1. Worry a lot: Start worrying earlier in the morning and intensify your anxiety energy as the day passes. Reflect on your past failures and mistakes.
2. Make hard and fast predictions. James 4:13-14
3. Fix your attention on getting rich. Proverbs 23:4-5
4. Compare yourself with others.
5. Lengthen the list of your enemies. Play the blame game often.
From insights for Living - www.insight.org
Friday, January 19, 2007
Thursday, January 18, 2007
7 traits of successful clubs
In 1999 some of the top age group teams gathered for a coaching summit. At the start of the Summit, each coach had to get up and give a little talk about “What makes my team special.” In the process of telling what was special about each of our programs, we also discovered that everyone was saying the same things in different ways. We finally narrowed down seven traits that all of these really excellent age group programs possess.
The seven traits are listed below in no particular order. We will describe them to you over the next few issues. I can tell you from personal experience and from the hard road that coaches travel to learn about this sport that there may be more traits, but there are no clubs in the country that have less. As you do your yearly evaluations of club, staff and self you should know that if your team is falling short of its mission and goals then you are definitely missing one or more of these traits.
1. Consistent Coach leadership. I have often used the analogy of the limousine. The limousine is the club, the passengers are the board and membership, and the chauffeur is the coach. The goal is to get the limousine to a destination. The passengers set that destination and then acquire a chauffeur to get them there. The passengers then go about their own business of preparing for the next duties when the destination is reached. The chauffeur takes care of the immediate task at hand of getting the limo to its destination on time, safely, and without losing too many passengers. Conflict happens when the chauffeur starts getting side tracked because he doesn’t want to go to the destination he was hired to go to. Or when the passengers all start redefining the route to the destination even though the chauffeur knows the best way. Such it is with swim teams. The limo that gets to the most destinations is the one that has hired the correct chauffeur, doesn’t have to stop often to change drivers, and doesn’t mandate changes in routes very often.
2. Consistent Head Age Group Coaches. There’s not a lot of flip-flopping around. The direction of the age group program is being set consistently by one coach who passes well prepared swimmers on to a head coach who has a consistent direction for the Senior Program.
3. System Wide Goals. All the teams had system wide goals. Goals were not something just being set up for the senior kids. Goals went down as far as the novice kids. There were yearly, seasonal, monthly, even daily goals present in one form or another.
4. Common Teaching Language. There’s a common teaching language that is introduced to the swimmers in the novice group (the entry level group), and that language is then expanded on and enriched on all the way up to the National Program.
5. Supportive Parent and Administrative Layer. There is a supportive and administrative layer. This administrative layer, in successful clubs, is directed at the long term success of the program.
6. Stable Pool Situation. The teams all had a permanent home, either owned or leased. They all had some sort of back up pool plan as well.
7. Maintain a Standard of Excellence. Each one of these groups wants to be the best that they can be from novice to national. They are not interested in being one of the gang.
The Four Hour Rule - What is it?
With the exception of championship meets the program in all other age group competition shall be planned to allow the events for swimmers 12 years and younger to be completed in four (4) hours or less for a timed finals session or in a total of eight (8) hours or less per day for a preliminaries and finals meet."
The rationale for this rule was explained by Rose Snyder, former Director of Age Group Programs for USA Swimming back in 1997 when the rule was passed. The rationale remains the same today.
"The Age Group Planning Committee feels that meet sessions that last longer than four hours are detrimental to retaining young swimmers and parents in our sport. In a survey conducted last year (1996) by Suzie Tuffey, Ph.D., to determine why kids quit swimming we learned that the number one reason swimmers quit was that swimming takes too much time. We feel that we lose a lot of swimmers and parents by introducing them to marathon meets too early in the game. Although we would be happy if these “marathon” meets did not exist all together, they definitely have no place for our 12 and under athletes.......It is what is best for our sport.
Let’s consider who is served by sessions that run longer than four hours: The host club who stands to earn more on entry fees and concessions. Other than that, we couldn’t come up with any good ideas.
The rationale has been given that those people who have to travel considerable distances want it to be worth their trip. Wouldn’t it still be worth the trip if a child swims one or two less events in a session perhaps but still has fast times and fun competing?"
