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Swimming Question of the Week - December 8, 2010

Posted by Glenn Mills on Dec 08, 2010 12:45PM (2,033 views)

Very simple question about coaching this week. If you're not a coach, think about applying this to your specific job (that is of course... if you really love what you do). ;)

If you had to coach within a framework of restrictions that meant you couldn't do a complete job... would you coach at all knowing you're not doing your best work?

coaches, coaching

Responses

Tomás	Responded Dec 08, 2010 07:27PM Fortunately here in Paradaise...NO restrictions!!! For you earthians...I suggest you to coach DOING YOUR BEST even if it is not COMPLETE. Heavenly greetings.
Peter Leib	Responded Dec 08, 2010 07:40PM As you know, many of us only know how to draw outside the lines...anything so constricting as staying within would likely cause insanity...
wiken6281	Responded Dec 08, 2010 07:45PM Easy question, huh? Tomas, the question states you can't do your best work and you know it, compromising your integrity (assuming one has integrity) as a coach. I guess if I had to chose between not coaching (or my job) at all and doing an incomplete job of what I loved, I would have a hard time deciding to stay with it. Could try and find a new love, assuming I can choose something else to do without this premise, but that would require changing how someone who is hardwired & passionate about what they do. Easy question indeed...I don't think I could keep coaching. I am fortunate enough to like cooking as well, I might be able to then change my life focus..but, breaking up is hard to do...
Glenn Mills	Responded Dec 08, 2010 07:59PM Some people can live with doing just enough... feeling a little is better than nothing. I can understand the thought process, but I watch athletes everyday doing just enough to get by, with only a very, extremely select few completely committing to the sport. I personally find it hard to compromise... it adds too much stress and frustration to my life and ultimately could lead to the end of the passion that drives the machine.
Tomás	Responded Dec 08, 2010 09:48PM Hey wiken... You misread the question. It does not say that you can`t do your best work, it says you can`t do it COMPLETE!!! So my suggestion is to coach doing YOUR BEST...after all restrictions will always be present.
Glenn Mills	Responded Dec 08, 2010 10:02PM Tomas... as the rest of us have read it... it's not your best if it's not complete. As I posted, some people are satisfied only doing part of a job... I personally am not one of those people. Incomplete is simply sub-par and unacceptable. Just my opinion.
Sheila	Responded Dec 08, 2010 11:52PM As a classroom math teacher of 23 years, there are times when I simply couldn't do my job the way I wanted to (due to restrictions). But I did the best I could and I taught a lot of kids math, a lot of successful kids. Many have come back and thanked me for the job I did. Note: I'm no longer teaching in the classroom. Yes, you get your snout full of it. I think I would enjoy coaching, if I had the knowledge for the job. It's similar to preparing kids for AP Calculus exam in many ways. You can do your best within the limitations for a while. I admire those who can stick with it for years and years and years doing their best within the system as it allows. It's tough. Eventually, this kind of thing does make me want to bail.
Glenn Mills	Responded Dec 09, 2010 12:02AM Thanks Sheila. Good perspective. That's constructive and really tells a good story. I appreciate what you've done for the kids as well and thanks for posting. Tempered me a bit.
sprinter	Responded Dec 09, 2010 09:40AM I couldn't. I would get up every morning, motivated and determaned to do my best, or the best out of that particular situation, but at the end I would be nothing but frustrated. I don't think I could stick with it for long. I get frustrated now, when I cannot make a decision without having to wait for my boss' "go" and she's late for work (like RIGHT NOW!). It drives me crazy and I cannot wait till I take over completely over her job so she cannot hold me back anymore.
GW	Responded Dec 09, 2010 03:17PM I work under very restricted circumstances and have often wondered why I carry on but, at the end of the day, the simple answer is; 'For the Swimmers'. We do the best we can for them in our situation and try to help them achieve their potential (or the amount of that they wish to attain! Not always the same thing as we know). Above and beyond that, if they need more than we can give them we encourage them to go to the next level elsewhere. Having spent 27 years doing a job that, in the end I disliked intensely, it is a breath of freah air to wake up each morning and look forward to the next session deckside even if it is 64 swimmers in 6 x 25m pool and very little kit. They give me a buzz just by being there and the thanks they give on the way out. I'd love more but am determined to make the most of what I've got and..........maybe............some day!!!
