Warm-up
500s/300k
Sets
2x200p
8x75s 4&8 fast
100s
2 flip turns
Cool Down
200s
Total: 2100m 1hr. 20min.
Whoa...I'm surprising myself here! Three times in one week-amazing! And I had an epiphany tonight. I got to practice and was warming-up...no coach...another 100m...no coach...shit, do I have a workout?...another 100m...still no coach! Damn...they're gonna ask me! And they did! Sure enough, everyone stopped and said, "please!" So, I decided against doing any drill sets and try to actually accumulate some meterage tonight! And then it hit me, coaching swimming is just like my role as an English teacher in Japan. The Japanese teacher/coach does the drills, gives the students the structure, the building blocks-over and over and over again! I come into class or jump in the pool, and I get to make them use it! My job is to create an environment where they can put their skills to use. Give them sets that are doable but a challenge! So tonight we did 1100m...we have been doing 500m tops!!
And just like with teaching English, at first I copied what the Japanese teacher/coach was doing. And now, I have seen the light and try to approach the classroom/pool with an entirely different methodology!
Note: I've just written a 20+pg. paper for my MA about syllabus and methodology...so it's on my mind! Maybe not such a huge epiphany, because I've heard it all before about the Japanese style of teaching and coaching. But today I actually realized it!!
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A swim & workout journal gone mad!
3 comments:
That's quite a compliment they are paying you when they ask you to coach them. You must be quite a leader if they always ask you first.
It sounds like you're really challenging your teammates. I think you have the right idea about coaching and how it relates to teaching. From what you've been saying, Maybe you should take over full time from the regular coach if possible. I'm sure the other swimmers on the team would benefit much more from the workouts you're giving them than the ones you normally do with the regular coach.
thanks for the comments guys!! yes, I guess it is a compliment. but it also just might be 'Japanese' to ask the best swimmer in the pool to teach them....authority/expert figure as teacher idea! I don't think I can take over the team, that might be seen as a little too 'American'. I think the best alternative at this point is a balanced approach...mix it up a bit. Hopefully I can get in a few more of these ad-lib workouts before I leave in July!!!
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