Swim coaches know it’s not always easy, but letting them be the only coach for their swimmers is essential to their success. Here’s why parents should let coaches do the coaching.
Coaches Know More about the Topic Than You Do
There are likely many swim parents out there who know a ton about swimming. But the thing about swim coaches is many of them spend a majority of their time training and studying technique, strategy, and strength and conditioning. They dedicate their time to being knowledgeable in their craft so they can be the best coach for your kid.
One of your jobs as a parent is to make a good choice when it comes to choosing your swimmer’s coach and team. And when you choose the coach, you likely look for someone with that knowledge and experience we mentioned above to help your kid become a great swimmer. If you’ve done this correctly, you shouldn’t need to supplement their expertise with your own.
If your swimmer’s coach isn’t reaching your expectations, you still shouldn’t try to fill in the gaps you believe exist. Your job is to talk to the coach and find out why they’re doing what they’re doing. If you disagree with them still, it’s time to find another coach.
Too Much Advice Can Lead to Confusion
It may look easy, but swimming is a complicated sport. There’s lots of technique, strength, and strategy involved. Coaches know this and know that swimming needs to be learned in stages. The stages help to build a solid foundation that can be gradually added onto over time. Working in stages also helps swim coaches know what each of their swimmer’s strengths and weaknesses are. This means they’re able to give strategic and succinct advice to help a swimmer when needed.
When parents give advice, they often don’t know what exactly the coach is working on and why they are working on something. So the advice given might be contrary. That can make it hard for your kid to know who to listen to. Do they listen to their parent or their coach? This can cause your kid to feel torn and lead to questioning their coach’s authority, or even worse, resenting your interference. In the end, it all leads to kids being confused.
Your Swimmer Can Take Your Critiques Too Personally
When your kid is passionate about anything (swimming, painting, cooking, etc.), their “thing” becomes personal to them. So when someone they love criticizes them, it can hit a little too close to home.
It’s one thing to correct math homework. Most kids aren’t passionate about it, they do it because their teachers require it. So when you make corrections for them, it’s no big deal. If you correct your kid’s swimming technique, your intentions might be pure, but it can really hurt them. They likely already heard their coach’s critiques after a race, so hearing it again from you can make them dwell on the negative. It can also lead them to internalizing your comments and may cause them to believe they’re disappointing you.
Your Swimmer Needs Someone to Be Their Cheerleader
The most important aspect of why parents should let swim coaches focus on the coaching? Someone needs to be your swimmer’s cheerleader! If the coach is working hard on coaching your kid and you’re coaching from the sidelines, who is cheering your kid on when they’re racing?
By supporting and cheering on the sidelines, you can help your kids have fun. And at the end of it all, swimming is a fun sport that should be enjoyable for everyone involved. Hearing from a parent that they need to work on their turns isn’t that fun for a kid. As the saying goes, “Let coaches coach, swimmers swim, and parents parent.” After all, parents have the most rewarding job. They’re the cheerleaders and providers of unconditional love – something swimmers couldn’t do without!
At SLS, we are here to make coaches the best they can be!
SLS is Here for Swim Coaches
At the end of the day, swim coaches are here to make swimmers the best they can be. And at SLS, we are here to make coaches the best they can be! That’s why we offer our swim coach certification course. It’s the perfect way to learn and grow in your craft so you can positively impact your swimmers.
At SLS, our help doesn’t stop there. We also provide background checks and insurance coverage for swim leagues and teams. Our goal is to introduce youth from the ages of 5-18 to the sport of swimming by providing fun, safer, and healthy environments. No matter where you are in the United States, we’re ready to lend a hand. Let us help you reach your full potential!
