While people are patiently waiting for Ralph Mann’s book, something I will update next week about, a great read is Dick Hannula’s Coaching Swimming Successfully. Now on a second edition this is a complete text of what coaching really is. For me it is my star map and compass, not because of his 324 meet winning streak or his olympic medals, but the nuts and bolts of coaching. While people want a GPS, do they really know what direction they are going in? We all have taken the wrong turn with a GPS because of construction or lack of information of a one way street, hinting to us that no tool or technology can replace experience. The book is an easy read and I strongly suggest one have it as a checklist each season to review and plan all aspects of a program.
