{"id":570425,"date":"2023-10-08T00:53:08","date_gmt":"2023-10-08T07:53:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=570425"},"modified":"2023-10-08T05:35:09","modified_gmt":"2023-10-08T12:35:09","slug":"say-that-again-coaching-to-athletes-different-learning-styles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/say-that-again-coaching-to-athletes-different-learning-styles\/","title":{"rendered":"Say That Again: Coaching to Athletes’ Different Learning Styles"},"content":{"rendered":"

Say That Again: Coaching to Different Learning Styles<\/strong><\/p>\n

Say That Again<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are many different type of athletes: some love a lot of daily feedback, some just want to work, some get very nervous prior to major competitions and just need assurance. Regardless, it is important that the coach know and understand what is the best learning method for each athlete,\u201d says Abi Liu<\/strong>, USA Swimming National Junior Team coach and head coach at Bellevue Swim Club (Wash.).<\/p>\n

In aquatics, whether it is teaching learn-to-swim or counseling higher level athletes, there are many ways to dispense technique. The use of five standard cues\u2014visual, auditory, logical, verbal or kinesthetic\u2014are a start.<\/p>\n

Bryan Dedeaux<\/strong> is division director of 11-12s at Mission Viejo (Calif.). He and fellow Nadadores coach, Chris Mendoza-Smithour<\/strong>, have had frequent discussions on how their swimmers learn. \u201cOne of the biggest deficiencies I see in coaching as a whole,\u201d Dedeaux says, \u201cis a lack of awareness when it comes to identifying and working effectively with different personality types and learning abilities. There is considerable information out there to help coaches, teachers and parents identify multiple learning styles, disabilities and neurodivergent behaviors. As a result, it is pretty simple to glean basic knowledge to help you build a better communication toolbox. We should all strive to unlock the full potential of each athlete by tailoring the transformative experience we provide to their unique needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up with a learning disability, so I am fully aware of the struggle a child can have when trying to adapt to a one-size-fits-all teaching approach. To effectively deliver our message to a large group of swimmers, we must recognize the individual differences that make up the group. A coach cannot expect his swimmers to automatically match his individual learning style. That requires a coach to be aware of his\/her learning and teaching styles and be flexible with coaching methods to make individual connections with swimmers.<\/p>\n

\u201cBlanket coaching styles can work well early on. However, the quicker a coach implements communication strategies that focus on individual learning styles, the easier the season gets and the happier the swimmers become. That results in better buy-in from both athletes and parents.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen coaching 10-and-under athletes, it\u2019s important to keep the environment focused, fast and FUN!\u201d says Mendoza-Smithour. \u201cBy gamifying sets, letting swimmers race at end of practice or making up competitions and challenges, you are teaching them that competing with friends is fun, allowing swimmers to fall in love with the sport.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs 11-12 age-group athletes begin to develop a better sense of self and agency, it\u2019s important to allow them to make choices, good or bad, so they may learn that every choice has an outcome. That way through their actions and following consequences, they will be able to make connections and take ownership of their swimming,\u201d Mendoza-Smithour declares.<\/p>\n

JOB ONE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many successful coaches put a premium on getting to know their athletes…as people<\/em>. Asking about family, school and interests outside of the water throughout the season can build a basis of trust with huge payoffs. By making better individual connections, a coach can view individual responses, providing insight into individual needs.<\/p>\n

ON DECK<\/strong><\/p>\n

Visual learners make up the majority of Nadadores swimmers, observes Dedeaux. \u201cFor them, I want to show exactly how I want something to be done. If I stand on deck trying to show them a proper pull in freestyle, but drop my elbow, they will see that and mimic it as closely as they can. I frequently supplement my instruction with pictures, instant video feedback, videos of pro swimmers and demonstrators in practice.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor auditory learners, I use language, analogies and metaphors that are very visual and make sense to my audience. I avoid using technical and biologically correct internal cues, but instead use environmental ones such as, \u2018Keep your elbow at the surface and press your fingers to the bottom of the pool.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand verbal learners need to talk\u2014so I let them. Then I listen and validate what they are trying to communicate before acting further. Sometimes verbal learners can do well with homework assignments like writing down their thoughts about a race plan or the steps in a good open turn,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cPhysical learners need to move. These kids do well when they are trying, failing and trying again. My thought is don\u2019t be too quick to correct, as they may need some time to get it right. As long as they are in motion, they are learning and adapting on the go.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, there are other types of learning styles as well. Kids will typically pick up information in any style that you are teaching, but mixing and matching your coaching cues and connecting with each athlete in the way that they respond almost always produces the most satisfying outcomes,\u201d says Dedeaux.<\/p>\n

