and questions I am trying to ask as a parent.
(Adapted from Don Heirdary's article published in the ASCA Newsletter)
INSTEAD OF QUESTIONS LIKE THESE:
- "Hey Coach, why is ___'s time not as fast as John's?"
- "Why is he still breathing late?"
- "Coach, why haven't you fixed his start?"
- "Why doesn't he have more Southeastern times?"
- "Why haven't you fixed his streamline?"
TRY QUESTIONS LIKE THESE:
- Does ___listen to you carefully? Does he apply your suggestions?
- How is ___'s work ethic? And please be honest.
- How does he perform when circumstances are challenging?
- Is he resilient?
- Can you push ___ harder? Can you push him to a breaking point? That will happen in life and I would like to see how he responds.
- Does he remain positive during difficult sets?
- Does he complain? I would prefer that he not complain, and I encourage you to let him know that it is not acceptable, regardless of the reason.
- Does ___ remain focused and not too social or too disconnected?
- Does he make sacrifices? Is he practicing enough for his expected outcomes?
- ___ tends to be a leader. Is he leading in the right direction? (or: Swimmer tends to be a follower. Is he following the right people?)
- Does ___ volunteer to help?
- Do you respect ___? If not, why?
- Does ___ support teammates in a workout? Is he ever exclusive?
- I would like him to be a helper to the team. Can you make sure he helps set up, clean up, etc.?
- I know this is not your job as a coach, but I would like to be notified immediately if you ever see: ___ being disrespectful; shirking any responsibility; not being fully committed in a workout; or seems distant.
- How can I support you and our team?