Randolph Harris	Responded Dec 15, 2010 02:04PM While the idea of "doing your best work" resonates with me, there are very few situations in life where you get to work without a framework of restrictions of some sort. So this means that you may not be able to do ALL that you want or think should be done. But you can still give your utmost effort within the restrictions, perhaps even pushing for incremental change. I am currently an assistant coach on a swim club in Thailand. There are some "restrictions" on my American manner of coaching due to differences in culture, tradition & being the coach with the least amount of time with this specific swim club. And although my ability to speak and coach in Thai is not too bad, and I hope will continue to improve, my coaching is "restricted" at times by what I can clearly teach and communicate. Frustrating? At times it is very frustrating. Am I doing a "complete" job of coaching? Probably not as complete as I would like. But I try to do the best job that I can given the current situation and external and internal restrictions. I have learned some great lessons and different ways of coaching in this cross cultural environment. Moreover, I believe that I have been able to be an agent for positive change within our swimming community here as well. However, that has only happened by being willing to submit and be respectful to the Thai coaches and their manner of coaching (which have been successful). I believe that coaching and building relationships within our swimming community with patience, humility & meekness over time has, and will continue to allow me greater "freedom" and opportunities to innovate. How much do you think one's cultural background and preferences affect how the question of the week is answered?
Glenn Mills	Responded Dec 15, 2010 03:24PM Excellent point Randolph and what a great experience. I've had the opportunity to teach abroad and have had HUGE language barriers that I simply had to deal with. For me, the great thing was simply being able to get in the water... show an incorrect technique... wave my finger back and forth... then show the proper technique and smile. Kids seemed to dig it and their smiles and actions make it all worth while. What you're dealing with, the cultural background, will absolutely play into your coaching, and obviously something that can only be understood and worked through with the experience. I find that humility in these situations, and obviously making sure you try to understand and appreciate the culture you're working in will go a long way. Simply put, in my experience, respect for the culture you're working in will garner respect for you as a teacher. Hope that doesn't sound like preaching... don't mean it that way... just typing my thoughts. Again, very cool and thanks for posting.
GW	Responded Dec 15, 2010 08:17PM 2 great anecdotes. For me, one of my best ever weekends of sessions was when I had laryngitis and could not speak so had to do everything through an improvised form of sign language. The pool was the quietest ever (when needed) because the swimmers HAD to watch to understand what was being requested. A good lesson learnt!
Aquatic Rhino	Responded Dec 16, 2010 05:47AM It is hard for me to imagine that there are many coaches out there who couldn't describe their current situation as being "within a framework of restrictions that meant you couldn't do a complete job". Whether it be less pool hours or space than desired, less dryland time or facilities available than desired, or (and this I believe is almost universal) not enough time to give proper attention to technique to each individual swimmer on a team. I coach a public school team, where each of the schools in our county have pool time two days per week, for one and a half hours per session. That certainly restricts me from doing a "complete job". I do not even flinch however - I will continue. I believe it comes down to why one coaches. If my only goal was to develop the next great olympian swimmer, then I would quit. However, I coach because I want to give what I got from my coaches when I swam age-group, high school, and college. Life lessons. That working harder than you otherwise might leads to results beyond what you would otherwise believe are possible. That even in individual competition, team matters. That discipline and integrity can lead to fun and success. There are so many reasons. And no matter the restrictions, so long as I am breathing, those lessons can be taught. In fact, in some cases, the restrictions may even provide a greater emphasis to the lessons. The saying I think of is, "Obstacles are those frightful things we see when we take our eyes off of our goals." I love the opportunity to contribute to the overall future of our world by contributing to the world of swimming now and going forward. I can imagine very few restrictions that I could not come to terms with in order to continue pursuing that passion. "It is one of life's great pleasures to do that which others believe you cannot."