S3 E7 - CREATING A SUCCESSFUL CLUB 2

Why Coaches Walk Away, and How to Build a Club They’ll Stay In

New research presented at last week’s coaches conference in Auckland found that the number one reason swim coaches quit has nothing to do with swimming: it’s parents and committees. Fresh off that trip, Wayne Goldsmith joins Glenn Mills to ask what that says about the sport and what coaches can do about it.

Their answer is to adapt. Parents are now informed consumers with the same access to information coaches have, so the old “pay the fees and stay at the door” model is finished. Glenn and Wayne make the case for parents as partners, starting with simple, steady communication (including a new GoSwim feature that reminds coaches which swimmers they haven’t filmed lately) and the only thing a parent needs to say after a race: “I love to watch you swim.”

From there the conversation widens to why competitive swimming is shrinking while learn-to-swim and adult swimming boom:

• Why there is no such thing as an elite 10-year-old, and why performance comparisons should wait
• Why new facilities won’t fix a relationship problem
• Shotgun vs. sniper rifle: precise, purposeful practice instead of grinding out yardage
• Why the best swimmers warm up the slowest
• Why coaches need to take care of themselves first

There’s also Friday the 13th at the movies, flag football, and a dad joke about anti-gravity.