Kaizen coaching

Since I have been successfully indoctrinated with Kaizen swimming, which keeps me continuing to learn and improve my swimming experience, it seems fitting to practice Kaizen coaching. After completing my first group of TI lessons at the Kerr YMCA, I am taking an honest appraisal of my work. I first spoke at length with my assistant instructor, Bridget, then consulted with Terry Laughlin. Below are two lessons I have learned.

First, learning TI is only the beginning to a lifetime to efficient and enjoyable swimming. During lesson #6, I found myself frustrated that my students were not easily engaging in full stroke. Part of the reason was my expectations are so high. I seem to forget how long it took me to truly "get it," 4 private lessons, one weekend workshop, many workouts full of focal points & not laps, and a week of training to become certified to coach TI. Since I grasp how much more learning I still have yet to achieve, it seems fair to allow the students adequate time for TI to be the key to their swimming. Therefore, the 6 one-hour lessons serve as the gateway to swimming utopia. My next group starts tomorrow night, with 5 swimmers registered. My goal is to provide both the awakening TI brings, as well as the tools for each swimmer to start new life in the water.

The second lesson is this, there is not substitute for good skate position. I learned this from questioning whether I should have moved through all the drills more quickly, carrying everyone to full-stroke. I shared with Terry that I was concerned I spent too much time on proper skate postion, utilizing good body control and experiencing balance in the water. He affirmed that the skate position is foundational to effective freestlye, and can be improved for years to come. There is no substitute for proper technique.

As I learned when first starting TI as a student, there is no rush. It can be a enjoyable process of learning and growing. Part of why this is such a challenge for me and innumerable swimmers, is we had learned to focus on faster and stronger swimming. Traditional swimming had us focus on the outcome, rather than the process. TI is teaching me that the results will assuredly come, and I am only required to relax, keep it simple, and enjoy the process. What a concept.