The rationale for this rule was explained by Rose Snyder, former Director of Age Group Programs for USA Swimming back in 1997 when the rule was passed. The rationale remains the same today.
"The Age Group Planning Committee feels that meet sessions that last longer than four hours are detrimental to retaining young swimmers and parents in our sport. In a survey conducted last year (1996) by Suzie Tuffey, Ph.D., to determine why kids quit swimming we learned that the number one reason swimmers quit was that swimming takes too much time. We feel that we lose a lot of swimmers and parents by introducing them to marathon meets too early in the game. Although we would be happy if these “marathon” meets did not exist all together, they definitely have no place for our 12 and under athletes.......It is what is best for our sport.
Let’s consider who is served by sessions that run longer than four hours: The host club who stands to earn more on entry fees and concessions. Other than that, we couldn’t come up with any good ideas.
The rationale has been given that those people who have to travel considerable distances want it to be worth their trip. Wouldn’t it still be worth the trip if a child swims one or two less events in a session perhaps but still has fast times and fun competing?"
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
50 Things to Help your Child Achieve
By Wayne Goldsmith and Helen Morris
1. Love them unconditionally.
2. Support their coaches.
3. Accept that they cannot win every time they compete.
4. Allow them to be kids and have fun.
5. Help them to develop as people with character and values.
6. Turn off as a sporting parent: don’t make sport the one and only topic of conversation at the dinner table, in the car, etc.
7. Don’t introduce your child as “This is my son/daughter the swimmer.” Their sports are something they do, not who they are.
8. Don’t do everything for them: teach responsibility and self-management.
9. Reward frequently for success and effort but make the rewards small, simple, practical and personal. Kids don’t need a CD or $20 just for playing a sport or getting a ribbon.
10. Reward them with what they really love: your time!
11. Be calm, relaxed and dignified at competitions.
12. Accept that progress in any sport takes a long time: at least 7 to 10 years after maturation in most sports for the athlete to reach full potential.A little manual work and helping out with household chores are important lessons in developing independence.
13. Believe it or not, kids can learn to pack and unpack their training bags and fill their own water bottles: teach and encourage them to take control of their own sporting careers.
14. Don’t reward championship performances with junk food.
15. Skills and attitude are most important. Don’t waste money on the latest and greatest equipment or gimmicks, hoping to buy a short cut to success.
16. Encourage the same commitment and passion for school and study as you do for sport.
17. Avoid relying on or encouraging “sports food” or “sports supplements”-focus on a sensible, balanced diet which includes a variety of wholesome foods.
18. Allow kids to try many sports and activities.
19. Don’t specialize too early. There is no such thing as a 10 year old Olympic swimmer.
20. Junk food is OK occasionally. Don’t worry about it, but see #14 above.
21. Praise qualities such as effort, attempting new skills and hard work rather than winning.
22. Love them unconditionally (worth repeating!!)
23. Have your “guilt gland” removed: this will help you avoid phrases like “I’ve got better things to do with my time” or “do you realize how much we give up so that you can swim?” Everyone loses when you play the guilt game.
24. Encourage activities which build broad, general movement skills like running, catching, throwing, agility, balance, co-ordination, speed and rhythm. These general skills can have a positive impact on all sports.
25. Encourage occasional “down time”-no school or sport-just time to be kids.
26. Encourage relationships and friendships away from training, competition and school work-it’s all about balance.
27. Help and support your children to achieve the goals they set, then take time to relax, celebrate and enjoy their achievements as a family.
28. Never use training or sport as punishment-i.e. more laps/more training.
29. Do a family fitness class-yoga or martial arts or another sport unrelated to the child’s main sport. Everyone benefits.
30. Car pool. Get to know the other kids and families on the team and in turn you can allow your child to be more independent by doing things with other trusted adults.
31. Attend practice regularly to show that you are interested in the effort and process, not just in the win/lose outcome.
32. Help raise money for the team and kids, even if your own child does not directly benefit from the fundraising.
33. Tell your children you are proud of them for being involved in healthy activities.
34. Volunteer your time for the team.
35. Teach your child the importance of “team”-where working together and supporting each other are important attributes.
36. Even if you were an athlete and even if you are a trained coach, resist the temptation to coach your own child, it rarely works.
