Today's post is no way a complete answer to the issue of getting more young men and women to love the long races in swimming. The intent, like all my posts are to scratch the surface and help to generate ideas that can be shared to help us as a coach fraternity improve and thus help swimming get better. After you read the post please feel free to share any ides you may have on how we can improve the quality of our distance swimmers.

Thoughts on Coaching/Training for the 1500/1650

"The 1650 is just 16 fast 100's with a really fast 50 at the end." Katie Ledecky

Introduction-Characteristics of a Distance Swimmer

How many of us coaches have taken the time to really watch an 800, 1000, 1500, or 1650 when you do not have anyone entered in the event? What is the typical reaction that fans have at a meet when it is time for swimmers to compete in the 400, or 500, or one of the longer events? A good portion of the fans in the stand head for the rest rooms, or snack bar or even the closest Poke-stop. When it comes to these events being swam for the average, non-involved fan (meaning they have no one that they are connected to) this is the usual reaction. Fans seemingly treat the distance events like it is half time at a football game but without the on field marching band. 

Over the course of my coaching career as I have coached swimmers from the 6 and under beginning swimmer, through to college level and post grad swimmers that have included Olympic Trial Qualifiers. Never at any point have I coached swimmers to be one event, and one stroke swimmers. I have been fortunate to coach young men and young women who became very fine swimmers in all the events and strokes. However what I have experienced, and observed that it takes a special type of swimmer to swim with enthusiasm the distance events. Often have I wondered what type of swimmer is best suited for the longer races  required in distance swimming, or even if there is a "type" of swimmer best suited to distance swimming? As a coach I am not convinced that I can truthfully declare that a givens swimmer's talent,or physical make up, makes the given swimmer best suited for distance events.

Recently I have been reading Volume II of The Swim Coaching Bible edited by Coaches Dick Hannula and Nort Thortnon. In this wonderful book, I highly recommend it, the section of the book about Training Distance Freestyle was written by Coach Bill Rose and Mike Lewis. In this section they describe five characteristics of the best distance swimmers, or what they list the Five D's of Being a Distance Swimmer. These are:

1. Discipline

2. Desire

3. Devotion

4. Determination

5. Dedication

I really like these adjectives describing what a good distance swimmer might look like. However personally, I tend to like to think of just one characteristic of a good distance swimmer-they have a love, or passion for the distance events. They love everything associated with distance swimming. They love the learning, the training and the challenge of being a distance swimmer. The key for us coaches is to identify those swimmers who demonstrate this love by their actions in practice sessions and in competitions. 

I am using the 1500/1650 as the foundation because it is easier train up and then come down than to compete in a 200 or 500. I hope to share my opinions and get feedback so that I can grow, and enlarge my own coaching tool box.

Coaching the 1500/1650-It's all about "the culture". 

The coach who wants to develop swimmers who love longer races faces an uphill battle. Some of the things the coach will face are out of his/her control. Meet and event formats are largely out of the coach's control. Let's face it neither high school, club, or college swimming are entirely organized to foster a feeling that distance events really matter. In high school swimming, for example there are three relays all sprint, plus one diving event and 8 swimming events with only one considered a distance event-the 500 Free. Every event in high school swimming caters to the short distance and middle distance swimmer. Even college swimming caters to the short and middle distance swimmers, however in college the 1000 and 1650 have been added thus making three distance events at a college level conference championship, while in dual meets there are typically two. Most college conferences do not swim the 1000 at their conference championships thus allowing distance swimmers to swim only two true distance events, plus one other event that may be a mid-distance event. For club swimming, which is a lot like college a swimmer can participate in the 500/1000/1650 (short course) and the 400/800/1500 (long course). At the coming Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2020 men and women will now be able to compete in both the 800 and 1500 races as they did at this summer's World Championships-about time. Of course a recent phenomenon with the increasing popularity of open water swimming we see swimmers being able to compete in 5K, 10K and 25K distances internationally. It is safe to say that there is not a culture that supports the distance swimming like there is a culture that supports the 50/100/200 Free races. 

