ABOUT SWAC

COACHES | COACHING PHILOSOPHY | COACHING STAFF PERFORMANCE GOALS | BOARD MEMBERS | TRAINING GROUPS | PRACTICES | COMPETITION | FUN ACTIVITIES | ANNUAL AWARDS - RECOGNITION

Athlete Development and Progression Plan:"Stair Stepping"

By Head Coach, Chad Englehart

General Philosophy

I believe the central purpose of the SWAC program is to provide an opportunity for all its swimmers, regardless of age or ability, to reach their highest personal potential as both citizens and athletes. I believe winning is more than a swimmer’s place in the race. Thus, my staff and I are committed to helping children grow and mature into successful young people and swimmers.

As the Head Coach of the SWAC Swim Team, one of my jobs is to determine the course of training for all SWAC swimmers: how much, what type, how often, and most importantly, for what purpose. SWAC uses a “progressive” age group program which is designed to develop a child physically, mentally and emotionally in a systematic fashion. This is a well-defined, long-term approach of gradually increasing training and performance levels throughout a swimmer’s career. In the early stages of participation emphasis is placed on developing technical skills and a love for the sport. In the later years, a more demanding physical and psychological regimen is introduced to the program

At each level in the SWAC program, swimmers are instructed to strive for excellence. “Excellence”, in my opinion, means an athlete has done her utmost to become the best she is capable of becoming within a reasonable level of expectation. This philosophy is shown throughout every level of the SWAC program as each swimmer, novice to Olympian, is encouraged to “Be the Best You Can Be”.

Technique

The concept of technique changes dramatically as a swimmer grows and matures. When a child begins the sport of swimming, “Technique” simply refers to the ability to function safely and with legal strokes. As a child matures and advances up the competitive ladder, technique becomes an increasingly intricate project of never-ending education. For example, an eight-and-under swimmer learns when, where and how to move a hand during a stroke, while a senior swimmer spends hours trying to perfect that hand’s precise pitch at each point along the stroke.

At SWAC the learning process never stops. It is a continual quest for perfection. A swimmer’s strokes are continually modified, updated and improved as he/she matures and advances through the program. Just as a math teacher helps a child progress from addition to multiplication, from algebra to geometry, and finally to calculus, the SWAC staff will work to advance a swimmer from the basic to the more intricate physical and mental techniques of swimming. In other words, SWAC coaches do their best to equip each swimmer with the skills needed to advance and excel at the next level of instruction.

For a swimmer to be increasingly successful, the skills of competitive swimming need to become instinctive. This requires continual practice, patience and persistent focus on details. If I child is asked to do 4 x 500 yard Freestyle, they are expected to complete 76 perfect flip turns. An athlete that is able to accept personal responsibility for his training will find himself quickly accelerating past his peers. While a coach can instruct until she is blue in the face, ultimately it is the athlete’s responsibility to perform. The more often a swimmer can repeat a certain skill, the more comfortable and instinctive it will become. This leads us to Training…

Training

Swimming is a very unique sport in that it takes place in water, not on land. We spend almost our entire lives on land, so being in the water is often a foreign and challenging environment for a child. The process of actually going back and forth in the pool, no matter how it’s accomplished, aids in the process of becoming more comfortable in this new environment. Achieving comfort in the water allows your child to better learn the “how” of getting back and forth in the pool quickly. Parents who want to help their child develop as a swimmer are encouraged to play with their child in the water. Wrestle, play tag, make faces underwater, spit water, and splash! Just have a great time and help your child become more comfortable in the water. If a child is fighting to stay afloat or scared to be in the water, it is very difficult to teach him even the most basic competitive skills. The more a child is positively exposed to the water, the more accelerated will be his development as a competitive swimmer.

SWAC strives to make all of its training groups fun, exciting and rewarding. This helps to promote attendance which in turn leads to comfort in the water and increased skill development. Increased skill development leads to improved competitive performance which ultimately promotes heightened self-confidence and a ‘can do’ attitude. All of this motivates the swimmer to attend even more practices and continue the cycle of improvement.

SWAC offers increased opportunities for physical training as a child progresses through the program. A child’s goals and motivation will ultimately dictate how many of these opportunities he/she will take advantage of. I believe it is very important that the child be the chief decision-maker in this process. This does not mean a parent should not, on occasion, direct a child away from the TV and into the pool (even the most dedicated athlete needs to be reminded of his goals occasionally). However, if a parent has to continually battle with a child to get him to go to swim practice, something is wrong. It is imperative that the coach, swimmer and parent all have good lines of communication to deal with this type of situation. It is the coach’s job to motivate and inspire the swimmer to want to do his best. The better the communication is between swimmer, coach and parent the easier this job becomes.