37. Be aware that your child’s passion for a particular sport may change.
38. Be aware that skills learned in one sport can often transfer to another.
39. Accept “flat spots” or plateaus-times when your child does not improve. During these times encourage participation for fun, focus on learning skills and help develop perseverance and patience.
40. Believe it or not, American kids are unlikely to die from drinking tap water!
41. Cheer for your child appropriately. Do not embarrass yourself or your child.
42. Make sure that each week includes some family time where you do family things and talk about family issues-not about sport.
43. Take a strong stand against smoking and drug use (both recreational and performance enhancing.)
44. Set an example with sensible, responsible alcohol use.
45. Don’t look for short cuts like “miracle sports drinks” or “super supplements”-success comes from consistently practicing skills and developing an attitude where the love of the sport and physical fitness are the real “magic.”
46. If one of your children is a champion athlete and the others in the family are not so gifted, ensure that you have just as much time, energy and enthusiasm for their activities.
47. Eliminate the phrase “what we did when I was swimming.....”
48. Encourage your children to find strong role models but try not to let this decision be based on sports only. Look for role models who consistently demonstrate integrity, humility, honesty and the ability to take responsibility for their own actions.
49. Encourage your children to learn leadership and practice concepts like sharing, selflessness, team work and generosity.
50. Don’t compare your child’s achievement to another other children-good or bad. This creates barriers and resentment and we don’t need any more of that!
1. Love them unconditionally.
2. Support their coaches.
3. Accept that they cannot win every time they compete.
4. Allow them to be kids and have fun.
5. Help them to develop as people with character and values.
6. Turn off as a sporting parent: don’t make sport the one and only topic of conversation at the dinner table, in the car, etc.
7. Don’t introduce your child as “This is my son/daughter the swimmer.” Their sports are something they do, not who they are.
8. Don’t do everything for them: teach responsibility and self-management.
9. Reward frequently for success and effort but make the rewards small, simple, practical and personal. Kids don’t need a CD or $20 just for playing a sport or getting a ribbon.
10. Reward them with what they really love: your time!
11. Be calm, relaxed and dignified at competitions.
12. Accept that progress in any sport takes a long time: at least 7 to 10 years after maturation in most sports for the athlete to reach full potential.A little manual work and helping out with household chores are important lessons in developing independence.
13. Believe it or not, kids can learn to pack and unpack their training bags and fill their own water bottles: teach and encourage them to take control of their own sporting careers.
14. Don’t reward championship performances with junk food.
15. Skills and attitude are most important. Don’t waste money on the latest and greatest equipment or gimmicks, hoping to buy a short cut to success.
16. Encourage the same commitment and passion for school and study as you do for sport.
17. Avoid relying on or encouraging “sports food” or “sports supplements”-focus on a sensible, balanced diet which includes a variety of wholesome foods.
18. Allow kids to try many sports and activities.
19. Don’t specialize too early. There is no such thing as a 10 year old Olympic swimmer.
20. Junk food is OK occasionally. Don’t worry about it, but see #14 above.
21. Praise qualities such as effort, attempting new skills and hard work rather than winning.
22. Love them unconditionally (worth repeating!!)
23. Have your “guilt gland” removed: this will help you avoid phrases like “I’ve got better things to do with my time” or “do you realize how much we give up so that you can swim?” Everyone loses when you play the guilt game.
24. Encourage activities which build broad, general movement skills like running, catching, throwing, agility, balance, co-ordination, speed and rhythm. These general skills can have a positive impact on all sports.
25. Encourage occasional “down time”-no school or sport-just time to be kids.
26. Encourage relationships and friendships away from training, competition and school work-it’s all about balance.
27. Help and support your children to achieve the goals they set, then take time to relax, celebrate and enjoy their achievements as a family.
28. Never use training or sport as punishment-i.e. more laps/more training.
29. Do a family fitness class-yoga or martial arts or another sport unrelated to the child’s main sport. Everyone benefits.
30. Car pool. Get to know the other kids and families on the team and in turn you can allow your child to be more independent by doing things with other trusted adults.
31. Attend practice regularly to show that you are interested in the effort and process, not just in the win/lose outcome.
