My coaching has changed, evolved, and developed over the years. I am not old, but I have done this for a long time. When I began, my brother and I would explain things, and repeat multiple times, and then finally get the swimmers to swim a lap. We did get results, but as I look back on it, did we give them enough repetition to create solid long term muscles memory with this method? I don't think that we did.
We still talk a lot, but we don't explain everything multiple times now. Since I began coaching little kids again this fall, I began a different method. Explain and maybe repeat, but let them swim a lap trying to make sense of what you told them. Observe the lap, and then correct things that went wrong and send them off again. The hope is they correct that part, but of course there is a lot more that they were doing wrong, so now you move to the next part. Make another correction on the other side, and send them off. Correcting pieces, and in the end, they are close to doing something right.
The method means that they will develop slowly, but you are developing them by allowing them to fail (or make a mistake), and helping them learn through making mistakes. Creating an environment where making mistakes is ok, as long as you learn from them. This also allows you to focus on smaller parts and making better corrections that they can think about and create more muscle memory that is linked with cognitive thought.
Are you going to make the fastest 10 and under this way? Probably not, but you are developing a 10 and under for the long term. When you get a talented 10 and under, then yes they'll become fast, but not because of their training, but because of their talent. Your focus is teaching more than training, as they'll have plenty of training later down the road.
I am also helping a new coach as she will taking one of our young groups when I begin with my high school team. She comes from swim lessons, many times private swim lessons. I explained that what we do is develop young people looking at the long-term. This is very different than what she is used to, as private lessons people are looking for tangible results, and want them quickly. I have had my fair share of swimmers that I rushed along in an attempt to make them fast when they were young. It never really panned out well in the end. I learned from those mistakes, and now I try to not do things for their swimming that is in the interest of making them fast now, and not looking at what it may mean for future development. Sure, I'll have the fast young ones come along, but it can't be the focus.
