How Star Wars Reflects A New Era of Swim Coaching

By Bridger Bell, Swimming World Guest Contributor

Culture and attitudes around training are changing. There are pros and cons.

I believe today’s youth are kinder, more tolerant and more innovative than any before, but some characteristics of today’s youth generation make it challenging for coaches who grew up in a different paradigm around training. And in some ways, today’s youth lose out on valuable training lessons and experiences when some aspects of contemporary culture aren’t challenged.

The latest Star Wars movie makes these changes and challenges abundantly clear.

How training used to be: Luke

Awakening The Force in yourself through years of training:
Drive, Dedication, Delayed gratification, Deference (trust), Demands (high expectations).

Drive:
“I want to learn the ways of The Force and become a Jedi like my father” –Luke

Dedication and Delayed Gratification:
Luke trained for years, pursuing excellence in mastering the ways of The Force, tackling tasks he couldn’t see the benefit of until long after struggling through them (“delayed gratification”).

Deference (trust):
Yoda, like Mr. Miyagi or Pai Mei, drove his pupil toward excellence depending on Luke’s deference to his authority and trust in his wisdom. Sometimes, Luke was in the dark about why/how a training task would make him better, but despite expressing frustration at times, he ultimately engaged with Yoda’s training plan, putting faith in the outcome.

Demands (high expectations):
“Do or do not. There is no ‘try.’” –Yoda
Yoda held the line and pushed Luke harshly, far beyond his comfort level. There was little tolerance for falling short. Perhaps a healthier incarnation of this coaching approach today is inviting swimmers up to high expectations without the harsher tone, while still retaining Yoda-esque uncompromising standards.

How training is today: Rey

‘The Force Awakens’ magically, on its own, with little-to-no training or preparation

Rey, without any training or preparation, out-engineers Han Solo on his own ship, holds her own with a lightsaber the first time she picks it up against a Dark-Lord-in-training (Kylo Ren, who has been a pupil to the master Snoke) and almost effortlessly uses mind tricks that Luke struggled over time to hone.

Rey epitomizes what many young people today wish to believe about excellence: that it comes from being special, not from a long – at times baffling and frustrating – engagement with training toward excellence.

Finn and “Why”

When I was training, you didn’t ask “why.” You just did it. This was probably even more true for prior generations. There were problems with that culture – the risk of abuse, for one.

There is certainly a risk of too much deference to authority. But the pendulum may have swung too far the other way in today’s training world.

Many of today’s young athletes simply aren’t willing to do something until they understand the “why.” There’s no place for delayed gratification and deference. Many expect to be ‘Rey’s and aren’t willing to train as ‘Luke’s. Many older athletes have learned invaluable lessons by embracing a challenge before understanding the “why,” only coming to the epiphany later as a result of a prolonged struggle.

I feel lucky to coach on a team where I believe there’s a healthy balance of trust in the program and a thirst for understanding of “why.” But this balance is hard-won and tenuous to maintain in today’s world.

Finn is a good example of healthy skepticism. When his fellow Storm Troopers committed atrocities out of blind faith and deference, Finn consulted his conscience and turned to the Light Side.

While it’s normal and healthy to question authority, especially through adolescence, you can look to Luke (Star Wars: A New Hope), Daniel-san (The Karate Kid) and Beatrix Kiddo (Kill Bill Vol.2) as exemplars of balancing healthy skepticism with drive, dedication, delayed gratification, deference (trust) and demands (high expectations).

A Way Forward

(who knows, maybe this will be the title of Episode VIII?)

In light of these considerations, I hold A New Hope for today’s young athletes that they’ll balance the healthy aspects of older-paradigm training values with their own generational strengths, so that The Force Awakens not magically and out of the blue – because that’s not how any great athlete I’m aware of ever achieved excellence – but as a result of years of drive, dedication, delayed gratification, deference (trust) and demands (high expectations).

About the Author: Bridger Bell is Head Age Group Coach and an Assistant National Groups Coach at Team Santa Monica. For more information visit Team Santa Monica website, Coach Bridger Bell’s Articles and Bio, and Bridger’s YouTube Channel.

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Jaden Harris

8 years ago

Drew Ross-Ashby Aiden Smith

Cary Lynn Church

8 years ago

Susan Rutledge-Jukes Larry Jukes

Gil

8 years ago

This is an absolutely fantastic article!!! Well done.

Mark Derrick

8 years ago

Mark Tate

8 years ago

Reply to Mark Derrick

Pfft

Jedi knight

8 years ago

This is an incredibly unfounded comparison and I’m not sure how the author is equating the character Rey’s 19 years of surviving on her own as a scavenger with the miraculous acquisition of skills. Seems like 19 years of training to me, and also a totally incoherent jump from fictional film to real life training paradigms

Denise Katelnikoff

8 years ago

Check this out Alexander Katelnikoff.

Olivia Sanderson

8 years ago

Ray Winstanley

Christopher Dao

8 years ago

Armen

Armen Duran

8 years ago

Reply to Christopher Dao

I feel it.

Deborah Fielding

7 years ago

Blimey ! I’d like to see him swim with that lot on!

Rob Robson

7 years ago

Internal server error

Riley Weaver

7 years ago

Rose Johnson

7 years ago

Reply to Riley Weaver

Woah

Jamie Ward

7 years ago

Bruce Halloran

Naveh Eldar

7 years ago

Coaches who embrace millennials are better coaches, because the “why” question makes them understand and hone their own techniques. NFL, NBA, swimming…the coaches who embrace it, strive. What isn’t said is that when they understand, they embrace. If “kids these days” were so spoiled, how do age group records keep tumbling? You realize Ledecky was in high school last year, and the Olympics when she was 14? Missy, when she was a teen. You’re in your 30’s but sound like you’re in your 60’s.

Kelly Lennon

7 years ago

Dan Reilly do or do not

Jarrett McKay

7 years ago

Jennifer

Gabriela Rajic

7 years ago

Will Barker 🙂

Will Barker

7 years ago

Reply to Gabriela Rajic

HA! I love it!

Eric Valley

7 years ago

Emily

Mark Jennings

7 years ago

Eleora Bailey Jared Weinberger

Les Houston

7 years ago

Hilarious article. Mobile apps that organize swim lessons like Aqua Mobile are making today’s parents more like the name big star wars characters. We got a few highlights of Chewy, Luke, 3P0, ect but it was really about the new generation. Just like how back in the day parents used to have to get in the water and be a main character in the swim class. Now they can sit back like Leah and watch the rebels/swimming teachers execute their orders.

Alex Blair

7 years ago

Chris Anderson Steven Lee

Julie Sullivan

7 years ago

Trey Sullivan

Irene Theders

7 years ago

Love it ?