Getting the most out of your Swimmers

As I’m sure you are already aware, all individuals are different. Whether you are a coach or a parent, all swimmers’ behaviors are unalike. They are motivated differently, work differently, and enjoy being praised differently. This can make coaching a team very difficult to appease everyone. Not only do cultural and biological differences impact behavior, but gender plays a role also. Here’s how –

Females:

-          It’s a known fact that females are generally more emotional than men. Coaches and parents can use this to their advantage! Females like to be close with teammates and to feel united as a team. Use this approach by encouraging team bonding activities to bring the team closer.

-          Going along with feeling united, women love socializing. Believe it or not, allowing them to communicate can give them a sense of pleasure which can increase passion for the sport.

-          It’s important to keep in mind that creating a ‘competition’ environment amongst woman can do more harm than good. Since women tend to be more emotional, they can take losing harshly. In some cases, this could even damper the team unity as a whole.

Males:

-          Males love competition, they thrive off of it. Once you determine there will be a winner and a loser, they’ll do their absolute best to make sure they are #1. Winning gives males the ULTIMATE confidence boost. Be sure to remind them of their bragging rights if they win!

-          Because of the male’s competitive personality trait, they tend to think they are the best, the smartest, etc. They only have to do one thing, PROVE IT. Give them a lot of opportunity for them to show you who’s ‘best.’ 

If you’re looking to really looking to incorporate competition amongst your team, check out The Lifeguard Store’s Ribbons & Medals for added praise!