New Coaches – What Do They Really Need?

To: The ASCA Board of Director’s (published in the ASCA Newsletter)

By John Leonard

I just came back from a clinic ASCA /FINIS sponsored yesterday (Sunday, Jan.15) with Coach Don Heidary of Orinda Aquatics. It was about Developing High-Character People who also happen to be High-Character Athletes. Don, his brother Ron and I had conversed about these ideas for years. But for the first time, I was able to sit through his whole presentation, uninterrupted by administrative “stuff”.

Shook me to my core.

Now, I am someone who has always said, “half of a coaches’ job is to get young people to swim faster and better. The other half, just as important if not more, is to help their parents raise better people.” Anyone who has read any of what I have written over the past 40 years knows that I “care” about this stuff.

BUT THIS WAS A WHOLE OTHER LEVEL.

Despite Don’s exhortations to “never complain”, I felt like the golfer standing on the tee, looking down the fairway and seeing NOTHING but sand traps and water hazards. And I don’t even play golf. Don’s presentation was matter of fact, which made it even more “stunning” - the proverbial “two by four to the side of the head.”  The scarcity of questions from the other people in the room made me think that I was not the only one “in shock.”

I teach some life skills; everyday, I think. But I don’t get the results these guys get. And I don’t do 10% of the job of teaching what they teach. And my first realization was, “I NEED TO,” because the coaching issues I face, are these cultural issues.

Because I have “given in” to some degree, over the years, to the “cultural headwind” as the brothers describe it. What’s that?

It’s the every teen movie, teen magazine, teen website, teen “tweet” that glorifies self…me, my..possessions, beautifulness, sexiness (in pre-teen mags) and behavior that is so ultra-provocative it is incredible, not even mentioning the language issue.  It’s watching our professional athlete “role models whether they want to be or not” who have to point to themselves and draw the camera to themselves at every opportunity, even when they are thirty points behind and make the most routine of plays. Absurd. Whatever happened to “act like you been there before” when you hit the end zone once every few games.?

The cultural headwind continues in the lying, cheating, stealing, disrespectful behavior that is cultivated on television every night. Only the most outrageous Ricky Gervais stuff gets him his next gig. Hard work, which used to be the ticket to success in our great country, is sniggled at behind raised hands…..only suckers work hard. Only suckers serve other people. Only suckers are humble. Only suckers worry about anyone but themselves.

Frankly, until I listened carefully to Don present it, I didn’t realize that I had carefully and subconsciously withdrawn from hearing it, seeing it, and dealing with it. I was shrugging my shoulders internally…”what can you do”. And I’m not spending enough time battling it with my swimmers. And I need to. Now. Today.

At the same time, I have a son who is learning to coach, because he loves it, from some of the greatest coaches I know. I found myself wondering how he and thousands of young coaches like him, can be prepared to stand in this “cultural headwind” of negative influences and overcome them. The issues he will face FIRST in his career are not, knowing how to teach strokes, knowing how to train ten and under's, knowing how to teach race skills. His challenges will be to deal with young people immersed in a culture that glorifies everything that is OPPOSITE to the things that we know from 120 years of our sport, make swimming worthwhile, life affirming and important and valuable in creating good young people. And he will have to work with parents, who in many cases come closer to sharing the values of the cultural headwind than the values of our sport…at least until they have some time to consider it more carefully.

Again, our main coaching issues are not coaching issues. They are dealing with sociology and our culture. How do we educate our young coaches to navigate that hurricane successfully?

ALL THE BEST, JL

Hi,

I read the Power Point that your team posted from the ASCA 2011 Conference on coaching. This was the first article I read that dealt with character and putting being a good person ahead of being a fast swimmer (although I'm glad you noted that it is very possible be both.)

Don and Ron, thank you so much for a great presentation at ASCA. What a fantastic job! That was the best talk of the entire clinic and the subject matter was so perfect for the swimming/youth sports world we live in nowadays. Thanks for being stand up guys. Now I know why you two have become so successful. I greatly appreciate what you did for us. SS

Hello Don,

I spoke to you for a time after your talk at the ASCA Clinic on Friday. I was very disappointed to have missed most of your session, but I saw the last half hour or so and I’m incredibly grateful that you have made your PowerPoint slides available on your website.

I have just finished reading through your whole presentation and I am simply filled with excitement. You have beautifully articulated the principles that I hold as most important in life and that are sadly and conspicuously absent from most activities in the lives of kids. You have also inspired me to “sharpen the stone” as it were — to make sure I’m leading by example.

Can you share with me some of the things that you have found useful on your own path to where you are today? You reference a wonderful variety of sources in your quotes etc.,  and the spiritual nature of your message is unmistakable.

Thank you again for a wonderful presentation. I wish you all the best.