COPING WITH COMPETITION

LETS GET STARTED! Questions and concerns about being poolside at competitions? Coach duties. Warm Up. Race prep. After race management. Diet and fluids. Any others?

THE STARTING POINT Clarification of my role and that of volunteer coaches! The way forward – developing self sufficiency in the swimmer. We need to present professionally without relying on others.

ON ARRIVAL Coach packs should be collected from either the officials desk or the designated collection point. Withdrawals should be made and team lines (for relays) entered at the requested times. Relays – usually already decided and HYTEK report issued but last minute factors may apply. Observe warm up arrangements with the requested supervision. Always supervise diving into one way sprints. The children are well ‘drilled’ in competition warm up now but a warm up set can be provided. A wee tip! Get an extra programme and ask them to refer to it!

RACE PREPARATION Wrap up after warm up – dry swimsuit (racing),t-shirt, pool shoes and keep warm. Some activity to keep minds alert – crosswords, puzzles etc. Protect valuables – the swimmers responsibility!! 20mins before going to marshalling swimmer should be active – dynamic flex and mental preparation. They just need prompted with this as they know what to do! Remember – we are encouraging self sufficiency. Realistic targets based on competition activity! Most of our active competitors participate in PDP work so they will have an idea! Encourage the swimmer to think about the SHOULD, COULD AND MIGHT? No last minute technical changes though! Send to marshalling at requested time e.g. designated heats ahead of race.

DURING RACE Once under starters orders they are on their own!! Swimmers can be positively cheered by their peers, parents, coaches etc. Take care not to be seen to ‘influence’ or ‘coach’ the performance!

POST RACE There’s no rush to feedback on performance – let them have some privacy with their thoughts! 3 simple questions when ready. What did you do well? Try to tease out the positive – focus on the technical as much if not more than speed. What did you do badly? What will you do differently next time?

COPING AFTER THE RACE Swimmer should be allowed to enjoy their success but discouraged from becoming over confident – they all have development needs. Encourage them to be ‘good sports’ e.g. shake the hand of a competitor who has won fair and square! Link PB’s with their hard work in the pool or any technical change for the better. Don’t molly coddle ‘failure’ – allow them to ‘fail’ with dignity and discourage histrionics! Disqualifications are simply a development need. What is failure? Dealing with disappointment is a life skill. Manage your own feelings!

FOOD AND DRINK Fluids, fluids, fluids!!!!!!!! Can’t emphasise this enough! Take some fluid bottles that have been frozen – they stay chilled better and will defrost slowly. Light healthy snacks, high in carbohydrate but with about 20% protein. Fruit, cereal bars, small portions of pasta or rice. Chopped fresh fruit from a cool box is ‘delish’! Keep sweeties, fizzy drinks etc for later. Let them have what they fancy but nothing heavy.

QUESTIONS?