Thoughts on coaching from my father
Apr 25, 2020 14:53:10 GMT -5
motorcitysam, rbj, and 1 more like this
Post by Commissioner on Apr 25, 2020 14:53:10 GMT -5
I published this 5 years ago on the other board, but thought I'd record it here, about 5 years after my father's death:
My father is nearing the finish line and as a result I've been down at his home and, among other things, going through old files and boxes. My dad was a prep coach for parts of 4 decades, coaching about every sport at one time or another. His greatest success, though, was in coaching swimming. He coached one future U.S. Olympian, at least one later Big 10 individual champ, and several other Big 10 and D1 swimmers. His first year coaching swimming, while still a student at Ohio State, his team won the Columbus City League championship. He had coached champions at two schools when he took over as swim coach at a new school in 1960 that didn't even have a completed pool. That first team, which had to beg practice time at other schools, was winless. The next year they won once, then the third year twice, then 4 times, and then they took off. He eventually coached 6 undefeated teams there (including one string of 4 consecutive unbeaten seasons), another 7 teams with just one loss, and over a dozen league champions in 25 years at the school before he dropped coaching. His career winning percentage there, including those first few seasons building the program, was .711.
I found a list of quotations that he used to use regularly. I remember he would have these stenciled on kick boards so that the kids had to read them when using the boards. Some are pretty routine, like "No pain, no gain" and "Success is 10% inspiration and 90% persperation," but here are a few that are more unusual that I really liked:
- "The early bird gets the worm: morning practice starts at 7:00 a.m."
- "Too much analysis leads to paralysis." [This one apparently didn't take with his son].
- [bear in mind that most swim meets were held on Thursdays]: "Monday's practice produces Thursday's results."
- "Winning on Thursday is more fun than horsing around on Tuesday."
- "Winning is the most fun of all."
- "Losing sucks."
I like the last - it's not very prosaic, but it's great, straightforward candor.
I also found a mimeographed letter he passed out one year before the first practice (he wrote similar letters each year, and I believe sent copies to the parents); this didn't have a year after the date--it was probably in the early 1970s, in the middle of a period in which his teams lost a total of just 4 meets in 7 years and won 7 straight league titles. I especially like the last two short paragraphs:
"Competitive swimming is hard work. It involves long, hard periods of swimming through cold winter months. Each team member is expected to attend morning and afternoon practice 5 days a week when school is in session. Each team member is expected to attend practices during Thanksgiving and Christmas vacations. Each team member is expected to learn all strokes, learn turns, learn starts, and complete each day's practice. Any boy who does not welcome the challenge of doing all these things should find a different sport.
[He then describes, in rather grueling detail, what practices will consists of, and concludes] ... "You will need to practice most those things you do poorest and therefore generally like the least. Each workout should be done hard enough to produce discomfort. When you work through pain you develop your body.
"Each swimmer should set reasonable goals for himself. When he reaches these goals, we will set new objectives and work harder.
"I only want students who want to work, who represent the team well at all times (practice, meets, school, class, and home), who keep up their classwork and who follow directions. You and I will be together for over 250 hours in the next few months. I will not spend that time with a problem.
"Remember, we are the CHAMPIONS. The spotlight is on us, and nothing less is expected of us."
I especially like the line about needing to practice the things you probably like least. I think of that sometimes when I see college kids popping off three pointers instead of working in the post. Even more I like the final paragraph: "We are the CHAMPIONS. The spotlight is on us ... ." The message was a good one--people are watching what we do.
One night shortly before my father died, he, my brother, and I went through a box with all his old swimming records, including pictures of each team. He could name virtually every kid from teams he had coached 50 and 60 years prior.
P.S. I think it always pained my dad that I never liked swimming, and played basketball in winter. My brother was the good son and a successful swimmer.
My father is nearing the finish line and as a result I've been down at his home and, among other things, going through old files and boxes. My dad was a prep coach for parts of 4 decades, coaching about every sport at one time or another. His greatest success, though, was in coaching swimming. He coached one future U.S. Olympian, at least one later Big 10 individual champ, and several other Big 10 and D1 swimmers. His first year coaching swimming, while still a student at Ohio State, his team won the Columbus City League championship. He had coached champions at two schools when he took over as swim coach at a new school in 1960 that didn't even have a completed pool. That first team, which had to beg practice time at other schools, was winless. The next year they won once, then the third year twice, then 4 times, and then they took off. He eventually coached 6 undefeated teams there (including one string of 4 consecutive unbeaten seasons), another 7 teams with just one loss, and over a dozen league champions in 25 years at the school before he dropped coaching. His career winning percentage there, including those first few seasons building the program, was .711.
I found a list of quotations that he used to use regularly. I remember he would have these stenciled on kick boards so that the kids had to read them when using the boards. Some are pretty routine, like "No pain, no gain" and "Success is 10% inspiration and 90% persperation," but here are a few that are more unusual that I really liked:
- "The early bird gets the worm: morning practice starts at 7:00 a.m."
- "Too much analysis leads to paralysis." [This one apparently didn't take with his son].
- [bear in mind that most swim meets were held on Thursdays]: "Monday's practice produces Thursday's results."
- "Winning on Thursday is more fun than horsing around on Tuesday."
- "Winning is the most fun of all."
- "Losing sucks."
I like the last - it's not very prosaic, but it's great, straightforward candor.
I also found a mimeographed letter he passed out one year before the first practice (he wrote similar letters each year, and I believe sent copies to the parents); this didn't have a year after the date--it was probably in the early 1970s, in the middle of a period in which his teams lost a total of just 4 meets in 7 years and won 7 straight league titles. I especially like the last two short paragraphs:
"Competitive swimming is hard work. It involves long, hard periods of swimming through cold winter months. Each team member is expected to attend morning and afternoon practice 5 days a week when school is in session. Each team member is expected to attend practices during Thanksgiving and Christmas vacations. Each team member is expected to learn all strokes, learn turns, learn starts, and complete each day's practice. Any boy who does not welcome the challenge of doing all these things should find a different sport.
[He then describes, in rather grueling detail, what practices will consists of, and concludes] ... "You will need to practice most those things you do poorest and therefore generally like the least. Each workout should be done hard enough to produce discomfort. When you work through pain you develop your body.
"Each swimmer should set reasonable goals for himself. When he reaches these goals, we will set new objectives and work harder.
"I only want students who want to work, who represent the team well at all times (practice, meets, school, class, and home), who keep up their classwork and who follow directions. You and I will be together for over 250 hours in the next few months. I will not spend that time with a problem.
"Remember, we are the CHAMPIONS. The spotlight is on us, and nothing less is expected of us."
I especially like the line about needing to practice the things you probably like least. I think of that sometimes when I see college kids popping off three pointers instead of working in the post. Even more I like the final paragraph: "We are the CHAMPIONS. The spotlight is on us ... ." The message was a good one--people are watching what we do.
One night shortly before my father died, he, my brother, and I went through a box with all his old swimming records, including pictures of each team. He could name virtually every kid from teams he had coached 50 and 60 years prior.
P.S. I think it always pained my dad that I never liked swimming, and played basketball in winter. My brother was the good son and a successful swimmer.