Rookie Coaches Swimming Guide (Rookie Coaches Guide) (Paperback)

~ ASEP (Author) "If you're like most youth league coaches, you were recruited from the ranks of concerned parents, sports enthusiasts, or community volunteers..." (more)
Key Phrases: incoming swimmer, swimmer streamlines, remind swimmers, Rookie Coaches Swimming Guide, Kicking Drill Purpose (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

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""An absolute must for the first-time swim coach and a valuable resource for the experienced coach as well.""
Phillip Whitten,
PhD Editor-in-Chief, Swimming World
Author, The Complete Book of Swimming

""Filled with basic information that every new coach can use to effectively deal with athletes.""
Richard A. Klatt
Director of Aquatics Special Olympics International

"

Product Description

The Rookie Coaches Swimming Guide covers all of the fundamentals of coaching and swimming in a concise style that's tailor-made for the novice youth swimming coach.

The book provides important coaching principles: developing a coaching philosophy, reinforcing kids positively, teaching skills, planning practices, preventing and caring for injuries, and addressing liability concerns. No other resource offers such a unique blend of coaching and youth swimming information.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Human Kinetics (October 13, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873226453
• ISBN-13: 978-0873226455
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.6 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #451,947 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Now I know what to do!, March 31, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Co. Cork, Republic of Ireland) - See all my reviews

I've just started co-coaching a small club in Kinsale, Co. Cork. I'm a competitive swimmer and knew what I wanted to get across, but not how. John Leonard's book has really made a difference. I'm now structuring sessions in a useful way and I know I'm communicating better with the swimmers. I shall be introducing his suggestions about setting objectives and using a bulletin board when we start training again after Easter. I'm confident that my swimmers will benefit.Thanks John.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for summer swim teams, October 23, 2003

By A Customer

I did not realize from the description that the book was aimed at summer teams and people who know very little about swimming. It is a good beginning book but was not particularly helpful to me as I wanted information for a high school team.

5.0 out of 5 stars For Rookie Coaches of Novice Swimmers, April 4, 2009

By	K. Woods (Annapolis, Maryland USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this book for my 13 year old son who will be a junior coach for his summer league team this summer. It will be his first time coaching, and even though he is a year-round competitive swimmer, this book is perfect for him. While it is written for the parent volunteer coach it is also perfect for any first time coach - regardless of age and regardless of their swimming knowledge.

The section on communication is insightful and outlines quite a few tools for teaching a skill to novice swimmers - tools that can be used for teaching children just about anything. The gifted and experienced educator might think of these things as second nature but anyone new to coaching needs to think about how to go about it and this book provides that information.

When reading about how to constructively criticize and encourage young swimmers my son exclaimed,"Hey, that's exactly what my coach does!"

The sections on planning and safety are thoughtful and thorough. The drills and skills outlined in the book are the basics and those that every coach goes back to time and again. The sample practice outline is perhaps a little ambitious for the average summer league team with too little time in the pool, but it is a good outline and can easily be adapted to the limits of shorter practice times.

The down side: The section on Conduct of a Meet is so basic that if you don't already know it, you really shouldn't be coaching a swim team.

One thing missing that would be helpful is a primer on how to seed a dual meet.

The book is exactly what the product description claims: A guide for the first time coach of novice swimmers. I reccomend it to anyone new to coaching swimming.