Part of having a successful swim program is knowing how to be a good swim coach. Because the coach is the central figure, he or she can make all the difference in how a program runs and the overall team attitude. If you are looking to start or take over a program, it is important that you take the time to be a good swim coach.
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Listen to participants. Even if you know the best thing for the team, sometimes it pays to just listen to what some of the players area saying. Sometimes, just knowing that they can come and talk to you, gives you the opportunity to be a good swim coach. You don't always have to have the answer, just be a good listener and help in any way possible.
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Examine each swimmers abilities. You want to be able to see what they need to improve and be able to come up with a workout routine and drills that will help them with each of the different skills. Each player will need the same instruction and guidance. Because a swim team is made up of individuals, this means that to be a good swim coach, you will need to have time to meet and work with players individually.
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Push your participants to work harder and do better. This can be a fine line between pushing too much and not letting players reach their full capability. Being a good swim coach means encouraging players and letting them know when they do a good job.
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Earn their respect. A good swim coach has the respect of the swimmers, their parents (when working with kids) and even the other coaches. This means that you need to treat everyone around you with respect. Be a good sport so that you can set the example for your players.
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Plan out practices. It can be tough to be a good swim coach when you have to look at the big picture of the team and also take into consideration the individual. So, if you take the time to plan group workouts as well as individual drills and exercises, everyone wins. When you come up with a routine for practices, everyone will know what to expect and things will run smoothly.
If you want to be a good swim coach, make sure that you always put your swimmers first.
