<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Three Key Learning Points:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* The “sage on a stage” coaching model is failing teenage athletes and contributing to the dropout crisis.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* If a swimmer solves the problem &lt;strong&gt;they &lt;/strong&gt;own the solution - and ownership leads to self-responsibility which changes everything.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* Coaching through questioning isn’t &lt;em&gt;“soft or weak” &lt;/em&gt;- it’s exactly how the best teachers and university lecturers operate.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When you ask most adults about the coaches they had when they were growing up they will often describe very similar experiences:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The coach spoke. A lot. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The coach gave instructions. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The coach set the program. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The coach told them how to do drills. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The coach was always telling or yelling.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It’s what we call &lt;strong&gt;“The sage on a stage”&lt;/strong&gt; i.e. &lt;em&gt;“I’m the custodian of all knowledge and information. I’ll tell you what to do and you do it.”&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That model of coaching is broken and the dropout data is screaming at us.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We have a dropout crisis:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Teenage dropout rates in swimming are extraordinarily high around the world and they’re only getting worse. It’s not just swimming either. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Rugby, rugby league, AFL, hockey - most of the sports I work with are seeing the same thing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The response from most sports has been to tinker with the rules or to pour more money into marketing campaigns to try and increase participation. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I think there’s a much better solution and it sits very squarely with coaches and coaching.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Why teenagers walk away:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When kids hit 14, 15, 16 they start to &lt;strong&gt;rationalise their relationships. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;School? &lt;em&gt;“Yes, I need that relationship”.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Part-time job? &lt;em&gt;“Yes, I need money for a car, to buy stuff and to go out”. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Boyfriend or girlfriend? &lt;em&gt;“Yes, I’m growing and developing psychosocially. I want that relationship”.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Then they look at swimming and they ponder: &lt;em&gt;“Hang on. The coach has been standing at the end of the pool yelling numbers at me since I was 10. The relationship hasn’t changed. I don’t get much feedback. I have no input into my own program. I have no voice.”&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They quietly conclude that the swimming relationship isn’t serving them. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So they come less. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Then they stop coming.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Solve the problem - own the solution:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here’s the shift. Instead of telling them, &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;ask&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;“Don’t breathe inside the flags”&lt;/em&gt; - said, told, yelled, screamed a hundred times - lands flat.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But what if it sounded more like this?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Coach&lt;em&gt;: “Where did you take your last breath?”&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Swimmer:&lt;em&gt; “On the wall coach.” &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Coach&lt;em&gt;: “Is that going to make you faster or slower?” &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Swimmer:&lt;em&gt; “Slower.” &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Coach:&lt;em&gt; “Is there another way you could do it?” &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Swimmer:&lt;em&gt; “Yeah - I could take my last breath four strokes from the wall and build my kick to the wall.” &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Coach:&lt;em&gt; “That’s a good idea. I like that. Give it a go!”&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The swimmer solved the problem, they own the solution &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;and&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; the learning and they can take responsibility for putting it into action.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When the swimmer pushes off the next time they’re &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; thinking &lt;em&gt;“I have to do what coach told me to do.” &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They’re thinking &lt;em&gt;“I’ll do this because I chose to. I saw the problem. I solved it. This is mine.”&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If you solve a problem you own the solution.&lt;/strong&gt; Ownership of the learning changes everything.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This isn’t being soft:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A lot of old-school coaches hear this and think “&lt;em&gt;You’re going soft. You’re relinquishing your coaching power.” &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Not at all!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is exactly how teachers run classrooms in modern high schools. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is exactly how university lecturers run lectures and tutorials. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The whole education world has moved past the sage-on-a-stage model to a shared learning, collaborative learning approach.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Swimming has been a bit slow to catch up - but we learn fast!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Summary:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If we want to keep teenagers in the sport we have to change the way we deliver the experience of swimming.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Move from telling and yelling to asking and listening. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pose learning experiences as questions. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Let them solve the problem. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Let them own the solution. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And remember, it’s their journey not yours.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Three Practical Applications For Your Coaching:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* &lt;strong&gt;The 10-1 Rule:&lt;/strong&gt; For every 5 instructions you’d normally give in a session try replacing one of them with a question. Build from there.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* &lt;strong&gt;End-of-Set Debrief:&lt;/strong&gt; After a key set ask the swimmers: &lt;em&gt;“What worked? What didn’t? What would you try differently?&lt;/em&gt;” Listen before you respond. Let them feel heard, respected and listened to. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* &lt;strong&gt;Standing Question:&lt;/strong&gt; Pick one question to ask every swimmer every session. &lt;em&gt;“What’s one thing you want to get better at today?”&lt;/em&gt; Then hold them accountable for their own answer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is Wayne Goldsmith for &lt;strong&gt;Swimming Gold&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;If you liked this post check out my Sports Thoughts Substack with new weekly content on coaching, sports parenting, athlete development and youth sport: &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit &lt;a href="https://swimminggold.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&amp;#38;utm_campaign=CTA_2"&gt;swimminggold.substack.com/subscribe&lt;/a&gt;</description>

SWIMMING GOLD

Wayne Goldsmith

The Power of Coaching Through Questioning!

MAY 18, 20265 MIN
SWIMMING GOLD

The Power of Coaching Through Questioning!

