@AndrewKSheaff: One of the biggest challenges ...

One of the biggest challenges in coaching is helping swimmers pay attention to how they’re swimming in practice.

It’s all too easy for them to shut off their brains and go through the motions.

Unfortunately, constant reminders aren’t particularly effective.

We need something better.

Here are two simple options for driving engagement.

In addition to using times, ask swimmers to be consistent with their stroke counts, or using a tempo trainer, ask them to be consistent with their stroke rates.

By asking for stroke count or stroke rate consistency, swimmers have an external goal that’s tied to their efficiency.

And they’re get direct feedback each and every lap.

With clearer goals and better feedback, it’s much easier to stay engaged in what they’re doing.

And as a coach, it’s much easier to tell if they’re executing the sets effectively.

By using these strategies, engagement always goes up, leading to faster learning and faster swimming.

When should you use drills?

When it’s a faster and more effective way to improve skills compared to full stroke swimming.

If a drill makes it easier for a swimmer to feel a key skill, I’ll use it.