Using Positive Swimming Lingo

This week’s Speedo Tip of the Week was submitted by Brian Lee, senior coach of Iolani Swim Club in Honolulu, Hawaii. Lee, who started coaching at Iolani in 1989, was named the 2002 American Swim Coaches Association’s Age Group Coach of the Year for Hawaii. Lee’s tip is on using a positive swimming lingo.

Lee’s Tip:
At times, many people think coaches speak a "foreign language" to swimmers when giving instructions for a set or workout. We use names of drills, such as “catch-up” and “double arm,” as well as terms such as “descend,” “progressive,” “negative split” and “hypoxic” to describe a set. Our swimmers understand the language, but many others wonder how swimmers know what to do.

No matter what "language" or swimming jargon a coach uses, he or she should always apply it in a positive way, which should yield more positive results. For example, instead of saying to a swimmer, "You are dropping your elbows," a more positive phrasing might be, "Keep your elbows high." In this way, the swimmer does not focus on a negative (dropped elbow), but rather on a positive (high elbow).

Another example: We never swim "slow" or "hard" in our workouts. We swim "easy/relaxed" or "fast". In describing a set, we would say "25 easy-25 fast,” instead of "25 slow-25 hard". The words "slow" and "hard" trigger negative thoughts and feelings that we strive to eliminate from our vocabulary. The words "easy,” "relaxed,” and "fast" are words that we use to trigger positive thoughts and feelings. "Easy" does not mean "slow,” and "hard" does not mean "fast.” How many times have your swimmers attained a best time in a race or at practice and said how "EASY" it was?