MAY 18, 20265 MIN

Description

<p><strong>Three Key Learning Points:</strong></p><p>* The “sage on a stage” coaching model is failing teenage athletes and contributing to the dropout crisis.</p><p>* If a swimmer solves the problem <strong>they </strong>own the solution - and ownership leads to self-responsibility which changes everything.</p><p>* Coaching through questioning isn’t <em>“soft or weak” </em>- it’s exactly how the best teachers and university lecturers operate.</p><p>When you ask most adults about the coaches they had when they were growing up they will often describe very similar experiences:</p><p>The coach spoke. A lot. </p><p>The coach gave instructions. </p><p>The coach set the program. </p><p>The coach told them how to do drills. </p><p>The coach was always telling or yelling.</p><p>It’s what we call <strong>“The sage on a stage”</strong> i.e. <em>“I’m the custodian of all knowledge and information. I’ll tell you what to do and you do it.”</em></p><p>That model of coaching is broken and the dropout data is screaming at us.</p><p>We have a dropout crisis:</p><p>Teenage dropout rates in swimming are extraordinarily high around the world and they’re only getting worse. It’s not just swimming either. </p><p>Rugby, rugby league, AFL, hockey - most of the sports I work with are seeing the same thing.</p><p>The response from most sports has been to tinker with the rules or to pour more money into marketing campaigns to try and increase participation. </p><p>I think there’s a much better solution and it sits very squarely with coaches and coaching.</p><p>Why teenagers walk away:</p><p>When kids hit 14, 15, 16 they start to <strong>rationalise their relationships. </strong></p><p>School? <em>“Yes, I need that relationship”.</em></p><p>Part-time job? <em>“Yes, I need money for a car, to buy stuff and to go out”. </em></p><p>Boyfriend or girlfriend? <em>“Yes, I’m growing and developing psychosocially. I want that relationship”.</em></p><p>Then they look at swimming and they ponder: <em>“Hang on. The coach has been standing at the end of the pool yelling numbers at me since I was 10. The relationship hasn’t changed. I don’t get much feedback. I have no input into my own program. I have no voice.”</em></p><p>They quietly conclude that the swimming relationship isn’t serving them. </p><p>So they come less. </p><p>Then they stop coming.</p><p>Solve the problem - own the solution:</p><p>Here’s the shift. Instead of telling them, <strong><em>ask</em></strong> them.</p><p><em>“Don’t breathe inside the flags”</em> - said, told, yelled, screamed a hundred times - lands flat.</p><p>But what if it sounded more like this?</p><p>Coach<em>: “Where did you take your last breath?”</em> </p><p>Swimmer:<em> “On the wall coach.” </em></p><p>Coach<em>: “Is that going to make you faster or slower?” </em></p><p>Swimmer:<em> “Slower.” </em></p><p>Coach:<em> “Is there another way you could do it?” </em></p><p>Swimmer:<em> “Yeah - I could take my last breath four strokes from the wall and build my kick to the wall.” </em></p><p>Coach:<em> “That’s a good idea. I like that. Give it a go!”</em></p><p>The swimmer solved the problem, they own the solution <strong><em>and</em></strong> the learning and they can take responsibility for putting it into action.</p><p>When the swimmer pushes off the next time they’re <strong>not</strong> thinking <em>“I have to do what coach told me to do.” </em></p><p>They’re thinking <em>“I’ll do this because I chose to. I saw the problem. I solved it. This is mine.”</em></p><p><strong>If you solve a problem you own the solution.</strong> Ownership of the learning changes everything.</p><p>This isn’t being soft:</p><p>A lot of old-school coaches hear this and think “<em>You’re going soft. You’re relinquishing your coaching power.” </em></p><p>Not at all!</p><p>This is exactly how teachers run classrooms in modern high schools. </p><p>This is exactly how university lecturers run lectures and tutorials. </p><p>The whole education world has moved past the sage-on-a-stage model to a shared learning, collaborative learning approach.</p><p>Swimming has been a bit slow to catch up - but we learn fast!</p><p>Summary:</p><p>If we want to keep teenagers in the sport we have to change the way we deliver the experience of swimming.</p><p>Move from telling and yelling to asking and listening. </p><p>Pose learning experiences as questions. </p><p>Let them solve the problem. </p><p>Let them own the solution. </p><p>And remember, it’s their journey not yours.</p><p><strong>Three Practical Applications For Your Coaching:</strong></p><p>* <strong>The 10-1 Rule:</strong> For every 5 instructions you’d normally give in a session try replacing one of them with a question. Build from there.</p><p>* <strong>End-of-Set Debrief:</strong> After a key set ask the swimmers: <em>“What worked? What didn’t? What would you try differently?</em>” Listen before you respond. Let them feel heard, respected and listened to. </p><p>* <strong>Standing Question:</strong> Pick one question to ask every swimmer every session. <em>“What’s one thing you want to get better at today?”</em> Then hold them accountable for their own answer.</p><p>This is Wayne Goldsmith for <strong>Swimming Gold</strong>.</p><p><em>If you liked this post check out my Sports Thoughts Substack with new weekly content on coaching, sports parenting, athlete development and youth sport: </em></p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://swimminggold.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_2">swimminggold.substack.com/subscribe</a>