Become a Club Coach

Unit

Topic

Competency

Module 1

Understanding Your Swimmers

Coaches will learn the different reasons swimmers are engaged in the sport and how to cater for each individual in their charge.

Module 2

Coach and Swimmer

Self-Awareness

Coaches will understand their roles and responsibilities as a coach; develop an awareness of effective coaching styles; create their own personal coaching philosophy and learn how to evaluate their own performance as a coach.

Module 3

Swimmer Engagement

Coaches will learn specific coaching approaches, techniques, tips and teaching and learning methods when working with swimmers across a range of abilities and developmental stages.

Modules 4,5,6,7,8

Foundations of Swimming: Freestyle, Butterfly, Breaststroke, Backstroke & Common Errors

Coaches will know how to coach swimmers in efficient stroke development of the four competitive strokes, starts, turns and finishes. Coaches will also know how to identify and correct common errors in technique.

Module 9

Skills and Fitness for Competition

Coaches will have the skills and knowledge to prepare their swimmers for training and competition, with a focus on physical aspects of development, monitoring performance and progressions and tailoring training to suit swimmers developmental needs.

Module 10

Program Design and Management

Coaches will know how to set goals and prepare training plans for swimmers across a range of physical developmental stages, technical abilities, swimming aspirations and psycho-social needs and demands.

Module 1 – Coaching Philosophy, Inclusive Coaching and Goals.

Unit

Topic

Competency

Topic 1

Being a Coach

Trainee can identify and document their own coaching philosophy, individual strengths as well as strategies for improvement and methods of self-reflection.

Topic 2

The Role of the Masters Coach

Trainee has the ability to organise, observe, analyse, communicate, improve and evaluate performance.

Topic 3

Coaching Adult Swimmers

Trainee understands the motivations and barriers for adults joining Masters and the differences with age-group swimmers.

Topic 4

Inclusive Coaching

Trainee understands how to modify a session for those who have restrictions in their current ability and adapts coaching practices to ensure participation for all.

Topic 5

Being SMART with Goals

Trainee demonstrates an understanding of swimmers individual motivators and how to use the SMART framework to manage their response to training in a positive and encouraging way.

Topic 6

Goals Case Study

Trainee can document a swimmers background, goals, risks and challenges as an individual case study.

Module Two – Planning, Training Principles and Session Structure.                       

Topic 7

Planning for the Year

Trainee understands the concept of periodisation and the principles of training.

Topic 8

Training Phases

Trainee understands that an effective training period or phase allows a swimmer to benefit from adaptations the body makes as a result of training.

Topic 9

Training Cycles

Trainee understands the benefit of training cycles so the body has time to work in intervals, respond to the training stimulus, improve through muscle adaptation and recover effectively.

Topic 10

Understanding Training Effort

Trainee understands how to measure response to training and how this affects individual training effort.

Topic 11

Session Planning

Trainee develops a focused session plan, bringing all elements of the training together in line with the goals of the annual plan.

Topic 12

Elements of a Session Plan

Trainee demonstrates an understanding of the elements of warmup, drills, main-set and cooldown.

Topic 13

Training Equipment

Trainee demonstrates an understanding of the use of a particular piece of equipment at any given point in the training program. 

Topic 14

Rest Intervals

Trainee understands how the effort required of each set is achieved by the use of rest intervals.

Topic 15

Writing a Session Plan

Trainee can write a simple session plan for a specific squad based on the planning framework and using all the elements of session planning.

Module 3 – Stroke Fundamentals, Faults and Corrective Drills and Adaptive Swimming

Topic 16

Fundamental Principles of All Strokes

Trainee can identify the basic stroke dynamics that are fundamental to each of the four strokes in adult swimmers.

Topic 17, 18, 19, 20

Fundamentals of Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly &

Common Errors and Drills

Trainee can coach freestyle stroke fundamentals and build a program that incorporates drills for both simple stroke correction and stroke development in adult swimmers.

Topic 21

Adaptive Swimming in Masters

Trainee understands how to modify the way a stroke or skill is performed to allow swimmers with an injury or limited range of movement to continue to perform the skill to the best of their ability.

Unit Assessed

Competency

Plan and conduct a swim session

Trainee can plan and conduct an appropriate and safe workout session.

Assess each swimmer’s ability

Trainee can appropriately assess an adult swimmer’s physical condition/capabilities and can provide relevant feedback on stroke faults to the swimmer.

Communicate effectively

Trainee can effectively communicate the session plan and outcomes with the group.

Modify to include all swimmers

Trainee can effectively modify the session plan to fit with the session timing, pool environment, lanes and equipment available for the assessment.

Respond to feedback, self-reflect & work effectively with others

Trainee can work effectively with others, self-reflect on session outcomes and respond appropriately to feedback.

Promoting fun, fitness and friendship

Trainee provides an enjoyable and inclusive session for all involved.