“You can't plow a field simply by turning it over in your mind.”
Introduction
I love the introductory quote above because in this post I want to share the "nuts and bots" of planning. In part one of this post I tried to lay the ground work for understanding why seasonal, and even quadrennial planning is important. I this post I hope to provide you with some things that I have found helpful to me in my planning. Please remember that this is one man's experience. I believe, and recommend highly, that it is a good idea to search and seek out several opinions about planning from a variety of coaches. Then pick and choose those practices that you find helpful and that fit your particular circumstances.
Prologue
In my second job as a young coach I recognized the need to know, and have in place a daily practice plan. I really did not understand in my beginning years how to plan out full season. I knew how to plan out a weekly plan, but to think in terms of a month, or two or three that was just not in my understanding or practice. My first exposure to seasonal planning was during my fourth year as a coach of a newer US Swimming Club in Orem, Utah. I was visiting with a prominent local coach who had a lot of experience and he shared with me his plan. I did what a lot of coaches do and that is I borrowed his plan and made it mine. I simply took our his information and inserted mine. This worked okay, but was not as effective as it should have been because the achievement level of swimmers of the coach I consulted with was not the same as those I was coaching.
As I gained more experience I had the chance to attend my first ASCA World Swim Clinic in Las Vegas, Nevada and I was able to talk to a lot of coaches and gain get some answers and directions about planning. This is where I first heard about quadrennial planning. At this ASCA World Swim Clinic, I also took the Level 3 Coach's School. During this school I realized the need to have a well thought out, systematic and designed plan for teaching and conditioning swimmers. This plan needed to include such things as particular goals for where I felt the team needed to at various time periods within the competitive calendar. I realized the need to establish a proper meet schedule so that I could gauge the effectiveness of my teaching and conditioning plan, as well as provide my swimmers with the opportunities to see their progress towards their goals (this will be the subject of another blog because it is a vital part in planning). So after this ASCA World Swim Clinic I returned home and began to plan in earnest.
What I began to do is use our yearly week long trip to my in-law's home to set my goals and to plan. This trip typically was taken after the summer long course season. This worked very well, but I felt I was still missing something. The way I planned all changed when I was hired to be a teacher, and the Head Swimming Coach for Woodrow Wilson High School in Tacoma, Washington, as well as an Assistant Coach to work with Dick Hannula at Tacoma Swim Club. Coach Hannula helped me make a huge change in my planning practices. What I quickly learned from Coach Hannula is that you have to plan long term. You have to look at the swimmers from their start to their finish. What he would do is to look at a swimmer who was in the 9th grade and make a four year plan for them. I also learned that this plan was a progressive, logical and well designed plan to address the growth and maturity of the swimmer over time.
My first experience in seasonal planning came when I was flying home from my first Junior Nationals with Coach Hannula and Tacoma Swim Club. Coach Hannula had arranged for us to sit next to each other on the flight home. It was about a three hour flight and I recall, no long after the flight was in the air, Coach Hannula took out of his carry on an engineering graph paper spiral notebook. Prior to the meet he had already printed off the meet schedule for the coming short course season, and he handed this to me so we could use it at an appointed time. We quickly went through the names of all the returning swimmers and the new ones who had achieved the criteria to be on the National team. He then guided me through the things that he felt we needed to emphasize for next year to make progress. New seasonal goals were set and written down in the book. We then went through a day to to day plan of teaching and conditioning plan for the swimmers. As part of this planning we also wrote down the meets that would be used as benchmarks for us to gauge the effectiveness of our teaching and conditioning. By the time we landed the new season plan was made and we were on the same page as to where we were headed.
The "Nuts and Bolts"of Planning-where the rubber hits the road.
To refresh your memory, and I mind. Here are some of my best practice ideas about planning that I mentioned in Part 1:
1. Determine where I want the TEAM, and each swimmers to be at the end of a season.
2. Determine what skills that my staff and I will need to emphasize and teach to help the swimmers get to where I what them to be at the end of the year. Included in skills are such things as techniques, and the "Processes" you want them to learn-understand-apply.
3. Determine what are the physical conditioning categories that are to be used to help prepare the swimmers to perform the skills and processes needed to achieve the ending results wanted. This includes in water training categories-Aerobic Endurance, Threshold, Speed work etc. It should also address what types of dryland exercises are to be done to enrich the swimmer's ability to progress toward the end results. It can also include things like mental strength training, and team building activities to provide support to every member of the team as THEY progress together toward the end results.
4. Determine the meets to attend that will be used as assessments, or "stepping stones" in their progress toward the end of the year meet. Each meet should be selected with a specific purpose in mind. For example, select a meet at which the swimmers should be able to perform a given number of underwater kicks off each wall to eventually get beyond flags by the final championship meet at the end of the year. Each meet can have a designated focus that will allow you and your staff to gauge the effectiveness of your training and teaching.
5. Determine the phases of the season, their length and the focus of each; Aerobic base, anaerobic, threshold, speed, technique etc...
6. Put it on paper. Prior to putting the plan to paper I like to put the outline of the plan on a large white board complete with dates and as much detail as possible. I think this allows the staff to see where we are headed, and how we are going to get there.
Once all of this is compete, and the plan is written. You should communicate the plan to the swimmers. It is very important as you start each year to teach the swimmers and inform them of where they are going, how they are going to get there, and what things they are going to be doing to get to their end result. I recommend you print off a blank monthly calendar and fill in the blanks with what you are planning to do each day during a four week period of time. It is very important that you evaluate and re-evaluate your plan as the days progress through the plan. Remember the plan must be flexible and adapt to changing circumstances. You should be prepared for any scenario as things circumstances can change. The pool may be down, athletes get sick and/or injured. Sometimes your swimmers will achieve goals sooner than expected and you will need a flexible plan that can address and adapt to a change in goals for the athlete.
Epilogue
Planning is so critical to the success of the coach, athlete and the team. Writing a great plan takes time and experience. I recommend that you put your plan in some type of notebook, or even use a lap top. I am old school and prefer to write it down on paper. For me I have found it helpful to both write and see the plan before finalizing it. I believe it is also important to save your plans and refer back to them. I have over 30 years of saved plans. I do look back at them periodically to see if I am missing anything, or to look at what worked in a particular year. Sometimes you will find "hidden gems" that might be helpful in writing a new plan, as well as things that you might want to use but really did not work. Do not rush your writing your plan. Take your time and thoughtfully consider your plan. Above all else remember you are planning for the success of the athlete and team, not you. Success to you.
"Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now." Alan Lakein
No comments:
Post a Comment