Recently, Terry Laughlin asked me the following questions in regard to teaching  children, adults and age group swimmers.  My responses are below. 

1. How interaction with kids compares with adults, and how that has influenced your coaching. 

When someone comes to me for a lesson, regardless of age, I spend some time getting to know them a bit so I have an idea of their swim background, goal’s and, learning style. With kids, their parent’s are obviously included in the discussion. The biggest difference between teaching children and adults is the depth of the instruction given. However, though age will make a difference in the content of an explanation, it does not always make a difference in a person’s comfort level in the water or their basic understanding of how a human body interacts with the water. So, whether teaching children or adults it is very important to be flexible regarding the instruction given and to have alternatives available when a standard approach does not work. It also matters whether or not the swimmer is part of an age group swim team. These swimmers, even the very young ones, have a different mindset when they come for lessons. They are accustomed to having a coach on deck giving instruction; they are able to swim at least 25yds, although it may be a struggle; they understand basic swim terminology; they know that they will spend time in the water working on consecutive swimming movements without a break; and, they are usually very comfortable in the water. When working with children who are not age group swimmers, it is often necessary to teach basic buoyancy skills along with basic breathing skills. Instruction is brief and time in the water is spent experimenting with different head/body positions and observing the result. Even the youngest child becomes comfortable answering basic questions about their experience in the water. It is often necessary to take the lead from the child regarding the next step in their swim development.  Adults are given much more information and more drills are included in the learning process. However, not every adult responds to the same teaching path either. Working with kids keeps me sensitive to those adults who need to develop more comfort and relaxation in the water. In these cases, spending time on the same basic skills that I use with younger swimmers can be helpful as well knowing when it is beneficial to deviate from the normal drill sequence.

2. How you prepare kids to resume practice in non-TI settings while maintaining — and hopefully building on– the form/habits you’ve taught them. 

For competitive swimmers, learning a completely different way of swimming often in the middle of their season, is a real challenge. Before I begin teaching a competitive swimmer, I explain to the parent and the swimmer that learning proper technique will require commitment and focused swim practice to bring about lasting changes. It is really important that the swimmer want to make these changes and is willing to invest themselves in this process. A concept that is constantly stressed is for the swimmer to become their own self coach. While their team coach will have a prepared workout for the team to do, it is up to the swimmer how they practice. They need to pay attention to how they swim from one wall to the other throughout their practice. After each lesson with me, I give the swimmer specific focal points to work on and encourage them to count their strokes at practice as often as they can. I also strongly encourage a parent to count their strokes when racing.  We go over what different stroke counts mean and how they can interpret them. If they are allowed to use a Tempo Trainer, and most are not, I strongly encourage them to do so. We work with a range of tempo’s during our lessons so they know how to adjust their rate for practice, how to use it with stroke counting and, with the use of a focal point. I also encourage them to keep a journal with a record of their stroke counts and focal points for practice and races. Often, I will go over the drills they may use at their swim team practice. I will help them adjust their focus while doing a team drill, if possible. Also, some of my swimmers may be able to choose a drill for a set at practice so we will choose a drill that will help them the most. If at any time they have a question before a lesson, either they or their parent(s) can contact me. Also, if possible, one of the swimmer’s parents’ will video their races and we will review it together to find areas where they can improve. There are a few areas of frustration when working with an age group swimmer. One is not having enough time to work with them. I only have a limited amount to effect fundamental changes in their swimming while most of their time is spent in a swim environment that encourages poor technique resulting in very sloppy swimming over a significant amount of yardage. Also, often, improvements in the overall swimming of my student goes unnoticed by the team coach. However, there are times when a coach notices that the swimmer is now doing something different from what is expected. In such situations, a coach will usually focus on the swimmer until the swimmer goes back to the coaches preferred method. This puts the swimmer in a difficult situation. This can be frustrating and confusing especially for a younger swimmer.

3. Thoughts you’ve had on the challenges faced in influencing change in the mainstream paradigm – even if one swimmer/family (and possibly AG coach) at a time and what TI coaches can do to overcome those challenges.

