Finding a coach?

MJuric said:

For all of you people out there with organized swimming background, what do you look for in
a swimming coach. The Only experinace I have with swimming coaches is thru our masters class
and some TI stuff. The TI coaching I found to be usefull adn "digestable". However the
"Coaching" I recieved from most of teh masters coaches seemed to "change" from day to day or
even lap by lap and became overwhelming. I'd like to find a coach that is knowledgeable of
both the science and technique as well as practical, knowing he/she is working with a
novice. How do you recognize the proper traits that will fit you in a coach?

Maybe I've just been lucky, but every professional coach I've had has been a good one. The
non-professional coaches I've had have understood that they should just run the workout and not try
to give advice except where the advice is obvious.

Look for a masters coach who is a professional coach. He/she will also be the coach of the kids
team, or maybe the coach at the local high school, or the coach at the university.

martin

"M.W.Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

It all depends on where you live. What i would suggest is, as Martin said, to seek a USS club that
has a master's group, but also has a a senior and age group. Most large clubs will have a master's
group as its a great source of funding for them. The best way to find one is to go to th website of
your state's LSC (local Swimming Committee)...they should list clubs, or at least give you a contact
at the LSC who can advise you. To find your LSC, go to usswim.orgusswim.orgOpen ↗ on the right of that
page theres a link to "find a club". that will be all you should need.

While not a prerequisite to coach, you may want to look for a coach who has ASCA certification
(American Swimming Coaches Association), then you know you're getting someone who has credentials
and education at least, although that doesn't mean, by ANY means, a coach without ASCA levels isn't
a good coach - some just don't see the need.

MJuric left this mess on Thu, 30 Oct 2003 14:18:03 GMT for The Way to clean up:

Quoted message said:

For all of you people out there with organized swimming background, what do you look for in
a swimming coach. The Only experinace I have with swimming coaches is thru our masters class
and some TI stuff. The TI coaching I found to be usefull adn "digestable". However the
"Coaching" I recieved from most of teh masters coaches seemed to "change" from day to day or
even lap by lap and became overwhelming. I'd like to find a coach that is knowledgeable of
both the science and technique as well as practical, knowing he/she is working with a
novice. How do you recognize the proper traits that will fit you in a coach? My confusion
comes from trying to compare swimming coaches with running and cycling coaches. For the most
part in teh otehr two disciplines the athlete gets a,IMO, much larger amount of "self
feedback" and or can actually see what he/she is doing. Granted teh "eyes" of a coach are a
welcomed second opinion, but its pretty easy to look down at your legs while cycling and see
what they are doing. Not so in swimming. Coaches in cycling and running seem to play a much
smaller factor in the technique and form issue than they do in swimming.

Interesting question, Matt. I liken it to looking for a divorce lawyer. You want to find someone
you're comfortable with, and can trust easily, because he's going to have to have the "truth" from
you and tell it to your face, as nicely as possible of course.

Someone suggested looking at coaches who coach a few different teams, and I tend to agree: the good
coaches usually do it for the love, and that means they're usually in demand. You don't want one who
is overburdened of course, unless you're willing to pay a premium for his/her time and attention.

Also, you want to sit down and talk with the coach before hiring. You want to understand his
methods and also, as you point out, make sure the coach understands your levels and what you are
comfortable with.

Tao te Carl

"It takes a village to have an idiot." - Carl (c) 2003