Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
A few coaching-related reflections at the end of the year that I thought might be helpful to share.
- Keep in touch with your colleagues and elders in the sport. Especially those who coached or mentored you. They won’t be around forever.
- There is no such thing as over-communication. It is best to operate on the assumption that people don’t understand how you think. Always explain the “why” even if you think they already know.
- Strive to teach, not just tell. Teaching communicates so much more.
- Writing is the best means of clarifying and developing your own ideas.
- Sharing your ideas will lead to the multiplication of your ideas.
- “As the island of knowledge grows, so does the shoreline of ignorance.” The more I learn, the more I discover I still don’t know.
- There is more than one path to high performance. Each swimmer has a different path. Each coach has a different method.
- The kids who need your coaching the most may be the ones who are most difficult to coach.
- Your coaching makes a difference. Much of your impact will not be known until far into the future. Make peace with this.
- Take time off for yourself and have a life away from coaching. You will be a better coach and person for doing so.
Wishing you success and well-being in 2024!