Bill Sweetnam notes

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Members may enjoy reading the below excerpts:

Bill Sweetnam

http://www.byrn.org/gtips/asca03.htm

Bill used to supervise the Club System for Australia. Three years

ago, he moved to Great Britain to help turnaround their swimming

program. Sounds like he's applied the Aussie principals with good

results.

The best coaches all have a similar underlying theme in their

presentations -- demand excellence from your athletes.

The experience of the coach must be in advance of the athlete's

talent but the desperate and obsessive motivation to succeed must be

the same.

The Romans conquered the world not by forming committees but by

killing all opposition (Note -- Death to all who oppose me.).

A compromise is a decision between two people where neither is happy

with the outcome. I don't compromise, that way I ensure that at least

50% of the people are satisfied.

The UK junior team went from being weak to winning the Euro Champs in

three years. I think that the secret lies not in talent -- I think

the secret lies in demanding excellence from the athletes.

Cultural change must be driven through the coaches. Three things for

successful coaches/teachers: (a) know the product; ( sell the

product; © demonstrate excellence daily.

Do the basic things exceptionally well, not the exceptional things

basically well.

The skills of any athlete under pressure and fatigue will ALWAYS be

below those at which the train. Therefore, you must demand excellence

in training. Athletes will not rise above their training standards in

competition. The must train at competition standards. Therefore, it

is not what you do, it is how you do it.

There must be a partnership between the coach and athlete. The coach

sees what the athlete cannot -- the athlete feels what the coach

cannot.

The bulk of training, 70%F / 80%M should be aerobic in nature -- 70%

of VO2 Max or slower.

He spoke a bit about reverse periodization -- as used by LVL (didn't

mention LVL, simply the method). Thinks that it can be effective with

females and older athletes that have some speed left. Note -- I think

older in swimming means >20.

You must be careful with Race Pace training (that's goal pace, what

he calls speed or race speed training) because if you go overboard

then the damage doesn't appear until it's too late. Never train Race

Speed to fatigue.

Aerobic training is not moderate effort work, it is specific effort

work.

A reason is an excuse and an excuse is not a reason.

Never lower your expectations to an athletes level. They must rise to

(and beyond) your expected level of excellence.

Compromise is the cancer of achievement.

Motivation, Commitment and Attitude are lifestyles, not short term

bursts of excitement.

Will you be better tomorrow because of what you did today?

National Team -- optional to join but once you join then you do

everything, on time. There is no part time participation -- no matter

how talented you are. Lessons for triathlon here – all around the

world there is compromise on this point. Holding fast to this rule is

painful, people will always try to compromise. There can be no

compromise. He demands continuous improvement from all national class

swimmers.

He likes short course for speed work only -- long course is superior

for aerobic training and back end development. Note he's talking

about swimming events -- I think that it would be even more clear cut

for open water racing.

He is a firm believer that every workout must be quantified (pace,

stroke rate, DPS, breakout…) -- this is the only way that the coach

and swimmer can gauge if it was a success.

At every workout, at every competition -- carry one's self like a

professional.

Keep it simple -- demand the attention of your athletes -- lead

through personal excellence – never extend skills before existing

skills are established -- eyeball every athlete at every session,

you'll learn a lot.

Athletes like to be challenged -- challenge your boys, love your

girls.

Do something positive and personal for each athlete as often as

possible. NOTE -- probably a good idea for your girlfriend as well!

We often think that we know our athletes. We don't, but they know

everything thing about us! Athletes hold much stronger views about

their coach than their coach does about them. This is worth

remembering if you think you have a strong view on a person.

Coaches must live to a standard of greatness.

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Carruthers

Wakefield, UK