In order to change the "culture" of distance swimming, the coach has to teach his/her swimmers a true love competing and training for the distance events. One way to do this is by providing swimmers with learning opportunities to train and compete in the longer events during practice sessions. I am not sure it means that they have to do unearthly sets, or train seven days per week and three times a day. I do believe that there is a time and place for these things on a scheduled and built in basis but not necessarily on a daily or even long term basis. I have been known to challenge my swimmers over a Christmas vacation period to do 100,000 yards in 9 workouts for a specific purpose. Generally I have challenged the swimmers to doing something few swimmers do in a week. I once had a young man, Joshua Patterson who challenged me. He wanted to do 200,000 during the two week Christmas break. In fact he ended up going 212,000 yards in 18 practices. When it came to taper time he had a great end of short course season meet. Josh did go on to swim in college at the D III level which is where he wanted to go. Josh had a pure love for the longer events. As for the extended distances at Christmas time those were Josh's idea, not mine. The last thing I want to do is sit down and plan out workouts that are 12,000 to 13,000 yards and not be considered "garbage yards". Josh led his teammates into these workouts and he was joined by several teammates, but not for the two week challenge. If it is approached in the right way a love for the 1650 can be taught and learned if the swimmers can be connected to the distance events through learning opportunities.

Having an internal support group for distance swimming is very important. Those swimmers who do distances should be recognized for their efforts to swim the longer races. A coach might put together a recognition board for those swimmers who complete a designated open water swim, or compete in and improve an 800/1000/1500/1650 time. The swimmers could be given a t-shirt that recognizes what they achieved, or have their name put on a plaque to be hung in a team trophy case. One time I had five swimmers complete 109,000 yards in nine practices and we had a pizza party for them and put their pictures up in the lobby of our pool. They took a great deal of pride in completing the 100,000 plus yards and they were honored by their teammates. This helped to increase interest in distance swimming and in not being afraid of training for the longer distances. These are just a few things that can be done to change the culture. I am sure if you brain storm with your coaching staff and others around you I am sure you can come up with a few of your own ideas on how to help change the culture. Please feel free to share any ideas you may have in the comments section of the blog.

Training and Learning  

In order to provide learning opportunities to help swimmers learn to love the longer races, swimmers need to feel and see success in their practice sessions. Learning such things as race strategy, pacing, stroke count, tempo, kicking practicing turning on and off the legs for longer sets can help someone have a successful 1650. The coach should create a training plan to recognize the needs of swimmers who show a talent, ability, or just a love for the challenge of training for, and competing in longer races. The coach can also teach a love for longer events by helping swimmers develop race tactics that can be learned and trained during practice sessions. These race strategies will make longer races more "strategic" in nature. I believe that something else that may help is if the coach will blend in some open water during training in a lake or other body of water. This open water training will have a great carry over for the 1500 and 1650.

Learning pacing, stroke count, tempo, and the ability to go to a higher intensity of legs can help the swimmers have some additional tools in their swimming arsenal that will help them in being successful for longer races. In training sessions the coach can provide a variety of training distances, as well as varying the paces in a given set to help prepare the swimmers for competing in the longer races. Regardless of the distances and paces, everything should be done with preparing for the longer races in mind. Something that is important to teach is turns and the push-offs the walls with feet getting beyond flags on all walls. Stress that the walls later in the race will be critical in building the tempo, descending the times by 50s or 100s. The best example of using the walls late in the race is Katie Ledecky. For the perfect example watch her last 200 of her 800 Free final from the World Champioships at this link: https://www.nbcsports.com/video/world-swimming-championships-2019-katie-ledecky-wins-800m-freestyle.

Summary and Conclusion

Outside of Katie Ledecky, swimmers from the US have not been a dominate force in the distance races. In the Men's 1500 Free since our last gold medal, won by Mike O.Brien at the 1984 Olympic games in Los Angeles. Prior to 1984 it was not uncommon to have two Americans take two medals in the 1500, usually a gold and either silver or bronze. Since 1984 we have generally seen American swimmers win only silver or bronze and most often none at all in the 1500. Comparing the US Men to the US Women, the women have been dominate in the 800 m Free having won gold medals in 9 of the last Olympics since 1968, and frequently there are two American women winning medals in the Olympic 800 M Free.

As a nation we need to address and creatively develop teaching and training plans that will help us change this lack of gold medals by our men. I believe more can be done, and I do not believe it necessarily lies in doing more yardage but using practices sessions to teach and prepare young men and women to develop a love for the longer races. Thank you for reading and please feel free to leave you ideas and feed back.   

