What rowing coaches can learn from this article about Greg Louganis coaching diving
- understand the component parts that make up the rowing /sculling stroke
- be able to reproduce part of the stroke cycle and know which muscles deliver each movement and how to control those muscles and activate / deactivate them
- show proficiency in one part of the rowing stroke before moving on to the next. This applies to beginners as well as advanced athletes
- emphasise practice outings over competition. It’s more important to deliver perfect practice than to go out and compete
- teach athletes how to accurately dissect and analyse their own performances
Read the full article
The Olympic-size outdoor pool at Fullerton College on a recent afternoon was an aquatics diorama, with a beginners swim class sharing space with a group of seasoned competitors churning out laps. At the far end, in the deep water, three divers practiced their springboard takeoffs.
It might have been an ordinary winter scene in Southern California except for one detail. The coach leaning forward in his chair and speaking so softly that his voice was barely audible over the medley of old pop hits blaring from the loudspeakers was Greg Louganis, considered diving’s Michael Jordan — or Michelangelo.
Louganis, a five-time Olympic medalist, was hired last November by SoCal Divers to coach athletes with wide-ranging ages and abilities. To watch him dissecting a beginner’s front dive tuck during a practice last month was like observing Meryl Streep teaching an introductory acting class. [Read more...]
