LA84 Swim Coaches Clinic

Summer 2015
Housekeeping Items
• Please Sign In
• Take a Seat
• Be Open Minded
• Turn All Electronic Devices Off !!
LA84 Foundation
 LA84 Foundation
• Legacy of the 1984 Olympics
• LA84 Foundation’s Mission
• Program Development through Grant
Funding
• Coaches Education
• The Paul Ziffren Sports Resource Center:
the world’s premier sports library.
 Clinic Presenters
• Novice Swimming Program Development
Steve A Steward Jr
Aquatic Facility Manager II
City of Los Angeles Dept. Rec & Parks
Novice Swimming Program Coordinator 2009-Current
SGSG Racing Camp Director/ Assistant Coach 97-01
COLA Aquatics: Head Coach Cleveland 01-03, 07-09 /
VNSO 04-06
PVAC: Head Age Group Coach 2010-2013
Email Steve.Steward@lacity.org
 Clinic Presenters
• Developing a Rapport and Interaction
with Parents
Lucy Moore Head Coach
Lakewood Aquatics
USA Swimming Level 2 Club Recognition
USA Swimming Bronze Medal Club
Coach Lucy has been coaching since 1992 (21 years!) and has been with Lakewood
Aquatics since 2004. She learned how to swim at South Gate Park with the Gators and
fell in love with the feel of the water. She has been in the field of aquatics since she was
16 years old and enjoys teaching youngsters of all ages the power of water and the
satisfaction of accomplishing their goals.
 Clinic Presenters
• Development of skill sets and proper
technique for novice swimmers
Sergio Ruiz Head Age Group Coach
LASC: Los Angeles Swim Club
Royal Swim Team: Culver City Head Age Group Coach
Hometown: El Paso, TX
Former Member: Desert Sharks Swim Club and Cathedral High School. Top 16 in
the nation in several events. Represented Mexico in the Central American
Caribbean Games - winning a gold and silver medal. He is currently a NASM
certified personal trainer. Graduating from the University of Southern California
with a degree in Neuroscience (minors in Music Industry and Business)
 Clinic Presenters
• Overview of USAS Swimming rules and
review of DQ calls at meets
Andy Chen
Southern California Swimming Pacific Committee Section
Chair
Head Referee
USA Swimming /YMCA
SCMAF/ CIF
Former Member of: SPPY San Pedro Peninsula YMCA
Coaching Novice Swimming
• Do you Remember
your First Swim
Coach?

• Was Your
Experience a
Positive or
Negative one?
 Coaching Roles
• Substitute Mother • Disciplinarian
• Substitute Father • Equipment
• Brother Manager
• Sister • Detective
• Friend-Confidant • Leader
• Miracle Worker • Program Recruiter
• Guidance Counselor • Fund Raiser
 Positive Coaching Traits
* Knowledge * Experience
* Patience * Communication

* Organization * Maturity
* Professionalism *A Sense of Humor
Developing Your Coaching
Philosophy?
• Ask yourself the following questions:
• Why are you Coaching this Season?
• What type of Coach are you?
• What is your Coaching Strengths?
• What are some areas you would like to
improve?
• What type of legacy do you want to leave
on your program?
 Coaching Essentials
The coach should:
• Be early
• Have a written plan
• Start practice on time rather than
waiting for the stragglers
• Catch them doing something right
 Coaching Essentials
• Make time for games, relays and
supervised play
• Talk to each swimmer several times
per practice
• Know every swimmer’s name ASAP
• End practice with something exciting
 Agent of Change
• You are A Role Model
• Respect the Influence You Have on our
Youth
• Teaching Coping Skills (Dealing with success
and Failure)
• Teachable Moments
Program Development
Developing your Program
• Program Mission Statement

• Program Guidelines

• Long Term Goals

• Short Term Goals

 Program Nuts & Bolts
• Length of the Season
• Program Budget Staffing
• Pool Size
• Time Slot
• Number of Participants
• Type of Equipment
 Plan For Success
• Get Organized
• Create Master Calendar
-Schedule of Important Events
-Schedule Deadlines
• Create a Training Calendar
• Create a weeks worth of workouts as a
baseline
• Have A Staff meeting with All Coaches
 Programing Basics
• Evaluate you participants prior to joining
the team through some sort of skills
assessment.
• Follow your Agencies protocol when
registering new participants
• Participants that are not ready for your
program should be encouraged to join Your
Swim Lesson Program.
 Swim Team Day One
• Have a Team Meeting

• Organize/Evaluate team participants by

ability / Age/Gender depending on space.

• Don’t forget the FUN Ice breaker

• Utilize all you Resources

• Be ready to Adapt/overcome obstacles that

are out of your control.
 Teaching Methods
• Part Method
• Part Whole Part Method
• Whole Part Whole Method
• Part Part Whole Method
• Progression
• Short Term Vs Long Term development
Communicating Effectively
 Communicating Effectively
Develop a Common Coaching Language
• Descriptions -explanation of What to Do
• Kinesthetic - description of What to Feel
• Visual -description of What to See
• Conceptual - description of What to Imagine
• Goal - description of the desired result
• Internal -(mantras) internal cues

age appropriate association to skills drills and concept

Demonstration Tips
 Demonstration Tips
• In and out of the water
(use an accomplished swimmer )
• Make sure everyone can clearly see
• More angles: front, rear, side, top and
bottom
• Provide a Narration with Demo
• Video, Photos, Posters
Teaching Tips
 Teaching Tips
• Everyday is a new day to learn
• Be Enthusiastic/ Energetic the kids feed off
your energy
• Smile and kneel down when you speak to
your kids
• Translate the workout into things your kids
can remember and understand. (age
appropriate material)
• Validate your skills (get wet coach!)
 Teaching Tips
• Reward accomplishments regardless of how
small they are!
• Utilize positive Feedback when Correcting
Skills. 2positive 1 correction 2 positive
• KISS (Keep it Super Simple)
• It all about the Fundamentals. Put the FuN
in Fundamentals
• Lead the class don’t let the class lead you
• Enjoy Your Summer
Have Fun!!