This post is about swim coaching amidst all the uncertainties and restrictions of the COVID-19 crisis.  There’s a little celebration, some unwelcome extra turbulence and then finding ways through the troubled waters.

What’s to Celebrate?

I was very chuffed recently to be referred to by the Outdoor Swimming Society as their very own Resident In-House Coach.  How about that?

The OSS has a special place in my heart.  I love the spirit of friendly openness, the excitement of their big events in beautiful settings and the sheer breadth of the community they bring together and celebrate – ice swimmers, cold water dippers, wild water adventurers and distance fiends… and many more.  I’ve been contributing articles on different aspects of training to help swimmers meet the challenges of big events and more recently on adjusting to all the new constraints - links below.

Now, I know being a Resident in an organisation has a particular meaning – an Artist in Residence has a real status, conferring mutual prestige on both the host and their visiting luminary.  I’m not sure that’s quite what the OSS’ founder Kate Rew had in mind.   Nonetheless, I feel very privileged and touched to be thought of as having a place in the OSS home.  Thanks Kate and everyone else at the OSS.

Now, back to reality with a splash of cold water.

So where are we at?

Almost all the big swim events this year are now cancelled – only one left in the calendar for one intrepid client of mine, doing the 11 mile Lake Windermere One Way; all the other big swims have been postponed to next year; and likewise the solo Channel swim which another client had been building up to.  In the meantime, the Government approach to pool closures in England is causing bewilderment and frustration.  My Level Water lessons with children with disabilities, all club and private one to one coaching feel a distant prospect.  And I’m conscious that for many, open water swimming isn’t a practical option or holds special challenges.

I recently contributed to an online Swim Coaches’ Corner open session with others from my Tri Club in Brighton.  Listening to some of those who tuned in and took part it was clear that some are desperate to get back to swimming after months away from the water but are very wary of getting in the sea.

Against this backdrop last week news broke that the company running the community pool where I do most of my coaching sessions and the Level Water lessons is now certain to fold.  A bid to the local council for emergency funding looks set to be rejected and with that the prospects of a return have gone from a frustrating “when we will be allowed?” to an even more uncertain “if and how will it be possible?”  Increasingly other pools are facing a similar fate.

Feeling the Gaps

I know many people are already suffering far greater losses and difficulties as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and for some things are likely to get worse before they get better.  Without wishing to lose perspective, as swim coaching doesn’t really rank as an emergency front line service, I’m really feeling the gaps that have opened up.  I feel particularly concerned for the Level Water swimmers – the pool being the only one in a very wide area to offer one to one lessons for children with disabilities who otherwise wouldn’t get the chance to learn.

There are also several things that I find particularly special to swim coaching that I’m missing: the close connections that happen and sense of trust; the feeling of excitement and satisfaction of seeing others grow in confidence as they surprise themselves with what they can do in the water; and being able to share with others the approach I’ve developed for a relaxed, in-rhythm fluency, with amazing results coming through. I hold on to each of these and keep them as a central part of coaching in the changing, uncertain future ahead.

So What To Do now?

1.  “If the mountain will not come to Muhammad…”

Well, part of the answer comes back to the OSS and, as in the proverb, looking at the alternatives.  One of the Guides I’ve written was for those either still landlocked and looking for exercises to be ready when its possible, or for those making their first tentative forays back to open water (at the time the restrictions being greater than now).  Earlier on in the lockdown I also produced a Reluctant Runners’ Guide for swimmers who were looking to maintain endurance fitness but unable to safely get to open water.

2.  Reframe Purpose

For all but one of those I am swim coaching, we’ve needed to shift perspective and purpose as their big challenges and events were at first held in limbo and then postponed to next year.  We’ve made the focus for any swimming over these next few weeks much more about wellbeing and gradually reacclimatising – for now nothing that looks or feels or smells like training.

For my own swimming, originally geared to preparing for the OSS’s super Seasonaire’s challenge of doing all three of their big events in the year, I’ve switched to a much more opportunistic, relaxed approach – no reason to pound out distances or strain to fit in a minimum number of swims a week.  If the weather and sea conditions are good I’ll maybe swim twice a day; if not, I’ll not bother and leave behind any feeling of guilt.

And I’ve experimented with measuring my swims not by times or distances but on a set of 1-5 scales (based on an idea suggested for the Reluctant Runners): how much did I enjoy it; the depth of connections experienced, in terms of feeling whole in myself, connected to others and/or to nature; and my fluency of movement. The numbers don’t really matter that much - it’s more about seeking out and giving value to a different focus.

Needless to say the focus for the Windermere One Way swimmer remains very fixed on being in the very best shape possible and fully prepared. We crack on.

3.  Be A Voice

I recently wrote a blog post for my Confidence Centred Coaching site, aimed at all sports coaches, suggesting, amongst other things, that coaches are certain to need to be more vocal and give a voice to those who risk being further marginalised and adrift of our sports.  Putting that into practice in a small way, I’ve lobbied all the Councillors and MP in my area and Council Director to alert them to the unique and special nature of the Level Water teaching at the pool.  I’ve been reassured that they will aim to find a way of getting the pool back up and running.

In our Tri Club we’ve also begun – not before time – looking at what we can do to be more inclusive, welcoming and attract more people from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds to our predominantly white sport.  I’m sure one of the issues to tackle will be around accessibility of swimming and the false assumptions that black people don’t swim – something tackled head on by Blacks Can’t Swim, SwimDem, the inspirational GB 10k swimmer Alice Dearing and the Black Swimming Association she co-founded. I also know and have proven on a smaller scale the assumptions are false from my private swim coaching, though as yet regrettably with too few people.

Voices and action needed!

4. Stay Connected

Given all the restrictions and distancing measures, staying connected is hard to do but I believe more than ever needs to be at the core of coaching. In our Bri Tri Club, the Coaches Corner was one small way of doing this. At the time I felt we hadn’t done as good a job as I wanted - only to be surprised by how valued it was by those who tuned in and took part.

Level Water also kindly relayed some messages from me to each of the swimmers I would normally be with every week, just to say “hi” and remind each of the great things they were doing. Before lockdown one young super energetic boy and I had been slowly extending the time he could float like a starfish on his back. So I asked how long he can hold that shape for at home. Back came the most wonderful photo his mum took of him, arms and legs spread out as he lay on the grass with the biggest, proudest grin you could imagine!

Two nice lessons in how even the smallest connections can be immensely rewarding.

5.  “…then Mohammad must go to the mountain”

And so for now, with little prospect of any pool reopening, let alone our local one, it is to the open water we must go.

I continue to run one to one swim sessions in the sea for all abilities and degrees of nervousness and confidence. We do these on a quiet, safe stretch of beach at Shoreham.  And when the sea conditions are a bit too challenging we have the advantage of a sheltered spot on the river right close by. We stick to social distancing and, as always, attention to safety and wellbeing.

So if you’d like a session and some support for your swimming - whatever your aims or ability - please get in touch. The Swim page has more detail on what you can expect. I’d love to help.

And in the meantime, here are the Collected Works of a proud OSS Swim Coach in Residence.

As always, feel free to add any comments below.