Thoughts on Motivating Kids to Stay in the Water

The following is written for the purpose to share and create some thinking about how we as coaches can do better. These ideas are things that I have learned by experience and study, and writing. In no way do I feel that I am an expert. I still need to learn and grow as a coach. I hope that as you read you will be willing to think and share your feelings about how we can help to build great young people so that they become great adults.

Introduction to Self Determination Theory

Every club coach has, at least once in his/her career, wondered how to keep kids in the water and prevent them from moving on to other sports. Perhaps the answer lies in the writings and research of Richard Ryan and Edward Deci who developed the Self Determination Theory (SDT) in 1985. Ryan and Deci were "focused on the social-contextual conditions that facilitate versus forestall the natural processes of self-motivation and healthy psychological development." They postulated that everyone is motivated by three basic innate needs. These are: 1. Autonomy; 2. Competency, 3. Relatedness. Ryan and Deci defined each of these needs as follows:

1.Autonomy is defined as a participant's feeling that they have a choice in what they do. In swimming terms autonomy can relate to a participant being given a choice in what events he/she might swim, or train.
2.  Competency is defined as the participant's belief or feeling that they can do the activity, stroke, or set they are being asked to perform or complete. In a swim training or competing setting it is the perception that the participant has that they are able to successfully complete the task they are being given to complete.
3. Relatedness is defined as the sense that the participant has that connects them to the sport, their teammates, the coaches and so on. It is often described as that "warm and fuzzy" feeling they may develop that they matter to the sport, team or the coach. When the participant feels connected to these entities they feel a heightened sense of willingness to attend and compete at a higher level.

There are volumes of research that indicate when participants have a greater sense of autonomy, competency and relatedness they are more likely to persist in their efforts to attend and be a part of the team. They are more likely to be intrinsically motivated and therefore more willing to learn and grow in the sport. The research also indicates that when these needs, autonomy, competency and relatedness are addressed by the coach(es) the participants are more likely to continue to return and further their participation.

How to (Recommendations) 

Autonomy. The coach is the central figure in helping to insure that these needs are addressed. The coach needs to find ways to allow for autonomy within the practice setting. The coach is the recognized expert in the training process but can allow for autonomy in the training setting. To allow for autonomy the coach can set aside a day, or two,or three where he/she allows for the swimmer to choose their stroke. The coach could also present the swimmer with two sets, both of which can be designed to achieve the desired training outcome, and allow a choice of set "A" or set "B". For swim meets the swimmers can be given their choice of events. The coach can present the swimmers with one required event and then they can choose the remaining two or three, or whatever the maximum number of events might be.

Competency. The coach must become a teacher of proper skills and event requirements. The coach needs to recognize when the swimmer is ready to compete in any given event and distance. There are many requirements for a swimmer in any given stroke, event or distance. Nothing is more frustrating for the swimmer then continually being put into a situation where they may fail at performing by getting disqualified for not doing the proper stroke, or turn, or technique. Perhaps even worse is the feeling of failure that may happen if the swimmer is not able to complete a given swim because he/she has not developed the conditioning level needed for a successful completion of the event. 

Relatedness. Once again the coach here is central to "connecting" the swimmers to the sport, their teammates and even the coach. to do this the coach must reach out to each swimmer and demonstrate that he/she cares about everyone. To do this the coach should daily try to speak to each member of the team or group. Simply saying hello and welcoming them to practice helps to do this, however what is even more important is to thank the swimmers for coming to practice and being a part of the team and swimming. The coach can also create a culture where each member of the group cares for each other. Stressing that everyone is important and helping the swimmers to learn to work with and support each other will help to build relatedness. The coach needs to learn to be a "needs" supportive coach. The coach can still be tough and have high expectations while being needs supportive. 

If you would like to read more you can go the following sites. Many of articles can be found by "googling" Self Determination Theory. 

1.  https://selfdeterminationtheory.org/the-theory/
2.  file:///media/removable/KINGSTON/2000_RyanDeci_SDT.pdf
3. https://psychology.iresearchnet.com/sports-psychology/sport-motivation/what-is-self-determination-theory/
4.  https://selfdeterminationtheory.org/intrinsic-motivation-self-determination-exercise-sport/
5. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nikos_Ntoumanis/publication/11927839_Empirical_links_between_achievement_goal_theory_and_self-determination_theo

Mindset

Ideas gleaned from an article published in the ASCA Newsletter entitled: “Learning is winning and success is doing everything just right.”

