Taking my Level I & Level II Assistant Swim Coaching Certificates by RPL

I ought to have completed my Level III Coaching Certificate with the Institute of Swimming by 2011 or 2012 … but life got in the way.  I had successfully completed 10/11 of the modules and only had to organise a poolside assessment. However, I took a job at the Open University and was working away from home for a year. I tried to find a club, but that would have meant spending weekends away from home not just through the week. When I came home I struggled to get a coaching slot with my club and by then my son needed taking to football coaching and games instead- so I stepped back from swimming for a further year.

Here we are six years later and I am poolside and making myself available. I have kept up the teaching, and for the last year 1 3/4 hours coaching with our ‘Training Groups’ and 2 hours with Masters.

Having done these 10/11 modules the IoS will let me submit evidence of my coaching experience, practice and understanding. It works thus:

Level II Coaching

Being in contact with our Club Manager and Head Coach I hope to be able to find the time poolside. I have offered to go to early morning sessions, and to work any evening through til 9.00pm. I have a day job and live 30 mins from the pools so don’t want to be staying out later.

The issue will be working alongside my fellow coaches who already take county, regional and national squads, and our Youth I and Youth II Training Groups.

Convert to Go Swim

7 years ago a friend and I drew up blue prints for a model for sharing video clips of swimmers. Clips like these were exactly our desire.

Using these with swimmers, where I have been able to stream a sample clip, I have found it highly effective.

Showing a swimmer what to do in a video clip is far better than my trying to demonstrate poolside, better even than getting swimmers out of the pool to watch someone who can do it.

Go SwimSwim TV PricesGo Swim 3

GoSwim FC

I use a variety of drills for FC and always love trying new ones. This from GoSwim is brilliant as it is so effective – even more so with my Grade 5 swimmers age 8-11 than young teens.

The swimmer does 8 kicks then a single arm pull. Then 8 kicks and the other arm.

A Masters Swimmer describes it as catch-up slowed down – but I hate catch-up as a drill because the hands tend to be brought above the head rathe than at shoulder width.

Masters Thursday 18 Jan 2018 MASTERS B COACH & POOLSIDE COPY

 

Phase Activity TRT/Rest Dist: Dur: Total
W/U 3 x 100m as:

1 x 100m FC, 1 x 100m BC, 1 x 100 BR

FC: Eyes looks DOWN. Hips at same level as head. Steady flutter kick.

BC: Eyes look straight UP. Hips up. Steady flutter kick.

BR: Head and shoulders low on the water. Inhale fast, extended streamlined glide.

 30” after each 200m 300 8 8
MAIN 3 x 100 @ FC Steady pace 2:30 200 /500 8 16
EASY: 1 x 100m FC ‘Zip it Up’ Drill 100/600 3 19
3 x 100m @ BC Steady pace 2:30 200 /800 8 27
EASY: 1 x 100m BC ‘Slomo’ Drill 100/900 3 30
3 x 100m @ BR Steady pace 2:30 200/1100 8 38
EASY: 1 x 100m BR ‘Extended Glide’ Drill 100/1200 3 41
8 x 25m CH Sprint 1:00 200/1400 8 49
S/D 3 x 150m as:

1 x 50m Kick, 1 x 50m Arms Only, 1 x 50 Swim.

450/1850 11 60+
1850m

A sessions that ran like clockwork. They particularly liked the REST built in four times during the session.

Masters Thursday 18 Jan 2018 MASTERS COMPETITIVE A COACH & POOLSIDE COPY

 

Phase Activity Target TRT/Rest Dist: Dur: Total
W/U 3 x 200m  (all slow and easy) as:

1 x 200m FC as 1 x 50m Kick, 1 x 150m Swim (rest after 200m)

1 x 200m BC as 1 x 50m Kick, 1 x 150m Swim (rest after 200m)

1 x 200m BR ‘Extended Glide’ drill.

15” after each 200m 600 14 14
MAIN 4 x 75 @ FC 1:05 1:30 300 /900 6 20
EASY: 1 x 100m FC ‘Zip it Up’ Drill 100/1000 2 22
4 x 75m @ BC 1:10 1:45 300 /1300 7 29
EASY: 1 x 100m BC ‘Slomo’ Drill 200/1500 3 32
4 x 75m @ BR 1:15 2:00 300/1800 7 36
EASY: 1 x 100m BR ‘Extended Glide’ Drill 100/1900 3 39
4 x 25m @ FLY 0:25 1:00 100/2000 4 43
Old English Backstroke to the Deep End 2 45
STARTS, TURNS, FINISHES
Block start to 12.5m, Turn from 12.5m to wall and back, Finish.

IM ORDER

200/2200 15 60
S/D 100/200m easy if time available 2400m 200/2400m 60+

 

Having taken over 20 mins to complete a 14 minute warm up the swimmers were behind. Somehow they clawed it back over the next 20 minutes and completed the entire set.

 

Masters Thursday 18 Jan 2018 MASTERS C COACH & POOLSIDE COPY

 

Another set that for this Masters ‘Fitness Group’ C ran like clockwork. They covered all the ground.

Phase Activity TRT/Rest Dist: Dur: Total
W/U 4 x 100m as: 1 x 100m FC, 1 x 100m BC (x2)

FC: Eyes looks DOWN. Hips at same level as head. Steady flutter kick.

BC: Eyes look straight UP. Hips up. Steady flutter kick.

