By SwimSwam Contributors on SwimSwam
Courtesy: Adam Coffman, Ed. D.
Creating Growth Through Athlete-Led Feedback
Helping athletes develop their skills and resilience is a critical coaching component. Our responsibility is to help athletes develop skills and the means to take positive action, moving themselves closer to their ideal readiness. Ownership and self-efficacy are critical components of that journey. As coaches, we have tremendous power to either promote ownership and a deep internal belief in self or to diminish the fire that burns deep in our athletes, driving them toward their best selves. Our actions as leaders will make their journey in the sport one of self-accountability and growth rather than blame and shame. By encouraging athletes to analyze their performance, we encourage them to develop a deeper understanding of their strengths and weaknesses in racing and training. Our consistent efforts to promote athlete ownership will not only help our athletes achieve more in the sport, but this type of accountability and ownership also helps athletes develop a growth mindset.
Feedback is a significant way we can help athletes identify their strengths and areas for potential improvement. These interactions can be some of the most powerful learning opportunities for the athlete and the coach. The athlete-led discussion helps develop relationships, trust, and genuine ownership of the process for both the coach and the athlete. This approach starts and ends with trust. The athlete must know that the coach will not use the information they provide to personally criticize them or blame the athlete for not performing well in a competition. Instead, the information will be used as a process-based teaching tool that focuses on growth and development.
An example of a well-meaning but poorly executed interaction is when I watched a coach ask athletes what they did wrong during a race. After listening intently to the athlete describe a technical error they had made, the coach berated them for making a mistake that they had been taught “so many times.” In that case, the coach lost the athlete’s trust. The coach made the interaction about what the coach taught rather than the athlete’s growth. This is common for passionate coaches who don’t take ownership themselves when things don’t go the way they intended. Even though the coach asked the athlete about the race and listened carefully, the interaction was still centered on the coach. The focus was on how the athlete failed to follow instructions rather than the athlete’s learning process; this interaction perpetuated a climate of fear and discouraging self-reflection. In this interaction, the athlete’s takeaway is to avoid admitting mistakes because of the judgment that follows. In a well-crafted interaction, the athlete should view mistakes as opportunities for learning and growth.
To be clear, there is no perfect template that coaches can use that will make every interaction flawless. Over the last 27 years of coaching, I’ve worked through various techniques to help athletes improve. The early interactions focused on what I saw and what they needed to do to be better. Today, I make every effort to make the conversation athlete-led, make sure they feel heard, and try to pull from them what they will do to improve moving forward.
As a young coach, I would see an athlete after a race and unload all the areas they could have improved. Providing them with a list of areas for improvement was the only way I knew to give the athlete the knowledge to acknowledge and correct errors. I was never mean, but the feedback was based solely on what I saw and was a laundry list that must have been overwhelming for the athletes I was working with. Thankfully, I had great athletes who were athletically and emotionally talented enough to provide me with great learning experiences.
At the end of my third year of coaching at a small high school in Northeastern Pennsylvania, I had a female athlete who won our regional Pennsylvania championship and broke the meet record. She bounced out of the pool, excited to share her excitement with the team and the coaching staff. When she got to me, she stopped me from saying anything and said, I know you have a million things you want to tell me about what I could do better, but let me enjoy this for a few more minutes. I congratulated her, and she went to celebrate and cool down. This interaction made me think about how I interact with my athletes. I was well-meaning, for sure, but I never considered the moment or their perception.
From Sandwiching to Self-Reflection
Over the next several years, I made it a point to use the sandwich technique. I would tell them something they did well, point out one or two things they could do better, and finish with something else I noticed that they did well. This technique works well for most athletes. The athletes wanted to hear something good before I pointed out the areas they needed to change. Over several seasons, I noticed that athletes accepted the feedback but didn’t always apply it in practice or upcoming races.
After years of sandwiching, I made one of the most meaningful changes in giving athletes feedback. I made a conscious effort to make the entire interaction about the athlete. When they came over, I would ask, “What did you think of that race?” No judgment, just genuine curiosity. I noticed that most athletes would say something like, “That felt so bad,” to which I would respond, “So bad?” What made it bad? The reflection provides athletes with two critical things. First, they know the coach is listening to what they have to say, and second, they must offer deeper and more meaningful information. They would have to stop to think about what felt so bad. More often than not, they could provide more information about how they performed, what the athlete did well, and what they still need to improve.
