Implementing your philosophy on both the staff and team? - When it comes to my coaching staff and team members, having regular meetings before, during, and after the season is very important to review everyone's thought and ideas at the end of the season but these sessions are also essential for addressing issues or misunderstandings that may or have interfered with your goals and philosophy as a coach. Everyone has a different approach and mindset of how they coach and what they value but it is important to understand each others values and respect them so your athletes are given consistent instruction and feedback rather than being confused. When it comes to my athletes I will take the approach that my coaches use right now which is given us a few words of encouragement before or after our practice and reminding us all why we are here and why they are here and why they continue to do what they do. It just puts things into perspective sometimes especially on the days I as the athlete feel overwhelmed and when they speak with us and are reassuring then it makes me want to be there even more and understand I may not be the only one feeling that way at times.
Who you Emulate? - One coach I would personally try to emulate is coach Lani Ruh who is the current assistant coach for Mt. SAC's Men's and Women's swim team. I admire Coach Lani so much because she makes her values and expectations clear and understood, shes also very open with her athletes so if she notices that something is wrong she will speak with your privately. I also appreciate that she comes from a very clear and level headed point of view when assessing different situations and she is very understanding, i think having that balance between Coach Marc who is more stern and strict and Lani who is more understanding creates a more balanced and welcoming environment throughout the season and it is also important that she creates a space for her athletes to comfortable and address issues that they may have because if I didn't feel comfortable or feel like i can trust my coaches I wouldn't continue to compete for them or I would just leave because at the end of they day they set the environment and if its unwelcoming then there is no point.
What is your ideal job? - Ideally I would choose to be a swim instructor/coach for a club or school. I've always enjoyed swim and i think it is such a great sport for anyone to learn or condition for themselves and their health. Swimming has also been a huge part of me as well, as young as i can remember I have always loved being in the water and enjoyed learning how to swim and continue to work on my technique to prepare for competition season.I first would have to complete working towards obtaining my coaching certification and hopefully continue subbing part time for the club I am interning for at the moment. After this course and obtaining my certification I plan on turning my internship into more of a part time or full time coaching position, I have learned so much already from the coaches and how they handle different age groups as well as different level swimmers and it has been very rewarding to see the progress your athletes make. If I cannot get a position for the club I am with right now then I would look for high school swim assistant coaching positions as well, as much as I enjoy working with younger athletes it is also nice to work with older athletes who are more familiar and prepared in their sport.
How can Responsible Sport Coaches deal with issues of discipline in more productive ways? What are the alternatives to running for team discipline? What are some of your experiences in regards to discipline? - I believe decided how to go about discipline for your athletes it really depends on the level you are coaching and the outcome of the discipline, for example I am currently coaching a swim club team and the groups that I coach ages range from 5 to 9 depending on their level and discipline is a big thing because they can be very disruptive during practice however my colleague and I decided that if and when it is necessary they will experience discipline as a team regardless of who was at "fault".Our aim for the consequence that we chose is layers in 3 categories, first we decided to give a private verbal warning-more so pulling out the individual(s) who are causing the disruption or being disrespectful to coaches and other swimmers, if it persists then they swim 400 butterfly nonstop as a team, and if it continues beyond that then they get sent home or we the next cancel practice and send an email to the parents regarding the decision. The goal of the discipline at the end of the day if for them to understand what actions may have caused the consequence and to learn to do better from it, we also encourage them to use their voice and keep not just themselves but their fellow team mates accountable and tell them that it is okay to tell someone to listen or stop splashing because it helps everyone.
Reflection: - Overall these discussions helped me gain so much more knowledge regarding the world of coaching, I was able to share my own experiences and learn the experiences of others. I appreciated that everyone gave insight on how they would handle every task that was asked during discussion boards, it was refreshing gaining outsider perspective because sometimes we need to understand how other people will manage a situation or issue that arises because it can help you one day in the future better assess similar situations and how better to approach and resolve problems. - These discussion boards also helped me feel confident in my journey of coaching and meet people who are on the same path as me, who were always willing to share their knowledge and advice from their own experiences and challenges they were faced with. I also appreciated that everyone was willing to share many different resources when it came to expectations, furthering education, vast career opportunities, being apart of a team, and even developing your own club, so thank you. - All in all, I have been given so much information and aid when it comes to next steps in my coaching journey, i am grateful for the advice my fellow colleagues gave and even more grateful for the feedback that the professor provided which will help me immensely in my future plans as an aspiring swim coach.