A TI Coach working with age group swimmers can present some very difficult issues. All of which require a quite deal of flexibility, creativity and patience on the part of the TI coach. Changing mainstream thinking is going to require open-mindedness and a willingness to try different approaches on the part of those who are in a position to implement changes in the swim community at large. Based on my experience as the parent of a former age group swimmer and now as a coach, the overriding problem faced is a strong resistence to change on the part of the general swim community. Some of challenges I’ve faced as a result are: the reliance by team coaches on approaches that have never been proven to work; teaching outmoded forms of technique; having an awareness of changes in swimming but not the proper implementation of those changes so they are taught incorrectly; and, a desire for total control over a swimmer’s development and practice accompanied by a rejection of the swimmer’s desire to seek outside coaching. The coaches of individual teams are crucial to the mindset and practice regime of a team. The approach used by a team will not change unless the coach leads the way. In my area, at least, the general understanding and approach to swim team practice is very similar among local coaches and is conventional in nature. The coaches that I have had experience with either have been swim coaches for a very long time and/or they are former competitive swimmers. Basically, they are set in their ways, see no reason to change and are not open to it. Very few of the swimmers I work with have told their coaches they are receiving private coaching. There is a very real fear that if their coach finds out, they will be subjected to varying degrees of verbal abuse as well as an ultimatum to either quit receiving private coaching or be kicked off the team. Even the coaches that are aware the swimmer is receiving private coaching believe the lessons are infrequent. Parents of the kid’s I work with do not want any problems, which I can understand. However, unless parents and swimmers start expecting a higher quality of swim team experience, it will be swim practice and racing as usual. The pressure for change has to come from those who make up the team. A lack of correct technique information on the part of parents is also problematic. Most parents don’t think about how their kids are swimming. Understandably, they rely on the team coach and believe that going to practice is all that is needed for their swimmer to succeed. Often a parent does not think about the need for change until their child develops an injury, is not improving as expected, is beginning to slow downand not achieve former best  times or is either ignored or picked on regularly by one or more of the team coaches. Parents must recognize that a different approach is needed and discuss this with the coach. This may require involving other swim team parents in the discussion. Coaches may not change unless required to by their team and this requires several parents and swimmers expecting more. For my part, it is up to me to give my swimmers the best instruction and guidance I can.The best way for me to try to change the system is one swimmer and family at a time. The most persuasive proof that a different approach works are the swimmers themselves. They look noticably different than the others on their team. They also show steady improvement and the pain they may have formerly experienced does not return. They have a feel for and connection with the water that others do not. Most importantly, they don’t hate swimming. My goals when working with these kid’s are: to help them develop their potential; help keep them from getting injured; raise their awareness that swimming is a sport of exacting skill; to encourage them to be open minded to new ideas and constant improvement; for them to pass this understanding on to others; and, most importantly, to finish their competitive swim careers still loving swimming so they will not be kept from enjoying the water due to burn out or bad experiences.

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Head Position:  Conventional swimming and human instinct encourages most people to look forward when swimming.  Those who have access to TI materials usually have their head in a better position.  Their eyes are looking straight down with their nose pointed directly to the bottom.  For example, if a laser beam was attached to their spine line, it would be pointing forward and not up.  This head position leads to a more horizontal body line which is a balanced position in the water.  Being balanced reduces a swimmer’s drag and provides much needed stability.  Keeping the neck muscles relaxed and allowing the water to support the weight of the head will improve this position.

Skating Position.  A typical swimmer is flat or only rotates at the hip.  Rotation only from the hip causes the body to become segmented by the unsynchronized movement of the upper body and the lower body.  It is obvious when a swimmer has a unified body line.  This means the shoulder and hip on each side of the body are aligned while in a slightly rotated position.  There is the attempt to maintain this alignment as the swimmer goes from one side to the other.  This aligned body position reduces drag and decreases effort.

Timing:  The average swimmer has no timing in their stroke and their arms are in constant motion.  Those exposed to TI have a more "patient" leading hand.  In other words, the leading hand is not dropped immediately as it enters the water. There is a pause, however, short.  The swimmer is attempting to keep the body line long for at least a brief moment before going to their other side.  This momentary pause also keeps the body from being in constant motion.  Continual motion comes with a high energy cost.  This timing needs to be improved but it demonstrates that the swimmer is attempting to lengthen and streamline their body to reduce drag.

Silence:  The swimmer is quieter.  There is less frantic movement such as arm churning, rapid kicking or force applied to the water.  As a result, there are fewer bubbles, waves, splashing and general turbulence as the person moves through the water.  There is a greater sense of relaxation as opposed to the obvious effort of the average conventional swimmer.

These beginning TI swimmers are heading in the right direction and will most likely feel some improvement in their swimming.  There are, however, important elements that need to be refined or are completely missing.  Changes made in these areas will significantly contribute to the swimmer’s continued development towards ease and efficiency.

Swim Taller with Overlap.  Improved stroke timing will keep the body line longer reducing drag, decreasing effort and increasing speed.  Those who have a sense of lengthening the body line on each stroke will lose it by dropping the leading arm prematurely.  To remedy this, leave the leading hand in place until the recovering arm begins it’s entry into the water slightly in front of the head so that the hands will pass each other there.

Wide Track, Compact Arm Recovery.  Most swimmers, even those with a high elbow, tend to recover too close to their body.  In addition, the recovering arm is often carried higher than necessary and is extended too far forward over the water so it enters close to or at full extension of the arm.  This type of recovery results in an unnecessary use of energy, creates varying degrees of turbulence upon the entry and is destabilizing causing a loss of balance.  Also, with this type of  entry, the swimmer is set up to push down on the water and not to lengthen forward.  Practice a relaxed, high elbow recovery, on a wide track, with the fingertips just over the surface of the water with an early entry.  This arm recovery requires much less energy, helps maintain balance, enables a quiet slice into the water, lets the water support the weight of the arm as it lengthens forward underwater, and, it allows the swimmer to maximize the distance traveled on every stroke.

Leading Arm Position:  Upon entry into the water and extension forward, the leading arm should not be positioned so the wrist is level with the shoulder.  This causes a loss of balance and does not allow for the best leveraged position for anchoring.  The leading arm should be angled slightly downward so the wrist is below the shoulder with the hand relaxed and the fingers angled toward the bottom.

Effortless Rhythmic Breath.  Lack of timing in the stroke leads to difficulty with breathing.  A rhythmic breath should be taken at the time of the switch with rotation of the core to air.  A breath that fits seamlessly within the rhythm of the stroke requires balance, rotation from the core and proper timing.

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