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Coaches Blog

Here you will find topical debate from various coaches, including guest coaches, regarding their opinions on current swimming topics.
Marc Soulsby
How Important is Planning?
Planning to some is not particularly important. But to produce a club from top to bottom with quality, it is the most important part of the clubs setup. Without planning the sessions have no direction or purpose and improvements will be more luck than judgement. 
So, why bother to plan? There are many reasons why following a plan is the best way to see progress. 
 

1. Provides structure and a routine

2. Boost confidence and reach your goals​

3. Add variety to weekly sessions​

4. See real, goal-oriented progress​

5. Avoid overtraining, injury, and plateau​

6. Accountability and motivation
 

Consistency in all sports and education is the key to any successes obtained. If we work to a proven plan, it helps to eliminate luck and be more reliant on the fact that athletes have 'prepared' and thus luck doesn't come into it. 

By planning for all elements from the bottom of the pyramid to the top, everyone within the organisation can see where the possibilities lie and how far the clubs programme will take the athlete. Working on the basis that each week has an assigned stroke, from beginner through to elite, all are aware of what to expect that coming week. It also makes it easier for swimmers moving from one group to the next, everything is kept uniform.

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Staff are all working off the same sheet, all working towards the same goals and thus driving the club and the athletes in the neccessary direction, which ultimately is them reaching their full potential and also enjoying what they are doing.  

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Planning is time consuming, there are many elements to consider including energy systems to target, strokes, drills, starts, turns, competitions, all on a daily, weekly, monthly basis. There are deviations when necessary, there are tweaks to make and we should all be looking at ways to improve, develop and evolve.

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There are those within sport who do not understand and under-estimate the importance of planning, either educate yourselves or leave it to those that 'do' understand, it is simply not a case of picking a plan from yesterday!

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You have to be involved to evolve!

You have two choices to evolve or repeat! Always Evolve!

7th January 2024

The Strength Of A Club
How can we define the or ascertain the strength of a club?

In the past, we looked at the strength of a club by the swimmers it attracted. Once those swimmers had retired or moved on, what was left in place? Mainly the weaker club swimmer who all had forgotten, and reained through loyality to the club who had developed and brought them through the system, but has now come into prominence and to a certain degree has to be relied upon to fill gaps left by the better athletes. 

So, is it better to look at a clubs strength from what it attracts or should we define a clubs strength from what it is able to produce?

From my own experience the strength of a club is through what it is able to produce. To rely on what it may attract is leathal for the following reasons:
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  • Clubs become blinkered and the lower levels within the club become less important, to a certain degree, apathy sets in and the clubs grassroot infra-structure becomes less important. This creates a false sense of security. The attitude of, 'we can rely on other clubs unwillfully feeding us.'
  • In times of hardship (every club at some point goes through hardship), it's what you are producing at that moment in time is relevant and is what you have rely on.
  • An inverted pyramid structure should be avoided, if the top collapses, the club will collapse as there will be no infr-structure under pinning the top.
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So the strength of any club should be measured by its home-grown talent and all efforts should be made to maintain and look after its home-grown talent, because one day, sooner or later, it is this talent which will get you through the hard times. Every swimmer has a place and a purpose. Development of your grassroots is key to all success and this goes for all sport. No grassroots, no top end!
14th January 2024
Is it time for a new squad?​
The question is, is it time for a new squad? We have a Staffordshire based squad at RWS and a Warwickshire based squad at City Of Birmingham, so would a centralised Black Country Squad service the ever growing need for pool time and quality space?
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Some of us old enough to remember will recall a local called Dudley Metro, a smallish squad coached by the likes of Mick Hepwood and for those that can remember, Eddie Gorton.
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Obviously, a Dudley Squad would first and foremost service the Borough of Dudley, bringing together two very successful clubs Halesowen and Stourbridge. This would fall short of a totally unnecessary and, if we're honest, a totally unwanted merger. But, what it would provide is additional and pooled pool time for the up and coming talent from these clubs.
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The difference here would be, it would be a collaboration between the clubs, for the clubs and not council centralised or run by a private entity, but would be run with a council partnership.
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This would go a long way to keeping local talent centralised and would vastly reduce travel time and distances by parents, as well as providing quality time and coaching for the athletes!
It will also reduce:
  • The need for athletes to move to other squads in other areas.
  • Will allow swimmers to represent their home club at Regionals and Nationals.
  • Will raise the profile of swimming in the Borough of Dudley. 
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Everyone's a winner! Let's bring back Dudley Metro!!

20th October 2024

Callum Yates
Here you will find topical debate from various coaches regarding their opinions on current swimming topics.
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