After a few rounds of empathetic listening and reflecting, the coach needs to make a few judgment calls. First, did they accurately identify the positive aspects of the race and the areas that need the most attention? Suppose the athlete has accurately identified both positive aspects of the race and the areas they most need to work on. In that case, the coach can provide validation by agreeing with their assessment. If not, the coach can ask more probing questions about specific aspects of the race. Something like “how did you feel you did underwater throughout the race?” This gentle attention to the underwaters gives the athlete the
chance to tell the coaches about them. It’s important to ask questions about things they did well and areas where they may need improvement. If we only ask for more details on things they did poorly, the athletes may start to see the questions as attacks on their skills rather than the give-and-take it is intended to be.
Second, are the athletes ready to hear what you have to tell them? Competition can be stressful, even for the most experienced athletes. The time, effort, and commitment to prepare can bring out strong emotions in coaches and athletes alike. The joy of a great performance creates a euphoric sense that everything was exactly as it should be, along with a sense of pride that everything the athlete did to prepare was perfect. Even coaches easily get swept up in the emotions that accompany a great outcome. Those moments are fun and full of shared joy. For many athletes, it may not be the best time to review the performance critically. Conversely, after a disappointing effort, the athlete will likely feel deflated. When these stresses are combined with high outside stress from family, friends, academic pressures, or other life commitments, they are more likely to exaggerate the importance of a single race performance.
Providing space for the athlete to regain emotional balance allows the coach and athlete to have a far more valuable interaction. When giving space, the coach must provide some limits. For example, if an athlete is distraught after a particularly poor performance, the coach may ask the swimmer to cool down and then return before sitting with the team. Providing limits to the space reinforces that you recognize their needs while showing you want to hear what they have to say and help them work through the performance and their feelings.
When we see that the athlete is not in emotional balance, it’s tempting to try to impart wisdom or tell them how they should feel based on what we’ve watched. When we succumb to that desire, we are doing it for ourselves and not to help the athlete. If they are not ready to tell you about the performance, they are not ready to listen.
From Reflection to Action: Building a Collaborative Coaching Plan
Observing body language is an excellent indicator of an athlete’s readiness to engage in a meaningful conversation. Most of what humans communicate to one another is through body language and tone of voice. A simple rule to remember is that when an athlete is excited, they will often display gravity-defying behavior. Hands held high in the air or an extra bounce in the step indicate that they are likely happy and excited about their result. However, when we see the hands low, a slow walk, or tears dripping, we can easily tell they may not be ready to talk. A third option is seeing tightness in the face. Tight pursed lips or a furrowed brow are often indicators of anger or aggravation.
Chart 1
Simple Body Language Indicators of Potential Emotional States
Body Language Indicator Potential Emotional State(s) Notes Gravity-Defying Behavior Excitement, Happiness, Pride Hands held high, bouncing steps, general upward movement. Hands Low Disappointment, Sadness, Deflation Often accompanied by slumped posture and slow movements. Slow Walk Disappointment, Sadness, Fatigue Lack of energy in movement. Tears Dripping Sadness, Frustration, Overwhelm Obvious sign of distress. Tight Pursed Lips Anger, Aggravation, Tension May indicate holding back strong emotions. Furrowed Brow Worry, Confusion, Aggravation Often seen when someone is concentrating intensely or feeling negative emotions. Low Tone of Voice (upon return) Continued Distress, Need for More Time Even if they physically return, their vocal tone might indicate they aren’t fully ready to engage deeply. Athlete Initiates Conversation Readiness to Engage Shows they’ve processed some emotions and are willing to discuss the performance. Open and Relaxed Posture Calm, Openness, Willingness to Talk Generally indicates they are in a good space to have a conversation. Direct Eye Contact Engagement, Confidence, Honesty Can be a sign they are present and willing to communicate (consider cultural differences). Fidgeting, Restlessness Anxiety, Nervousness, Impatience May indicate underlying tension or discomfort. Crossed Arms or Legs Defensiveness, Closed-off Can signal they are not feeling open to the conversation. Looking Away, Avoiding Eye Contact Discomfort, Shame, Avoidance May indicate they are not ready to face the conversation or feel negative (consider cultural differences).When coaches observe these obvious emotional indicators, it may signal the need to give the swimmer space to restore emotional balance. When the athlete returns, the tone of their voice
can indicate that they may still need more time. If, however, they seem ready to talk, allow the athletes to initiate the conversation. Listen and reflect, even if you disagree. Remember, you don’t need to agree with an athlete to listen to them. Simply restating, or saying, ‘you must have a reason for saying that,’ provides them with a sense of security that they are being heard and allows them freedom to find emotional regulation. Once they have sufficiently decompressed, the coach can move to the problem-solving portion of the conversation.
