Streamlines #6: are training courses for beginner/youth coaches providing the right guidance? And what might were do about it in the age of AI?

The sport of swimming is delivered by coaches.

The experience of the sport – the experience of swimming that swimmers, parents and the community have day to day in pools all over the world is that delivered by coaches.

Coaches are the front line of the sport. They are at the pool first thing in the morning and often are the last ones to leave in the evening. 

If you were running a business and you knew that your customers' experience of your product was delivered by one group of people, you’d invest significant time, energy and resources into ensuring that the group was well trained and well prepared to deliver that experience brilliantly.

Yet, when it comes to the way we’ve trained, educated and developed coaches, very little has actually changed in the past 40 years. We’re still overly focused on science and workout design in spite of massive changes in society, AI, technology and our understanding of connecting with, engaging and inspiring kids among key shifts. 

This article will look at the way we coach coaches to coach by embracing the technology right in front of us and challenge federations and swimming coach representative groups to re-consider how to prepare swimming coaches to thrive in a rapidly changing coaching landscape. 

In this article:

• The Typical Swimming Coaching Course in most places around the world: Too Much Science – Not Enough Coaching
• Why Do We Need to Change the Way we Train and Educate Swimming Coaches? BECAUSE WE CAN! - If you’re a coach and you haven’t played with AI yet, now might be a good time to start.
• A set for a youth team in 14 seconds
• A week of Sets For A College Team in 23 seconds
• How good are they and how can they help?
• What a swim course for the beginner/youth coach might look line in 2025 to tune in to progress and the times we live in

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