Australian coach Dean Boxall is one of the most electrifying personalities on a pool deck today. The St. Peters Western head knows how to motivate and get the best out of his athletes, as we’ve seen in the form of his proteges Ariarne Titmus, Elijah Winnington and more.
While in a pre-Olympic training camp in Cairns, Boxall was mic’d up, giving us a glimpse into his coaching philosophy and motivational delivery to his athletes with Tokyo on the horizon.
“Two weeks, no excuses” is the theme of this particular practice, which Boxall says is crucial since lane space will be difficult to obtain once all the nations arrive at the site of this year’s Games.
To help keep his athletes on task, Boxall reminds them to ask themselves, “[Between you and your competitors] who did the better job? Who did this [preparation] better? I know that you have.”
Boxall also describes how Titmus and Winnington coming into Tokyo as two of the top mid-distance freestyles is a blessing of sorts in terms of the pair feeding off of one another.
“Pressure is a privilege. They’re embracing it and they both want it.”
Speaking more in general terms with what he’s trying to accomplish in this last bit of training, Boxall says, “Catching momentum is the hardest thing. You can put in really good training blocks but it’s really the confidence that comes with it.
“So you’re catching confidence and great work together and that’s the recipe for success. Trying to hold momentum is probably the most difficult part of my job.”
isn’t 2 weeks a pretty short taper?
Not if the 2 week taper starts 2 weeks after your last taper ended…
This guy is so damn cool. Instant fan
Can you imagine Greg Meehan on the pool deck that much energetic, overwhelmed with emotions and so much involved during Ledecky’s race as we see it in the coach Dean Boxell’s case when his swimmers are competing?
Stop blaming and thrashing everyone that you imagine threaten the awesomeness and superiority of Ledecky in any way.
You are so petty.
There is no blame of anybody. Just a simple fan’s desire for coach to not hide that deeply his emotions as Greg does. Look at Bob Bowman’s close to heart attack reaction on Phelps’ tough races or tears of Bruce Gemmell or Tusup’s craziness on stands or Boxell’s readiness to jump in the pool to help his swimmer.
There are coaches that swimmers are showing their best just in order to not disappoint them.
Ledecky does not need a coach who jumps up and down on pool deck to make her swim faster.
It’s clear you don’t know Ledecky at all
You are petty.
I can’t wait for you to trash Titmus in Rio.
You seem even more obsessed than Yozhik.
I think that to be obsessed is the definition of sport fan. It is not a normal state of mind by psychological standards of average human behavior. What difference can it possibly make to your life if someone swims faster than someone else or improves his/her personal best by a fraction of a second.
But yet by some unclear to me reasons people find the pleasure in being obsessed with sport competition. Then let it be to the full extent. 😀
On the other hand I’m glad that I’m not Englishman or Italian. It would be too much to my nerves during yesterday’s final.
Ok
That’s why I’m here at this board learning from people like you who knows everything about Ledecky.
I’m not sure Titmus will ever swim in Rio, so you have to wait for long time for me to comment on that event.
Ok.
OmG . Why are there subtitles in English?
Australia has some of their best swimmers competing in the first two days.
They could grab a number of golds right off the bat.
The women’s 400 free is a key race. Boxall wants Titmus to crush Ledecky, just blow her away on the final 100.
Even with the privilege, that would seem to be quite a lot of pressure for Boxall to place on Titmus.
That was thoroughly enjoyable.
And then you wonder why they crumble… ‘enemies on the pool deck’… a bit too much!
literally adam peaty’s mindset but ok
Literally self and not coming from his coach but ok
Agree. It’s in keeping with Boxall’s comments beginning around 4:50 mark of audio interview linked here where he says he gives a big pre-meet speech to his swimmers about war, warriors, Gallipoli, and “killing something” (but hey, he tells his swimmers just to go out and enjoy themselves when thinking about those things!)
https://www.2gb.com/five-coffees-before-sunrise-thats-what-fuels-australias-next-super-coach/
Keep clutching your pearls.
Literally thought the same thing Troyy
We will see how well his team do. But it’s difficult to argue with two things …
The video would certainly appear to resolve any issue as to whether Titmus, Winnington and crew were tapered for their Olympic Trials as Boxall states they tapered for two weeks prior to their Trials, and have begun a second taper now two weeks prior to Tokyo Olympics.
Tend to think that a large part of the tapered / not tapered discussion is all a bit of guesswork and posturing nonsense.
You hear supporters on the one hand talking about how competitive and stressful their trials are whilst at the same time justifying sub-optimal performances on the basis that none of the swimmers are tapered. So apparently it’s so stressful and competitive that they’ve not bothered to take it particularly seriously. It’s perhaps a little different with pre-selected swimmers but even there I doubt it – especially in the last year with so little racing.
I strongly suspect that the overwhelming majority of swimmers at Australian and American trials went through some form of taper and I… Read more »
Anyone finishing third or lower was on full taper. The top two yawned through trials but now will taper and drop several seconds
I thought Titmus had a 3day taper