32. Help raise money for the team and kids, even if your own child does not directly benefit from the fundraising.
33. Tell your children you are proud of them for being involved in healthy activities.
34. Volunteer your time for the team.
35. Teach your child the importance of “team”-where working together and supporting each other are important attributes.
36. Even if you were an athlete and even if you are a trained coach, resist the temptation to coach your own child, it rarely works.
37. Be aware that your child’s passion for a particular sport may change.
38. Be aware that skills learned in one sport can often transfer to another.
39. Accept “flat spots” or plateaus-times when your child does not improve. During these times encourage participation for fun, focus on learning skills and help develop perseverance and patience.
40. Believe it or not, American kids are unlikely to die from drinking tap water!
41. Cheer for your child appropriately. Do not embarrass yourself or your child.
42. Make sure that each week includes some family time where you do family things and talk about family issues-not about sport.
43. Take a strong stand against smoking and drug use (both recreational and performance enhancing.)
44. Set an example with sensible, responsible alcohol use.
45. Don’t look for short cuts like “miracle sports drinks” or “super supplements”-success comes from consistently practicing skills and developing an attitude where the love of the sport and physical fitness are the real “magic.”
46. If one of your children is a champion athlete and the others in the family are not so gifted, ensure that you have just as much time, energy and enthusiasm for their activities.
47. Eliminate the phrase “what we did when I was swimming.....”
48. Encourage your children to find strong role models but try not to let this decision be based on sports only. Look for role models who consistently demonstrate integrity, humility, honesty and the ability to take responsibility for their own actions.
49. Encourage your children to learn leadership and practice concepts like sharing, selflessness, team work and generosity.
50. Don’t compare your child’s achievement to another other children-good or bad. This creates barriers and resentment and we don’t need any more of that!
For New Swimming Parents
Welcome to the exciting world of swimming! By joining USA Swimming, your child has become a member of one of the country's largest, most organized, and competently coached youth sports. This section has been prepared with the goal of acquainting you with the sport of competitive swimming. It contains information that will help you and your family to get the most out of participating in age group swimming. With a positive attitude and a willingness to lend a hand, you will also have a great impact on your child's athletic environment, and his or her love of swimming.
There are many benefits to participating in the sport of swimming:
Meeting terrific people. Many swimming buddies become lifelong friends.
Beneficial exercise for cardiovascular and overall fitness.
Life skills.These include time management, self-discipline and sportsmanship.
Fun! Age group swimming can be fun, exciting and rewarding.
Remember that not every swimmer becomes a world record holder, but everyone can gain from his or her swimming experience!
There are many benefits to participating in the sport of swimming:
Meeting terrific people. Many swimming buddies become lifelong friends.
Beneficial exercise for cardiovascular and overall fitness.
Life skills.These include time management, self-discipline and sportsmanship.
Fun! Age group swimming can be fun, exciting and rewarding.
Remember that not every swimmer becomes a world record holder, but everyone can gain from his or her swimming experience!
Learn Optimal Push
Learn Optimal Push Interestingly, there is a positive side to the idea of ‘parental pushing’. USA Swimming research conducted in 1996 shows that kids say parents can enhance fun in swimming by providing a push. Be careful, however. Remember that there is a fine line between pushing in a positive way and pushing to the detriment of kids’ enjoyment. It seems a slight push from parents can enhance subsequent enjoyment and, as kids point out, is often needed. Optimal push shows love, support and caring without applying undue pressure. A parent who encourages a child to attend practice and who is ready, willing and able to drive the child shows that he cares about the child’s interest and successful development. A parent who takes a “hands off approach” hoping to avoid pressuring the child may actually be sending the message “I don’t care about you and your activities!” Be there, be available, be ready, willing and able to help. Sometimes we all need a little push to get us moving, to get us out of bed, into the car and into the pool. We need to know that someone cares. A child who says “do I have to go to swim practice?” may be very happy to have you make the decision by saying “yes.” He may just want to see if you care.
Monday, January 8, 2007
Swimming interests
This blog is open to any parent or swimmer interested in making comments or thoughts with regard to competitive swimming, especially in the State of Arkansas and the River Valley. If you have something you would like to know please email me at irbullock@aol.com.
Coach Bullock
Coach Bullock
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