The sport of swimming, more than any other sport, needs a strong aerobic base. The 50 freestyle, at the elite national level, is the only event in competitive swimming in which the body spends a majority of the race time in the anaerobic energy phase. Every other event requires a significant amount of aerobic energy. For this reason, swimming requires a lot of sacrifice and dedication from its elite athletes. By the age of eleven or twelve, a young swimmer with high aspirations needs to expect and accept the fact that great swimmers work hard. This does not mean that every child must have perfect attendance at practice or set goals that are sky-high. However, it does mean that as a swimmer progresses through the program, there is a greater expectation and demand that the swimmer understand the need to pay attention, follow instructions and work hard.

The increasing intensity, yardage and time involved at higher training levels also reinforce the need to develop a love for the sport at an early age. No one wants to put a lot of time and effort into something she doesn’t really love. Parents and coaches need to pay special attention to a young child’s psychological approach to the sport. The more carefree and relaxed the child is at an early age the more likely she will be successful at a later age. A super-intense eight-year-old, that is completely consumed by perfection and winning, will have a very difficult time maintaining that drive for the next 10 years as an elite senior swimmer. “Too much too soon” is often the cause of a child’s failure to achieve maximum potential as a senior swimmer. This is why SWAC strongly encourages parents to be patient and unassuming as their children progress through SWAC. There has never been a 12-and-under Olympian, so don’t try to book your tickets too soon. By the same token many Olympians have started their competitive swimming careers after the age of 11 and simply made up for lost time with inspired work ethic and desire.

In short, it is a long uphill climb to be a successful senior swimmer. Swimmers (and their parents) need to take their time and appreciate the journey. It is a lot more enjoyable to be accelerating at the top of the climb rather than just trying to survive the final steps.

Ethics / Behavior

It never fails to amaze me how well-behaved are most competitive swimmers. This sport inevitably instills the best in its participants (which most certainly begins with the eight-and-unders). I want SWAC to be respected for its competitive successes, but more importantly, I want it to be revered for its attitude towards the sport, competition, and life in general. People should enjoy being around SWAC swimmers.

As children grow, the need for good role models and positive behavior examples grows. I expect my coaches to lead by example in the creation of positive team leaders. Punctuality, politeness, attentiveness, diligence and camaraderie are all part of what I expect to be taught daily.

No matter what age, an athlete needs to be reminded of proper behavior, especially when “little eyes” are watching. Your child has a lot to offer the community and society as a whole. My goal is to create “Champions” not just winners. I want great athletes who are leaders and role models within the SWAC program and beyond.

Fun

I believe there are two types of fun. The laughing out loud, playful, relaxed fun that you have with close friends, and the fun achieved when you realize the results of a great effort or quest. The first I refer to as “giggle fun”. We attempt to offer this experience on a regular bases throughout the program. It found through new friendships, parties and the sharing of life’s unique experiences with teammates and coaches.

The second I refer to as “pride fun”. Pride fun is found as the child develops a more mature attitude towards swimming and life in general. Pride fun is the satisfaction received when you try your best and commit to the pursuit of a goal. There are less “hip-hip-hoorays”, but the feeling of pride will last much longer and is much harder to take away. This fun is much more closely related to self worth and independence. Your child no longer relies solely on the instructor to make the practice “fun”; rather, he is now practicing in order to achieve a goal. It is the pursuit of the goal that he enjoys, not just the temporary games along the way.

Laughter and games are a big part of the SWAC experience. However, nothing can match the sense of self-accomplishment and pride that SWAC will foster in your child.

Competition

Although competition is not mandatory we encourage swimmers to participate Meet schedules are designed by group level with short term and long term goals kept in clear focus. My objective is to have swimmers compete at intervals which will allow enough time between meets so that an improvement in skill and training can be realized. This will greatly increase the potential for improved meet performances.

A swim meet can tell a coach a great deal more about your child than what he/she has learned at practice. It is through competition that many of the vital “life lessons” are learned and reinforced. Younger swimmers are typically put in reasonably low stress competitions and slowly introduced to the joy of competition. As the swimmer progresses so does the need for increased levels of competition. As with the training your child receives, the competition level is progressively raised to continue their self-improvement as a swimmer.

Late Beginners

To those parents who are enrolling a first time swimmer, who is over the age of nine, please don’t worry. SWAC is designed for swimmers to start around age 6, 7 or 8, but by no means excludes a child joining at a later age. A huge part of what your child learns is learned through visual stimuli. The SWAC program will provide your child with all of the right visual stimuli to accelerate their learning curve and catch them up to their peers. If everyone around a novice is doing things correctly, the novice will quickly develop the need skills to improve and excel.

If your child joins the team after they have gone through puberty, they may struggle with the lack of aerobic training base, but I have seen some extraordinary success stories from this select group of athletes. So, try to be patient and give your child the love and support they need as they work to catch up with their peers. The staff will do its best to ensure that every swimmer, regardless of age and ability, is given all the tools they need to achieve their full potential as a competitive swimmer.

Conclusion

I hope I have been able to address many of the common questions and concerns about the coaching philosophy of the SWAC Swim Team. I strongly encourage you to ask me any questions you still have. This sport has provided me life-long friendships, physical fitness, a college education and a career that I love. I am passionate about the sport and would like to help all of my athletes experience the same joy it has brought to my life.