BRIDGEND County Swim Squad Head Coach Matt Williams has praised his swimmers on how they’ve coped physically and mentally during these uncertain times. After the swimming season was cut short due to the Coronavirus pandemic, clubs around the UK have had to put most of their training on hold.
Bridgend Performance Swimmers before the 2019 Welsh Summer Nationals
On how the lockdown has affected his swimmers physically Williams said, “It’s the equivalent of a cyclist having no bike. We’ve seen it as a huge opportunity for the swimmers to become more athletic. Land work is a huge part of a swimmers training programme, having the time to practice and improve that has been a really good thing. The major issue is keeping them aerobically fit, so we’ve encouraged running and cycling every day.”
The swimmers have all had to deal with the mental impact of lockdown and the affect it’s had on their season. “We have a lot of disappointed swimmers, but once a routine was established, they have been amazing, the attitude they’ve shown to motivate themselves during these crazy times has amazed me. We’ve had one to one meetings with all the swimmers and the conversations I’ve had with them have been awesome. It’s given them time to grow and think what they really want from the sport, I’m really proud of them.”
Williams said he aims to build the number of sessions a week in the pool up slowly when they’re allowed back “We’ll start from three a week then build from there. I’ve already spoken to the other coaches about our plans, we’re going to spend a lot of time on technique, turns, starts and kick. Getting them fit is easy as the body doesn’t forget the hard work they have done, so it’s a case of making them better in those other areas and when were back to a full training schedule, we can really step it up.”
On how losing a few senior swimmers after this lockdown will affect the squad he said, “The loss will affect me more as my social interactions will change to working with younger swimmers. It’s my job to change my language and coaching sessions to suit the younger swimmers. We’ve lost a lot of older lads recently and our next best are all 12 and 13, but boys develop a lot later so it’s a case of keeping them focused and inspired for when they grow and mature.”
Williams has had to deal with the impact of the lockdown himself, a lot of his work is usually done coaching by the side of the pool, however he said he is “coping very well, it’s nice not having to wake up at 4:15am or stand by the boiling hot pool and the smell of chlorine. I’ve done a lot of reading and studying on the sport, as I don’t usually have the time to do this.
It’s very hard working from home while my partner works from home and we have a 4-year-old running about. I’ve missed the interaction with the athletes face to face and not being able to do that has been challenging. We’ve communicated over the likes of Zoom and WhatsApp and it’s become the new normal.”
“I’ve done a lot of self-reflection, listened to podcasts and have spoken to other coaches to gather as much information and knowledge as I can so I’m ready for when we go back. I’ve really enjoyed watching how different coaches from all over the world have been adapting. It’s been a good time to refresh and I can’t wait to go again when it’s safe to do so.”
by Tobias Hunt
Tobias' Sports Journalism Blog 