Which features should a good swimming trainer have? Should he be gutsy and push his students to always give their best or should he be more understanding and reassuring, ready to console them in the event of a workout or a race that didn’t go so well?
Of course, a perfect formula doesn’t exist. However, an ideal trainer would be the perfect mix of these features and have be able to combine technical, tactical, educational and communicative qualities. In fact, it isn’t easy to understand students’ thought processes and provide them with an objective to be pursued with constancy. The keywords for a good trainer should be trust, appreciation and encouragement. It is someone who helps in times of difficulty but is also a point of reference able to increase one’s self-esteem in light of progressive improvements.
What a good trainer shouldn’t do
Frequent reproaches, aggressive behavior, a tone of voice that is too high (almost yelling), the desire to command at all costs or impose a dominant role. None of this is good. It is better to teach students safety, affection and serenity. A good trainer should have an enormous amount of patience. And instead of reproach, motivation and encouragement are preferred, as well as the reinforcement of positive…
