SENIOR TEAM COACHING PHILOSOPHY
Coaching: All decisions about your swimming career are up for discussion, but there is a time and place for everything. If you disagree with something we are doing then you talk to your coach before or after the practice/meet. Do not expect your coach to solve all of your problems during a practice.
If it’s a quick question that calls for a quick answer we will try and solve it. This is your swimming career and your opinion is wanted, but at the right time.
Communication: The swimmer must communicate with the coaching staff about injuries, attendance, expectations, goals and anything that will effect they’re swimming career. Don’t put the coaches in a position of assuming what is happening because we will be wrong most of the time. Do not assume that we know what you’re thinking or when you need our help. We are coaching the whole team and may not be aware of your need. Assume we need the information.
Goals: We expect you to have goals and reasons for why you are swimming. We will fill out goals every season and we expect you to meet the commitment that your goals set. If not, your goals will need to be changed or your commitment must change. You set our expectations of you by what your goals are at the start of the season. Expect your coach to hold you responsible for them.
Leadership: All senior members are considered leaders to the age group and developmental teams. Your actions and words are being seen and heard by them.
How you treat them, each other and the BAC coaches will be duplicated good or bad. This is an opportunity for you to give back to BAC by helping its’ future – the age group/junior and developmental teams! This is your team, what do you want it to represent now and in the future.
Remember, a true leader has the courage and confidence to stand alone, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others.
Responsibility: This is your choice to be here. It’s your swimming career, not your coaches’. Your coach will help you make the right decisions. Your coach will direct you towards your goals and tell you the consequences of your actions. However, the responsibility of the decisions is yours. No coach will solely create a great swimmer. You will create the great swimmer we hope to give you the weapons that are necessary.
Respect: Each swimmer on BAC will show respect to all of the coaches on staff. If a coach tells you to do something, you do it. It does not matter if that coach is directly coaching your group or not. There will be no, “Substitute Teacher” Day, when the Head Coach is not at practice, you
will follow the assistant coaches’ direction at all times. By design, you will be taught by more than one coach on BAC. The swimmers are expected to adapt to the coach on deck and learn different approaches to their flaws by having more than one coach.
Swim Meets: We expect meet participation. We expect you to meet the seasons’ minimum demands. The coaches feel that meet experience is as crucial as training, goal setting or work ethic. You cannot hope to find your maximum potential by not developing your race strategies at meets.
Team: No one individual is more important than the team. As a result, individuals will follow team policies and support the team. This will include cheering for teammates, being positive with teammates at practices and/or meets or following any policies that the coaches set forth for any team functions.
Work Ethic: We expect 100% of what you have each day. When you walk on the deck you are ready to work. If there’s something that’s not going to allow you to do that, you must communicate to your coach. No breaks are given in the middle of sets, unless, permission is granted by the coach. Breaks will be given before or after sets.
Etiquette: We expect that all swimmers will start and finish every swim from the wall during a practice. Swimmers will also finish all warm ups and cool downs during a practice or meet. Lastly, swimmers that are being passed in a lane at practice will not stop to let another swimmer pass. You will force that swimmer to earn it and pass you while you are swimming.
Turns: We expect all turns in practice to be legal, with flip turns being a must on free and back. No swimmer will breathe into and out of any fly or free turn in a practice or meet. Lastly, a 3-count streamline off of each wall for free and back will be expected in practice.
Failure is not the worst thing in the world...The worst is not to try!
