February 22, 2023
i was coached last week. It was interesting for the shoe to be on the other foot. What is it like to be coached? Did it help? What helped? And what did i wish for that i didn’t receive?
i joined a three-session open-water swim coaching program which was held over two days. The program was in preparation for an event that occurred on the third day. There was a group of roughly 40 to 50 each day and the program was held in the open ocean.
While i gained some valuable tips, there were a few things that sat uncomfortably and several aspects where i had cause to value to the caddying versus coaching approach. Firstly, the name dropping grated on me.
While stories about the famous made for good entertainment, it didn’t help me grow. i wanted results. Stories of engagement with famous others won’t get me there. Just tell me what i need to do.
And second, was what was missing. i wish there was some measures of success. Don’t get me wrong, the coaching was well worth it. i came away with several tips that will help me to swim faster and be more race ready, but how do i let the math speak? How do i measure my improvement and growth (in the field of ocean swimming where there is no consistency of conditions). Sure, i FEEL like this will make me a better ocean swimmer, but how do i KNOW? It was only as i have stepped away and looked back at this course in its entirety that I recognize this gap.
So the coaching experience has helped me to appreciate the caddying posture. The ocean swimming course didn’t have a caddying posture, it was about coaching. The leader’s posture was “I know lots and I’m passing it on”. In contrast, it helped me re-recognize it’s all about the player (the client), not the coach. It’s not the stories of famous players to make things more entertaining, it’s drilling down into the player and their habits and attitudes that can help them gain better results. What are the clear measures of improvement that can be provided to PROVE that the caddying process is working and the player is getting the results they desperately desire?
And i recognized there was significant value in the ‘between spaces’. Because i went to three sessions, i was able to consolidate aspects i learnt from one session to the next – because it was re-explained three times. ‘Sighting’ was one example. i struggled to swim straight; it’s not easy to breathe and pull myself out of the water to see where I was swimming without slowing myself down. There’s no black line on the ocean floor (even if you can see the bottom). i learnt a technique known as sighting. The first time i was demonstrated the technique, i couldn’t quite get it, until i saw it redemonstrated in the second session. However, between those two sessions, i was trying to apply the technique in my head. By the time i arrived in the second session, i was ripe to refine the technique. By the third session i further refined sighting and now have confidence in its application (no more zig-zagging for me or slowing my swim stroke). i found i could stew over learning a concept in the ‘between spaces’. Hence, i have recognized the value for caddying in allowing time between sessions for the player to apply, fail, relearn, and consolidate.
i never asked a question across these three coaching sessions. i didn’t speak. Partly because we were in the open ocean and partly because i was aware i was just one of a group of about 50. Small groups are more effective for feedback than the larger gatherings. i just listened and shared what i learnt with my wife after the session. The retelling/reexplaining of concepts i learnt with someone else was valuable for the process of consolidation. And there in is another key to ensuring the process of caddying (or coaching) is maximized for you. Share what you have learnt with someone, reexplain the concepts you are grappling with. The process of having to explain it in your own words will consolidate your learning. Better still, try and help someone else with the same concept. You only learn when you are required to teach.
Now don’t get me wrong, i listened to other’s questions. They were often relevant and helpful. Questions i hadn’t thought of and perspectives i didn’t have. They weren’t my questions, but they were questions that helped me none the less. i reappreciated the value of group learning and hearing things from others perspective. There is a richness in group learning.
So, i learnt a lot about how to open water swim more efficiently and faster, but i also learnt a lot about coaching . . . and caddying . . . and how i can help others to grow. No more zig-zagging for me.
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