30” after each 100m 400 12 12
REST 1 13
MAIN 2 x 100m FC Steady Pace: Emphasis = High Elbow. 3:00 200 /600 6 19
EASY: 1 x 100m FC ‘Zip it Up’ Drill 100/700 3 22
REST 1 23
2 x 100m BC Steady Pace: Emphasis = Rotate Shoulder 3:00 200 /900 6 29
EASY: 1 x 100m BC ‘Slomo’ Drill 100/1000 3 32
REST 1 33
2 x 100m BR Steady Pace : Emphasis = Steady Head, Long Glide 3:00 200/1200 6 39
EASY: 1 x 100m BR ‘Extended Glide’ Drill 100/1300 3 42
REST 1 43
S/D 2 x 150m CH as:

1 x 50m Kick, 1 x 50m Arms Only, 1 x 50 Swim.

150m 300/1600 11 54+
1600m

 

Masters Monday 15 Jan 2018 MASTERS FITNESS C COACH COPY

 

Phase Activity TRT/Rest Dist: Dur: Total
W/U 2 x 200m  as:

1 x 200m FC as 1 x 50m Kick,  1 x 150m Swim (rest after 200m)

15” after each 200m 400 12 12
MAIN 4 x 50m @ FC 80% Effort 1:45 200

/600

 7 19
4 x 50m @ BC 80% Effort 2:00 200

/800

 8 27
2 x 100m as:

1 x 100m FC ‘Zip it Up’ Drill

1 x 100m BC ‘Slomo’ Drill

 3:00 200

/1000

 6 33
4 x 50m @ BR 80% Effort 2:15 200

/1200

 9 42
2 x 100m as:

1 x 100m BR ‘3 kicks, 1 Pull’ 3K1P

1 x 100m FC ‘Catch Up’ Drill

 3:00 200

/1400

 6 48
S/D 200m + (‘til end) CH Easy, long, smooth, silent swimming 200

/1600

 6 54+

 

Based on a diluted version of the B Fitness Session (itself a diluted version of the A1 Competitive session).

 

5 x 50m FC swam in o:56 so 1:45 Turn Around Time about right.

4  50m BC on 1:17 so 2:00 about right too

 

6 minutes was gained for resting during the session but there was exactly this margin left when they got to the S/D.

 

Masters Monday 15 Jan 2018 MASTERS COMPETITIVE A2 COACH COPY

 

Phase Activity TRT/Rest Dist: Dur: Total
W/U 2 x 200m  as:

1 x 200m FC as 1 x 50m Kick,  1 x 150m Swim (rest after 200m)

15” after each 200m 400 8 8
MAIN 4 x 75m @ FC 80% Effort 1:30 300

/700

 6 14
4 x 75m @ BC 80% Effort 1:45 300

/1000

 7 21
2 x 100m as:

1 x 100m FC ‘Zip it Up’ Drill

1 x 100m BC ‘Slomo’ Drill

 2:15 200

/1200

 5 26
4 x 75m @ BR 80% Effort 2:00 300

/1500

 8 34
2 x 100m as:

1 x 100m BR ‘3 kicks, 1 Pull’ 3K1P

1 x 100m FC ‘Catch Up’ Drill

 2:30 200

/1700

 5 39
8 x 25 CH Sprint 1:00 200

/1900

 8 47
S/D 200m + (‘til end) CH Easy, long, smooth, silent swimming 4:00 200

/2100

 8 55+

 

This is a diluted version of the A1 plan for the same evening session. Distance covered is reduced to 2100m from 2700m. The Warm Up and Swim Down are reduced from 600m to 400m and 300m to 200m respectively.

 

Potentially increase the length of S/D given this age group and the need and benefits of a longer swim down.

 

TRT for the 4 x 75ms was increase by 15 seconds for each stroke.

 

Splits only available for the FC 1:15 so unsure how or whether to adjust the rest/

 

They were 3 minutes slower out of the warm up and gained more time on the BR 4 x 75m

 

By the last 15 minutes with the 8 x 25m CH sprints they were 6 minutes off schedule.

 

These were swum in 0:23 for FC.

 

However, there was enough margin to do a swim down in the 7 minutes remaining.

 

Masters Monday 15 Jan 2018 MASTERS FITNESS B COACH COPY

 

Phase Activity TRT/Rest Dist: Dur: Total
W/U 2 x 200m  as:

1 x 200m FC as 1 x 50m Kick,  1 x 150m Swim (rest after 200m)

15” after each 200m 400 10 10
MAIN 4 x 50m @ FC 80% Effort 1:30 200

/600

 6 16
4 x 50m @ BC 80% Effort 1:45 200

/800

 7 23
2 x 100m as:

1 x 100m FC ‘Zip it Up’ Drill

1 x 100m BC ‘Slomo’ Drill

 2:30 200

/1000

 5 28
4 x 50m @ BR 80% Effort 2:00 200

/1200

 8 36
2 x 100m as:

1 x 100m BR ‘3 kicks, 1 Pull’ 3K1P

1 x 100m FC ‘Catch Up’ Drill

 2:30 200

/1400

 5 41
8 x 25 CH Fast 1:00 200

/1600

 8 47
S/D 200m + (‘til end) CH Easy, long, smooth, silent swimming 4:00 200

/1800

 8 55+

 

Based on a diluted version of the A1 Competitive Session Plan

 

This session went to plan, and even accommodated the two or more breaks to rest and chat that they like to take half way through. By the time of the 2 x 100ms we were 5 minutes off the schedule, but had exactly this level of margin in the S/D.

 

I could build in a 2 mins and 3 mins rest – but they will pick the moment to take this not me!