for safety. With this day of digital cameras every one can coach themselves. If they need a drill sargent go to a swim club.

RE: Coaching, yes or no?

Former Member — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 15:08:18 GMT

Have you been spying on me? :lmao: I'm being inculsive to myself in that analysis... :laugh2:

RE: Coaching, yes or no?

Former Member — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 15:03:46 GMT

...anyone can print a workout and do it...poorly. Have you been spying on me? :lmao:

RE: Coaching, yes or no?

Former Member — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 15:00:14 GMT

I push myself harder with a coach on deck. Plus, a coach is able to identify stroke flaws and try to correct them. When I joined USMS in 2003, I trained alone for about a year and saw virtually no improvement. With coaching, my times have gotten faster. Yes It is why I wish they'd get the masters program off and running at my local Y...anyone can print a workout and do it...poorly.

RE: Coaching, yes or no?

Former Member — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 14:55:03 GMT

RE: Coaching, yes or no?

Former Member — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 14:44:03 GMT

I had the good fortune of having great coaches from age 16-22. Maybe I am naive, but I don't think that swimming has changed so much over the past 20(!) years that I can't use what I learned then and train myself. Plus, at age 40+, "I know what I want , and I know when I want it". So training with a group would probably lead me to conclude I was doing all sorts of stuff that was not relevant to achieving my goals.

RE: Coaching, yes or no?

Former Member — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 14:43:09 GMT

As George Thorogood so aptly put it........ "I swim alone.........with nobody else....." :fish2: