Forbes Carlisle

"Our aim is not to produce champions, but to create an environment where champions are inevitable."

This quote is from the Australian Coach Forbes Carlisle. It eventually becomes the ultimate goal of all good swim clubs. This mentality is hard to build though, as it is hard to except what it is saying. It is saying that we aren't going to make one person and bend to their every need to make them fast, but rather create a atmosphere and culture of how to do things. If you join the team and you follow the guidelines and buy into the program, then you will succeed.

As a team develops this culture it is becomes the swimmers who allow it to happen with the direction of the coaches. Some good questions that swimmers should ask themselves, What have I done to helped create a good training environment for my team? and how have I contributed to inhibit my team from becoming better.

Sometimes it is the little things that matter when creating a culture. Do all the swimmers contribute to get the pool and group ready to get in as soon as possible. Does a swimmer become a distraction to their teammates or of their coach. Do swimmers only respond to personal input, or do they try to learn with the group. Do the swimmers only do things that are important to them in their minds, or do they focus on everything that the coach delivers to them.

Ever wonder why most of the elite teams in the nation are large teams? Because they have created a culture where you must learn in the group setting, and that you become better because everyone in the group strives to better at each and every practice. The large teams have the luxury of not moving swimmers up because they don't possess the mindset to achieve more, but rather they are asked to continue to develop in their swimming, and when they demonstrate that they possess the correct mentality, then they can move up.

The other thing that Forbes Carlisle really stressed as important is creativity in coaching. If you only do what others do you put a ceiling on yourself, as you can only be as good as the other guy. On top of that, that person probably coaches to their strengths, so then as every person is different, you will never be as good as the person you are emulating as you aren't focusing on your strengths. Coaches must think outside the box. Although you must learn from all that came before you, you must analyze what you take in and then put your own spin to it. This is one the main things that Coach Carlisle believed was what made great coaches. You study and learn, but you must learn to also incorporate it in the way that you can best execute that knowledge.