Courtesy of 4-time NCAA DII Coach of the Year Bob Steele
One of the talks I give when working with teams around the country is entitled, TEAMANSHIP, at which time I ask the swimmers, “what happens on your team that irritates you”. The following list of irritants have been mentioned by swimmers. Often times a swimmer thinks only about themselves, and either doesn’t know or care about others or the team. Since there is no I in team, it’s important that people negatively affecting teammates correct their habits and attitudes, moving from being a TAKER to being a GIVER.
If you’re a taker that does any of the things listed here, CHANGE. It will help you be a better teammate, better and FASTER swimmer. Just because you come to practice doesn’t mean you’re entitled to swim FAST!
NEGATIVES THAT AFFECT TEAMMATES
People that cheat on training sets People that don’t know their times
People that do the last swim on a set, FAST People that come to practice late
People that form cliques and exclude teammates People that have to go to the toilet
People that miss practice and expect to swim on relays People that put others down
People that don’t cheer for teammates People that don’t do team cheers
People that don’t do “good-things” away from the pool People that don’t try
People that talk when the coach is talking People that always have excuses
People that steal in the locker room People that don’t help put gear away
People that don’t swim in club meets People that don’t help the TEAM
People that swim behind in a circle and touch a leaders feet but won’t pass.
People that are always talking when instructions are given.
GIVERS AND TAKERS
Teams are made-up of GIVERS and TAKERS with many swimmers in-between, some days they’re GIVERS and some days they’re TAKERS. What are you? For a team to be the best it can be, EVERONE must move to the giving side. They need to get into the blue dashed mound of swimmers. Everyone MUST be COACHABLE for it to happen because coaches will not let a team fall apart because of uncooperative swimmers.
WHAT DO GIVERS DO?
All the things that need to be done, when they need to be done, whether you like it or not! So if you do anything that’s listed above correct TODAY so you become a “team-building” GIVER.
The next issue of Steele’s Wisdom will list those traits, values and skills swimmers gain from being part of THE team. These become life-time skills that affect your education, attitudes, and quality of life as you become a mature adult, responsible for putting food on the table for a family someday.
For great coaching ideas visit; www.gamesgimmickschallenges.com/coaching resources/camps/clinics and more…
ABOUT COACH BOB STEELE
Four-time NCAA Division II Coach of the Year, Bob Steele, has developed world-ranked swimmers in 41 events, from which two American Records and six NCAA Division II National Records were achieved. Steele lead Cal State University- Bakersfield to five NCAA Division II National Championships team titles. His Southern Illinois University swim teams won six National Independent Championships.
Steele’s coaching wisdom can be summed up simply: “It’s not what you do, but how you do it,” and “if it’s fun to watch, it’s fun to do”.
Former swimmer, Roger VonJouanne termed “Steele training” as “distracted pain”.
Checkout www.gamesgimmickschallenges.com
FYI I don’t think the link is working. I would like to read more 🙂
I agree with all but two of these:
People that go to the toilet? — I assume he means in the middle of a key set because a swimmer getting out to go to the bathroom doesn’t negatively affect teammates. Although, swimmers pooing in the pool probably might.
People that go fast at the end of a set? — This is exactly what coaches SHOULD be teaching. How to close out a set or a race. Again, my assumption is that he means people who play “Save up Sammy” and slug their way through a set only to blow past everyone else at the end. But otherwise, you want your swimmers to be able to close out a… Read more »
This is a great list! But the formatting is goofy, making it read funny. It should be re-formatted to make it easier to understand.