Welcome to the inaugural column from
the Boards and Buoys swim blog.
Mini-FAQ
1. Why “Boards and Buoys”?
Most of you have been around swimming pools long enough to know that
kickboards are a type of support, and pull buoys are a type of
assist. They can be used in lots of other ways, too (future topics).
This column will share a variety of things that have been gleaned
from many resources. The aim is to support and assist
the coaching and swimming community.
2. Where do these "nuggets" come from?
I read a lot (magazines,
newspapers, journals, and books, both online and old-fashioned hardcopy),
watch video (broadcast and cable TV, online videos, vlogs), and
listen (radio, podcasts, conversations). Sometimes something will
jump out and distinguish itself in my mind as “important” or
“interesting”. I keep a legal pad next to my TV chair and another
on my desk by the computer. I've learned I can “remember”
something a lot better if I write it down, and avoid the temptation
to delude my brain by saying to myself, “No need to
write that down, it's so important I would never
forget it.” And yet...
[grin]
Let's get started!
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Shotguns
and Rifles
These two types of firearms have different uses and coverage. A
shotgun spreads its projectile loads over a wider dispersal area than
a rifle, but has less chance of hitting a specific target with a
specific pellet.
Our coaching methods have a similar “pattern”:
We spread our instructions, directions, and coaching efforts across
an entire group and hope we are reaching the majority of our
athletes. A stroke coach or private lesson instructor focuses on one
swimmer, one stroke, one technique at a time, and very often hits the
target. A group coach does not have the luxury of time needed to
address an individual swimmer except in bits and pieces during
practice, especially true if there is no assistant coach who can
“keep the plates spinning” with the group while the other coach
works one on one with a single swimmer.
Some of us have some leeway as far as pool time goes, and we may be able to address specific individual needs if that's possible. We do the best we can with
the situations we have, but there are times where we should consider
encouraging a private stroke lesson or two.
The
Baltimore Ravens star quarterback, Lamar Jackson, has received
individual instruction since the summer after Jackson's freshman year
at the University of Louisville from Joshua Harris, a high school
English teacher. Jackson's youth football coach, Van Warren, had
asked Harris if he would be willing to coach Jackson. Harris agreed,
and then watched all the film of Jackson he could get, some if it
dating back to high school.
His observations noted changes in
Jackson's stance and the varied placement of his shoulders and elbow
when he threw. He kept a notepad full of comments others in the
sports world were making about Jackson. He studied everything he
could about his pupil. Harris took Jackson back to the basics,
stressing fundamentals that needed resurrecting or re-learning and
polishing.
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| Photo Courtesy Wall Street Journal |
The Harris-Jackson connection was good. Lamar Jackson won
the Heisman Trophy the next year. The youth clinic Harris coaches at
is free.
“The
only price around here is work
ethic”,
Harris says. (Andrew
Beaton, The Wall Street Journal, January 11-12, 2020)
Private coaching to improve one's skills isn't always the magic
bullet, but sometimes it can help.
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The intent here is to post a couple of items a week, things I think might help someone improve their skill set. I welcome suggestions and questions and will strive to keep this on a course that is both interesting and helpful. Thanks for dropping by!