HIGH SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n

For day jobs, two Michigan coaches, Darren Millar<\/strong> and Eve Julian<\/strong>, are educators. Millar is a two-time MISCA zone coach of the year and current organization president. He is also a first-grade teacher, has coached swimming at Royal Oak High School outside of Detroit for more than 30 years and is fully versed in how student-athletes learn.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the kids who pick it up aurally, I need to be deliberate with my word choices,\u201d says Millar. \u201cI leave nothing to the imagination, take it slowly and make the learning process a progression\u2014i.e., \u2018We\u2019re doing this, which will lead to that and lead to the third thing.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cChildren today are such a visual bunch. For practice, every day I have a written workout at the end of each lane. This helps everybody, especially visual learners. Since there is specialization involved, I like all swimmers to see what the other specialty groups are doing.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the beginning of the season, we go over all of our drills. When I say, \u2018We are doing flip drills,\u2019 I mean this…; when I say, \u2018Miss America wave,\u2019 we are doing that….\u2019 That way, swimmers have a basic knowledge and built-in vocabulary going forward,\u201d he says. In addition to taping swimmers above and below water, Millar will often have swimmers don goggles and watch demonstrators under water as he emphasizes various stroke elements.<\/p>\n

Eve Julian<\/strong> is the NISCA secretary and webmaster. She is also in her 19th year as the boys coach at Ottawa Hills High School in Grand Rapids. \u201cI do my best to talk, show and then have the kids do,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen I\u2019m explaining a concept, I try to keep it short and concise, then I demonstrate on land. If I have the resources available, I also try to show video of the correct way of doing. Then I have the swimmers demonstrate back to me\u2014sometimes on dry land, sometimes in the water. Here I might also include manipulation where appropriate\u2014especially with breaststroke\u2014and then have them demonstrate back.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne phrase I use a lot if the kids are unclear is, \u2018I don\u2019t think I explained that well enough.\u2019 I will follow that with different words\u2014i.e., \u2018Pull your head back\u2019 instead of \u2018lift your chin.\u2019 I keep talking, showing and doing until swimmers start to feel it on their own. Sometimes I ask them to feel what they\u2019re doing wrong before I ask them to try to fix it. In this case, video comes in handy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI once had a backstroker crossing way over on his entries. His right hand entered above his left shoulder.\u00a0I asked him to enter his hands at 10 and 2. He thought he was, but he was still crossing over.\u00a0So I asked him to swim backstroke with his arms entering at\u00a09 and 3 instead, telling him to keep his arms perpendicular to his body on the entry. What felt like 9 and 3 to him was actually more like 11 and 1. I showed him the video of what he thought was 9 and 3, and he suddenly realized that what he was feeling and what he was actually doing were not the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Abi Liu<\/strong>, who was 2019 Pacific Swimming coach of the year, utilizes aids, sample videos and underwater cameras as a part of her instruction. When a swimmer is having difficulty, she will often have them demonstrate a stroke on land with their eyes closed. As with Julian, she says, \u201cWhen I video them and show it afterward, they are often surprised at how the video differs from what they were thinking. Another approach I take is pairing swimmers. This not only enhances the learning experience, but it also creates opportunities for teamwork. (Author\u2019s note: College teams\u2014Stanford men for one\u2014have used this approach successfully for years.)<\/em><\/p>\n

HIGHER EDUCATION<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thanks to his videos and his presentations worldwide, Steve Haufler<\/strong> is one of the country\u2019s most visible and successful stroke technicians. As a coach (youngsters through Masters) and instructor at Orinda Country Club (Calif.), his summer league teams have won 22 consecutive Orinda Moraga Pool Association championships.<\/p>\n

Over the last 45 years, often in concert with former assistant, Bill Aidan<\/strong>, Haufler has developed an instructional system dependent upon swimmer skill. \u201cWhen working with a beginning adult, I use pretty much the same progressions as I would for an 8-and-under. The vocabulary is different,\u201d he says, \u201cbut the approach in teaching strokes follows the same priorities: 1) air exchange, 2) body position and balance, 3) kicking, 4) pulling, 5) timing of kick and pull and 6) timing of the breath.\u201d<\/p>\n

Essential to his approach, in addition to instructing while in the water is the use of simple cues, key words and phrases by which he hopes the swimmer will sense what to feel, see, imagine and envision while in the water. He utilizes a one-at-a-time progression for each stroke that has taught hundreds of thousands to swim. He starts that teaching with a verb\u2014i.e, using words and phrases such as \u201csee,\u201d \u201cfeel,\u201d \u201cimagine,\u201d \u201ckeep\u201d and \u201cstay,\u201d then to convey sequence, \u201cat the same time,\u201d \u201cas soon as,\u201d \u201cbefore,\u201d \u201cafter\u201d and \u201cinstead of.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cInstructions don\u2019t have to be precise,\u201d he says. \u201cOften, simpler is better. Stroke problems are frequently the effect of something that came before, so go backward in time to see what is causing the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

More than one coach will say that the toughest stroke to teach and toughest to master is breaststroke because there are so many moving parts to convey before the stroke becomes smooth. When teaching, Haufler starts with the kick, telling his pupils to:<\/p>\n