Training or Coaching for Swimming Skill?

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 45, 17 November 1936, Page 14

Training or Coaching for Swimming Skill?

VUHETHER it is coaching or the train- ’ ’ ing of swimmers that makes champions is a vexatious question that is creating two schools of thought in official circles (writes Les. Uren in “The Sporting Globe.”) The correct answer to this, all-impor-tant query, provided it is put into operation, will have a great and beneficial effect on the sport and therefore the problem should be tackled as soon as possible.

In considering the case from the coaching viewpoint, those who advocate that it is essential to master the detail of the latest Japanese crawl, emphasise the many successes of the sons of Nippon, who, for the last four years, have proved to be the outstanding swimmers in the world. This pre-eminence is: attributed, by these adherents, to improved technique of the Japanese, including the fast and relaxed arm recovery, the early entry of the hand into the water and the better leg drive. The efficiency of some of the details must be admitted, but it is questionable whether each one is adaptable to every swimmer or whether every detail is more efficient than those used in the past. Standardised Methods Impracticable. In my opinion standardised methods will not succeed, for variations must bo made to fit the different physique of individuals. Perhaps the best illustration of this contention may be obtained by considering the modern theory that entry of the hand must be made early and then permitted to glide to the catch. If this be accepted as the only correct way of making an arm entry,' then how do we account for the success of Jean Taris, of France, who was beaten by only a touch by American “Buster” Crabbe in the 400 metres at the 1932 Olympic Games, at which the Japanese excelled? Taris, whose style of recovery is not recommended, has an extraordinary action, for the arm recovery is high, with a comparatively slow and windmill-like movement and the entry is made with practically an extended arm, which makes the catch at the moment of entry. These movements are wrong, by all the accepted teachings, but despite this, Jean was in world class and the reason was that the fundamentals of his stroke, the arm and leg drive, flotation and body position were correct. Again, the Japanese leg drive is lauded as being the most efficient thrash ever evolved. This, too, is open to debate, for when the synchronised propeller-like leg movements of Duke Kahanamoku. Pua Keahloa and our own former champion, Geoff Vockler, are recalled, then it becomes difficult to admit that the thrashes of these stars have been bettered. If the observations relative to Taris, “Duke,” Keahloa and Vockler are accepted as being correct, then it must be

admitted that rule of thumb methods of coaching do not effect the maximum results. Those, including th,e president of the V.A.S.A., Mr. H. A. Bennett, an Olympic selector, who advocate that training which results in perfect physical condition is the best means of obtaining the maximum results, support their case in pointing to the fact that following a succession of visits of overseas stare, whose methods have been adopted by our champions, the standard of swimming in Australia has not materially advanced in the last decade; while in other countries, such as Japan and America, the creation, of new records is commonplace. The training advocates claim that both the Japanese and Americans have intensified their methods of preparation while Australians utilise methods practically identical with those adopted before the war, when the Commonwealth could justifiably claim to be the world’s outstanding swimming nation. Unfortunately, in general, this statement is correct, for few of the foremost competitors here are willing to' sacrifice their personal comfort and pleasure to the fetish of training. In Japan the attitude of the champions is different. There they are imbued with national pride and as a result they are always fit. Further, swimming is not regarded as a seasonal sport and the best exponents are active throughout the year. Another star who believed in “never letting up” was Arne Borg, of Sweden. From 1924 to ,1930 he ranked as a world’s champion. It therefore seems obvious that a prolonged and faithful preparation is an essential to achieve the pinnacle of success. Bill Weir, the Australian and Victorian medley and breast-stroke champion, is perhaps the most outstandingly brilliant product of training. He is not a stylist, but his unusually arduous preparation resulted in physical perfection which brought a succession of noteworthy victories.

Briefly, the foregoing summarises the major arguments for coaching and training. It would appear that, an unbalanced compromise, by which training should be intensified and couching restricted, would be the ideal. If such a policy were adopted then it should be possible for swimmers to obtain absolute condition, and at the same rime develop their natural strokes which, of course, must be basically sound if the front rank is to he gained.

In other words, coaches should endeavour to become supervisors rather than instructors and then trainees could concentrate on developing a sound natural style rather than waste-time endeavouring to put into practice methods which are foreign to their physical attributes and which may cause mental confusion resulting in disappointment and perhaps disaster.