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Posts Tagged ‘Swimming and Parenting’
Talent ID in Swimming: the Talent Pool!
Talent is Harder to Hide than it is to Find.
When looking for the characteristics, traits and abilities that may indicate a swimmer’s talent, the most obvious things to look for are the physical ones.
However, swimmers with real physical talent are harder to hide than they are to find!
How many times have you been to a Swim Meet and seen the ten year old who is built like a fifteen year old blitz the opposition and break the Meet record? Finding physical talent in very talented swimmers is like telling people you discovered the Pacific Ocean-someone was going to find it sooner or later – hiding it would have been a far greater challenge!
And…ultimately, physical talent is only one indicator - and not a particularly good one - of performance potential.
It’s more than merely muscle.
Real talent is a far more complex thing than merely muscles, tendons, nerves, blood and ligaments. It’s an integration of mind, body and spirit: a combination of physical, mental, technical, tactical, genetic, cultural and personality factors that come together in a pair of swimming costumes that may one day break the World record or win the Olympic Gold Medal.
So what are the Top Ten Talent ID Techniques for Swimming: how do you find the most talented swimmers in the talent pool?:
- Parents – (genetic material): choose your parents carefully;
- Parents- a supporting, loving, caring environment, where parents or carers provide a swimmer’s core needs in nutrition, time management, sleep, rest, education and family support;
- The Ability to learn fast – learn more in a shorter period of time = faster progression and improvement;
- The Ability to deal with difficulty, adversity and change – the path to greatness is never straight or smooth. Many Olympic Gold medalists have had to endure set-backs, surgery, illness and disappointment and fight hard to achieve their dreams;
- Physical talent- you have to have at least one “weapon” – speed, size, strength, power, flexibility….having at least one physical gift is useful;
- Self confidence / self belief – they can who believe they can;
- Passion – the love of swimming is the driving force of so many great swimmers and great swimming performances;
- The ability to get along with other people - swimming is an individual sport wrapped up in a team environment. The ability to work well with team-mates in often tough, hard, high pressure situations, e.g when touring with a representative team, is a critical skill and a much under-estimated talent;
- The ability to keep a sense of humour and balance about life – after all it is only swimming and you are so much more than just a swimmer;
- Time availability – whilst not strictly a measure of talent, the amount of time available to train, prepare, rest, recover and compete are critical determinants of the level of swimming you can achieve.
Or if you like…
- Talent is….
- Attitude to train to your full potential everyday;
- Love of the sport;
- Enthusiasm – particularly in the tough times;
- Nurturing – unconditional love and support at home from a family who cares;
- Toughness – being able to persevere and keep giving your best when your feel so tired you can barely lift your arms;
- Inherited characteristics – choose your parents carefully;
- Desire – never give up.
Putting it all together.
So when looking in the talent pool for talent in the pool, keep your eyes, ears, heart and mind open.
It’s a lot more than just being the biggest, the strongest, the tallest or the fastest…..talent is a total package: a combination of factors that, when combined with consistent hard work, dedication, commitment and an uncompromising devotion to perfect preparation, turns potential into performance.
Wayne Goldsmith
August 19, 2010 | Comments Off
Tags: Elite swimming, High Performance Swimming, Mental Skills and Attitudes, success, Swim, Swimmers, Swimming, Swimming and Parenting, Swimming Clubs and Swimming Associations, Swimming Coaching, Swimming Science, Swimming Technique, Swimming Training Tips, Training, winner, winning
The Last Race
For every swimmer there will be one last race.
One time when you hit the wall, look up at the score board, see “Jones, P 1:03.07” for the last time. Or “Lane 6 56.83”. Or “Lane 3 – 2:45.71”
And in that one moment, how do you want to remember your swimming career?
And in that one moment, how do you want to be remembered as a swimmer?
And in that one moment and throughout the next 50, 60, 70 years…..what will you remember about swimming?
What will all those early mornings, long sessions, tough gym workouts and competitions mean? Read more
July 7, 2010 | Comments Off
Tags: Elite swimming, High Performance Swimming, Mental Skills and Attitudes, success, Swim, Swimmers, Swimming, Swimming and Parenting, Swimming Coaching, Swimming Competition Tips, winner
Message to Swimming – you still don’t get it!
Six years ago I wrote an article called “Changing Times” about the Sport of Swimming and the challenges it faced all over the world.
You can find the full article at numerous sites (or just email me for a copy).
In short, I challenged the swimming community to work together, to strive to create new, exciting, interesting training and competition environments, to put away petty political and personality conflicts and work together in the best interest of kids, athletes, families, coaches, Clubs and the sport.
Now, Six years later…..You still don’t get it do you! Read more
February 8, 2010 | 2 Comments
Tags: Swim, Swimmers, Swimming, Swimming and Parenting, Swimming Clubs and Swimming Associations, Swimming Coaching, Swimming Competition Tips, Swimming Training Tips
The Swimming Coach Score Card – a must for all coaches (and swimmers and parents).
Coaches – ever wanted to know how you rate as a coach?
Swimmers – ever wanted to know how your coach rates as a coach?
Swimming Parents – ever wanted to know how your kid’s coach rates as a coach?
Then look no further than….the Swimming Coach Score Card. Read more
January 12, 2010 | Comments Off
Tags: Swim, Swimmers, Swimming and Parenting, Swimming Clubs and Swimming Associations, Swimming Coaching
How to Put Together a Great Championship Program – 50 ideas for a Positively, Powerfully, Perfect Program – Part Three.
Part three of How to Put Together a Great Championship follows….almost immediately: Read more
October 12, 2009 | Comments Off
Tags: Swim, Swimming, Swimming and Parenting, Swimming Clubs and Swimming Associations, Swimming Coaching, Swimming Competition Tips, Swimming Racing Tips
Creating a Winning Swimming Club Culture – excellence, environment, everything, everyday, everybody.
Every swimming team has a unique culture.
Some teams have a culture of fun, enjoyment, family and friends.
Some teams have a culture of hard work, discipline, dedication and training.
Some teams are based at schools, colleges and universities and their culture is a reflection of the culture of the institution.
The culture of some teams comes from their location, the ethnic background of the people in the team, the climate or the city they live and train in.
Every team is unique and every culture is special.
But for many teams, there comes a time when the coaches, swimmers, families and supporters decide they want to become a winning team. They decide to set some serious competitive goals and work together as a team to achieve them.
And to become a winning team requires the development of a winning culture. Read more
September 28, 2009 | 1 Comment
Tags: Swim, Swimming, Swimming and Parenting, Swimming Clubs and Swimming Associations, Swimming Coaching, Swimming Training Tips