Following the race, the coach initiated an athlete-led feedback conversation: Coach: How did that race go?
Athlete: I died in the last 50.
Coach: You died in the last 50?
Athlete: Yeah, I went out way too fast.
Coach: I saw that you got out fast. Too fast early can make the last 50 hurt. Athlete: I felt everything tighten, and I just died.
Coach: Okay, what can you change to make sure that doesn’t happen again? Athlete: Go out a little more relaxed in the first half?
Coach: Sure, that may help. What can you do in practice to prepare for that outspeed?
Athlete: When we do sets that prioritize early speed, make sure to find the relaxed speed with the breathing pattern I need to use so I don’t crash at the end of a race.
Coach: Great. What can I do to help you?
Athlete: Remind me in practice to think about the outspeed and breathing pattern. Coach: I can do that. What are you taking from the conversation?
Athlete: I need to work on my breathing patterns and getting out fast but under control, so I don’t die.
Coach: Right. Make sure to get a good cool down.
In this sample, the coach used basic questions to facilitate the athlete’s self-assessment, guided them toward potential solutions, and established clear action steps for future training. Throughout the exchange, the athlete takes ownership of the learning process and actions that need to be taken.
The third component of athlete-led post-competitive effort is problem-solving, which helps the athlete recognize what they need to do next to improve their performance. Problem solving allows the athlete and coach to connect in a way that a one-sided discussion does not. For example, when an athlete has provided feedback and knows the coach is listening and invested, they are far more likely to offer solutions that stretch their current capacity. The psychological safety this technique provides allows for higher risk-taking in practice and at future competitions. Athlete-led collaboration ensures that the coach and athlete have a common understanding of the concepts and techniques that will be the focus of future training sessions.
Once the athlete and coach complete their conversation and have developed a plan to move forward, the coach should reiterate the main points of the discussion including the highlights of the performance, areas of improvement, what the plan moving forward is, and how they will each keep each other accountable for the measures they decided on. Finally, ask the athlete what they are taking from the conversation. This question is the final check for understanding, to ensure the athlete and coach are on the same page. Even with the best of intentions, the message we are trying to convey can easily be misinterpreted. The confirmation brings closure to the conversation and allows the coach to restate the main ideas the athlete should take away from it.
Taking on the athlete-led process can seem daunting and time-consuming. In practice, a conversation as described only takes a few minutes. We only get a few moments with the athlete, so making each interaction count is worth the time.
Chart 2
Athlete-led feedback conversations
Athlete’sName Date Initial reaction/feeling KeyStrengthsIdentified(by athlete) Areas of Improvement Identified (by athlete) Coach’s probing questions Agreed-Up on ActionStepsTaking our egos out of the interaction is difficult—the benefits of letting the athlete lead the discussion and come to their conclusions help build awareness of their skills and race execution. By leading them through ways to make a positive change in their practice habits and asking them to share what they need from the coach during practice so that they can own the skill, the athlete moves from being a passive recipient of information to an active driver in their development and empowers athletes to become more resilient, resourceful, and self-directed. When athletes feel heard, understood, and in control of their journey, the coach-athlete relationship strengthens, creating a more collaborative and ultimately more successful environment.
Appendix A
Athlete Self-Reflection Prompts and Reflections
Athlete Name Prompt Question Athlete Response Key Themes/Insights Follow-up Actions — e.g., How did you feel throughout the race? e.g., I felt weak and everything tightened up in the second half. Athlete identifies how their body reacted to the pace of the first half. Discuss breathing patterns early in the effort and how to start at a pace that fits the race situation. — e.g., What was your focus at the start of the race? e.g., I focused on finding a great line as I entered and tried to maintain speed through the breakout. Athlete recognizes the impact of a specific technical focus. Encourage continued focus on strong starts and discuss strategies for maintaining the effort and speed throughout the race. — e.g., What’s one thing you want to focus on improving in our next practice? e.g., I want to work on my underwater dolphin kick after the turns. Athlete takes ownership of a specific skill they want to develop. Shows initiative in directing their training. Incorporate more underwater drills into the next practice session and provide specific feedback.ABOUT ADAM COFFMAN
Adam Coffman, Ed.D., is an assistant swimming coach at Lehigh University with over 25 years of experience coaching at both the club and collegiate levels. His background blends high-performance coaching with a deep commitment to athlete development in a healthy, supported environment. Adam lives in Nazareth, PA, with his wife and two children who are currently collegiate swimmers.
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