One of the biggest challenges that swimmers face in college is adjusting to change. Coaching staff changes at the collegiate level happen frequently, especially assistant coaching positions. Typically, assistant coaches stay at the same school anywhere between 1-3 years. Athletes spend almost every day with their coaches due to training and competitions. Naturally, coaches build a trusting relationship with their athletes, allowing them to further their reliability and communication toward one another. Many athletes find it hard to start all over again with a new coach as they will have to go through the process of learning and understanding each other anew. Read along to learn how to make the adjustment to a new coach go a little more smoothly.
Know Coaches Are Not Permanent
One thing that an athlete should never do is choose a school because of the coach. Being aware that coaches are not permanent is extremely important to keep in mind during the recruiting process. It is not a guarantee that every coach you talk to during recruiting is going to end up leaving but knowing that it is a possibility will help prepare you a little bit more in the event that it does happen. Choose a school to attend for the reasons that remain consistent, such as academics, location, campus life, team environment, etc.
Trust Your Coach
In the case that you do go through a coaching staff change, it is so important to have trust in your other coaches and staff members to choose the next replacement. Your coach will consider all the assets each candidate brings to the table so that the team can move forward and continue to succeed. They will look for somebody who will not only be a good fit for the team, but who will also push the team to be the best it can be. Have trust in your coach to make the best decision for the future of the program. Knowing that sometimes a change is exactly what teams need in order to reach for the next level is a great mindset to have when adjusting to a staff change.
Have An Open Mind
It is crucial for athletes to have an open mind toward a new coach because you never know what kind of impact they could have on you. New coaches will bring different qualities to teams such as fresh perspectives, different training/recovery methods and their own distinct personality. Athletes aren’t always going to succeed by doing the same things all the time. A new coach will give athletes the opportunity to try new things in hopes of improving and getting better.
Staff changes are never easy. After spending an entire season, or maybe more, building a solid foundation with your coach, it is not an easy task to give that up and start fresh with somebody new. Hopefully these reminders will help make the transition a little smoother for you if you find yourself in this difficult position.