Swim Parents - Partners in Potential and Performance Every swimming coach in the world has to find a way to work effectively with the parents / carers of the kids they coach. The concept of Partnership is important. In essence, what are coaches, parents / carers and swimmers all chasing? Answer: To help the swimmer be all they choose to be - to help them realize their potential in and out of the water. The beautiful thing about that is that when it comes down to it - coaches, parents /...

Wayne and Glenn discuss what makes a great coach. From the public perception of greatness to the reality of everyday people being great. We asked ChatGPT it's definition of what is a great coach, and the answers were pretty darn good. A great coach is someone who possesses a unique blend of skills, qualities, and attributes that enable them to effectively guide, inspire, and develop individuals or teams to reach their full potential. Here are some characteristics that define a great...

The Third 50 - E11 - Brent Rutemiller - Swimming in Legacy It's difficult to describe Brent Rutemiller. He's a swimmer. There's a good start. He's been a coach. OK - you sort of get the picture but.... He also has been - (and in some cases still is): A marketing manager A CEO A publisher An editor An author A manager A cartoon artist An influencer and thought leader in the sport A TV host A script writer A sales manager A presenter A global force for change in...

Ten Things I Wish I Knew When I Started. Imagine if you could commence your swimming coaching journey - with 10, 20, 30 years of experience somehow magically imprinted on your mind right from the first session! Every coach looks back at their coaching career at some time and asks "If only I knew that when....." or "I wish I'd known that when I ....." In this Episode - the final episode of our current series, Glenn and Wayne share the Top Ten Things they've learnt from their combined 80...

The Third 50 - E9 - Getting Better at Getting Better! Some coaches have been coaching for 20 years. The question is - do you really have 20 years of experience - or do you have 1 year of experience….20 times over. Humans have a tendency to fall into routines and repeat things. In coaching this can mean you end up doing the same things, the same way, over and over and over. Life is changing rapidly. Kids are learning faster and they learn differently! Kids communicate differently. Kids...

EPISODE 8 - Living a Coach's Life - Coach - Coach Thyself! Coaching is a wonderful profession - coaches change lives. Coaches inspire the hearts, minds and spirits of the people they coach. Coaches create opportunities for people to realize their potential. Coaches provide the environment for people to see their dreams become a reality. But it is also a challenging and demanding profession…. Early mornings First to arrive/last to leave Weekend meets Not highly paid for the most...

EPISODE 7 - Mind Body Connections: The Holistic Approach to Peak Swimming Performance Traditional models of mental skills training are mostly inefficient - i.e. developing mental skills in lectures and classrooms in the days prior to a big Meet. The integration of mental skills into all training, all practices and every workout is the key - MIND AND BODY - holistic training and coaching is critical! Every set / every session / every workout - has mental and emotional elements - the body...

Welcome to The Third 50! EPISODE 6 - Equipment - Training Tools - Gear, Gimmicks and Gizmos! Swimming equipment can be a valuable addition to swimming and triathlon coaching programs for athletes of all ages and at all stages of swimming technique development. Think of them as the "tools of technique"! However, as is the case with all "tools" - it's important for coaches, swimmers, triathletes and anyone who uses fins, paddles, snorkels, pull-buoys and kickboards in their programs to...

Welcome to The Third 50! EPISODE 5 - WE HAVE A NEED - A NEED FOR SPEEEEEEEEEEEED! Speed is the most precious thing in swimming. It's what it's all about! The training, the sets, the repeats, the workouts, the dryland sessions, the mental skills practices, the equipment...everything we do in this sport is about the achievement of one, clear, simple thing - to go faster! In Episode 5 of The Third 50, Wayne and Glenn look at the development of swimming speed through the context of our TEN...

Welcome to The Third 50! The Fourth Episode...DRILLS DRILLS DRILLS and more DRILLS!!! Download Wayne's chart here:   Swimming coaches collect drills like kids collect candy! There are tens of thousands of swimming drills: there's a drill for every swimming occasion.  However, how can drills be used optimally to develop an efficient and effective swimming technique for individual swimmers?  In this Episode of The Third 50, Wayne and Glenn look at swimming drills and try to answer the...

Welcome to The Third 50! This is the third episode in season one and it's an incredibly important topic - Developing the Technical Eye! Every coach needs to develop their "Technical Eye" - their ability to look at a swimmer and determine how to improve and enhance the swimmer's ability to move efficiently through water. Some coaches have a "technical eye" which is mostly intuitive - almost instinctive - and they can practically "feel" technique as a result of years and years and years of...

Welcome to The Third 50! In this Second Episode, Wayne and Glenn discuss the importance of underwater kicking! Under-water kicking - "Dolphins" are vital - they are essential for fast swimming. The question is - how can you coach swimmers to develop a "deadly" Dolphin????? We look at some outstanding examples of underwater kickers and talk about training and coaching techniques to integrate super fast "dolphins" into your practices. Three Takeaways: Learning and mastering underwater...

Welcome to The Third 50! In this first Episode, Wayne and Glenn discuss how coaches can help and inspire their swimmers to realize their full potential and share their thoughts on swimming technique. Three Takeaways: Every swimmer is unique: every technique is unique. How do you develop and enhance the technique and skills of individual swimmers? Some principles apply to all swimmers, e.g. head and hips positions, small head movements, soft hands, loose feet, but the name of the game is...