Part II My Experiences and Thoughts on Motivating Athletes to Be Their Best Everyday-What a good coach should be doing.

Introduction

For this Part II edition of my experiences I will be sharing the things I have learned from implementing the principles of Ryan and Deci's Self Determination Theory (SDT), Dweck's thoughts from her book on Mind Set and Angela Duckworth's writings and lectures on Grit into my coaching philosophy in motivating swimmers to be their very best. Each of these have influenced my approach to coaching. I hope to blend the writings of these three experts in a meaningful way so that it makes sense and helps provide some ideas that may help someone.

In a recent article/YouTube video, Coach Wayne Goldsmith gives a presentation about three things that good coaches do in their coaching (I referenced the link in my last post). Those three things are that good coaches 1. Listen, 2. Learn, 3. Love. 

Listen
He goes on to explain that good coaches listen to their swimmers and not just talk to them. I believe in talking with the swimmers and finding out how things are working for them. As a coach it is very helpful to have your eye on the swimmers and what they are doing in the water. I believe it is helpful to understand if you want a true assessment of the effects of your training it pays to ask questions like: How do you feel you did today?, How did you feel about that set?, What did you learn today?, Tell me three things that you feel you did good on?, Tell me three things you feel you could do better on next time?. These are just sample questions but they will allow you to get a feel for how the swimmers are thinking and how they feel about the practices. I recommend that you vary the questions you ask, and base it on what you are doing on any given day.

Learn
No one on this earth knows everything. It is very important, according to Coach Goldsmith that as a coach you be a "student of the game". Be a continual learner. Read, study, investigate, make phone calls to coaches who you feel can help you learn. Never be stagnate, but always keep growing and expanding. A coach who I highly regard and respect, and view him as my "Mentor", Coach Dick Hannula, once said to me, "Dee, the longer I coach. The more I realize I do not know all there is to know". Keep on learning.

Love
You must love what you do and love the people you coach for. Coach is fun and exciting. I love coaching because it is the same as teaching. There is no difference between coaching and teaching. All a swimming coach is is a teacher of a physical skill, while a classroom teacher is a coach of an academic or mental skill. The swimmers will know whether or not you love your job and them by how prepared you are for them, and by how you treat them in all your interactions. When the swimmers come in everyday they are just given the workout and spend the workout time constantly on your phone looking at FaceBook, or wandering the deck speaking with the other coaches or parents without looking at the swimmers or giving feedback they will learn fast how much you care about them. If you are the last one to get to the pool and you are the first one to leave they will learn how much you love your job. You must speak to everyone of the swimmers on a daily basis and be the first at the pool and the last one to leave. Be enthusiastic with the swimmers when you are explaining what they will be doing for their workout, and what goals you hope to achieve in the workout. 

SDT-Self Determination Theory
The three parts of SDT are Autonomy, Competency and Relatedness. Each of these basic psychological needs must be met in order to have optimal functioning. From the SDT website (https://selfdeterminationtheory.org/theory/) :

"Within SDT, the nutriments for healthy development and functioning are specified using the concept of basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. To the extent that the needs are ongoingly satisfied, people will develop and function effectively and experience wellness, but to the extent that they are thwarted, people will more likely evidence ill-being and non-optimal functioning." 

The bottom line application is that as coaches we need to see that our coaching helps the swimmers to have a sense of autonomy, they feel competent and they feel related or connected to the team, the coach and the success of the team. Defined the three SDT needs are:

1. Autonomy: To have a sense, feeling, or belief that a person has control of their own behaviors and goals. Furthermore they have a sense of being able to control their own goals and progress towards those goals.
2. Competency: The belief, or feeling that the person can be successful and achieve some desired outcome. The belief that a person has that they can do something and be successful.
3. Relatedness: A feeling, or belief that a person is connect, or related to a coach, the team and its' individual members and the success of the program. A feeling that the person is cared about by the coach and the team.

To apply the principles of SDT the coach must allow the swimmers to have some say in their training and the events they do. The coach needs to give their swimmers a feeling of having a say in their training and progress. The swimmers must be taught and made to feel that they can achieve their goals and be successful in their pursuit of those goals. The swimmer needs to feel that the coach cares about them and their success in and out of the pool. The coach needs to be interested in the whole person not just the swimmer. As the swimmer comes to know that the coach is giving them a say in their training, teaching them the skills needed to be successful and he/she cares for them as a whole person, they will be more committed to their goals, their training and the team.

Mindset and Grit
I have put these these two together because they are connected. To have a growth mindset requires the coach to continually teach the swimmers to look at every opportunity, or experience as a learning opportunity. Daily the coach must use language that reinforces growth and effort, even if that effort is a failing effort. You must find a way to teach and reinforce what you want your swimmers to learn in a positive way. When correcting stroke technique, try communicating your feedback in a positive voice. For example say, "That was a good early catch with your right hand and arm. On this next 25 do the same thing with your left arm-hand entry in front of eye to ear-rotate until arm pit opens up to bottom of pool-catch the water with the finger tips down and elbow higher than hand." What we usually end up saying is "Don't do this...". The swimmers usually remember the negative instruction before the positive. As coaches we build grit in our swimmers by helping them to see that they can be successful by being positive in our instructions and helping see that goal attainment is a process. This process takes time and many trials. They can do the process but it will be one step at a time and one day at a time. Remember, "Nine-tenths of education is encouragement.", Anatole France.