Thanks to my membership in the American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) I was introduced to a new concept in teaching, learning and motivation.  Several years ago I received a newsletter from ASCA that introduced me to a new way of looking at teaching/coaching, learning, success and winning.  The article in the ASCA Newsletter was based on a book written by Dr Carol Dweck of Stanford University.  In her book called Mindset, she writes that to be successful and sustain motivation everyone needs to develop, or cultivate what is called a “growth mindset”.

In her book Dr Dweck proposes that there are two types of mindsets, a fixed mindset and a growth mindset.  A fixed mindset person is defined as those who “…believe their basic qualities, such as intelligence and abilities are fixed, and can't be developed. They also believe that talent alone creates success, and see effort as a sign of weakness rather than as a positive element of life needed to reach one's full potential.”  A growth mindset person is defined as, “…people [who] believe they can develop their brain, abilities, and talent”.  In Dr Dweck’s research she has found that the person who cultivates a growth mindset has “…a love for learning, a drive for growth and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishments”.  The chart on the next page illustrates the differences between those who have a fixed mindset and those who have a growth mindset.  

According to Dr Dweck, those who believe that their success is based on their innate ability are thought to have a “fixed” theory of intelligence, or in other words a fixed mind set. Those who believe that their success is based on their individual hard work, training, and commitment are said to have a “growth” an “incremental” theory of intelligence (a growth mindset). The two types of mindsets are defined as:

1.     Fixed mindset:  The belief that we’re born with a fixed amount of intelligence and ability. People operating in the fixed mindset are prone to avoiding challenges and failures, thereby robbing themselves of a life rich experience and learning

2.     Growth Mindset: The belief that with practice, perseverance, and effort, people have limitless potential to learn and grow. People operating in the growth mindset tackle challenges with aplomb, unconcerned with making mistakes or being embarrassed, focusing instead on the process of growth.

“In order to excel, you must be completely dedicated to your chosen sport. You must also be prepared to work hard and be willing to accept constructive criticism. Without one-hundred percent dedication, you won't be able to do this.”  Willie Mays 

A large part of our “mindset”, whether it is a fixed or growth Mindset, will be influenced by constructive criticism. As coaches we must be willing to teach in such a manner that helps the student-athlete to learn how to handle the stress of training, the demands of learning and the characteristics of a successful swimmer. When we teach/coach, we need to communicate things in a positive manner so that the student-athlete will think in a positive manner. For example, instead of correcting student-athlete’s technique by saying “don’t do that.” We might try saying something like this, “your freestyle was very good but to make it belter I think you should work on the catching the water a little sooner after you enter the water while keeping the elbow a little higher in the water with your armpit open a little more to the bottom of the pool”.

We can help our student-athletes develop a growth mind set by teaching in a positive matter and by setting up training situations to motivate and help the student-athlete embrace challenges and learn from them. We can give them cues on which to focus in any given set and then, after the set was performed ask them for feedback, about what they learned during the set. Have them give you three things they learned while performing the set. We can help them further to develop a growth mind set by expecting them tell us what they learned and how they can make it better the next time they have the opportunity to the given swim or set.

Here is a sample Mindset Questionnaire:

Mindset Questionnaire

_____  1.  There are just some things I’ll never be good at.

_____  2.  When I make a mistake, I try to learn from it.

_____  3.  When others do better than me, I feel threatened.

_____  4.  I enjoy getting out of my comfort zone.

_____  5.  When I show others I’m smart or talented, I feel successful.

_____  6.  I feel inspired by the success of others.

_____  7.  I feel good when I can do something others cannot.

_____  8.  It’s possible to change how intelligent you are.

_____  9.  You shouldn’t have to try to be smart-you just are or you aren’t.

_____ 10.  I enjoy taking on a new challenge or task with which I am unfamiliar.

Odd-numbered statements indicate a fixed mindset, Even-numbered statements illustrate a growth min

If you want to test yourself click on the following link and take the Minset quiz.

Which are you? Thank you to Dr Carol Dweck for her work on Mindset. In the following weeks I will blog more about this great theory and tool. More on Mindset later.

https://mindsetonline.com/testyourmindset/step1.php