by Haydn Belshaw SEPTEMBER 2015 CharacteristicsCharacteristics ofof eliteelite swimmersswimmers There are many athletes and in particular ex-athletes who often wonder what could have been. Why didn’t I make a National team? Why did I not win the gold medal? Why did I not get selected for the high-performance squad. And I dare say there would be many coaches who ask the same questions of their athletes. But what really makes an athlete elite? What is within our sphere of influence and how can we use this information to target the right programs to the right athletes? What is the ideal age for an elite swimmer and what other individual characteristics should we be aware of in the development of high performing swimmers? The content below is not exhaustive, as we all know each individual athlete (and coach) is unique, but it is a helpful summary of intrinsic and extrinsic factors that should be taken into consideration. Age Whilst traditionally Australia have had success with younger This process has been happening now for the last three National athletes compete at international level, such as Shane Gould (15 Age Championships, with athletes who were identified through the years of age), Ian Thorpe (14 years of age), Keiren Perkins (14 years Talent Scouting Program being added straight onto the Swimming of age), as mentioned previously, the average age of the Australian Australia’s Talent Camp. swimmers in Beijing (2008) was 23 years with none of our men’s team below the age of 20 years. This reflects the trend towards Unlike some sports such as Football with their academies in older and more mature athletes staying in competitive swimming. Europe, Swimming has many options for entry. The below diagram (Gulbin et al., 2013-fig 2 magnitude and prevalence of athlete Recently, we have had Grant Hackett selected (after having a six development) certainly demonstrates the opportunities for and a half year break) for the 2015 World Championships at the age swimmers at all ages. of 34. We have also had other older athletes in the last 10-15 years (Chris Fydler, Ashley Callas, Adam Pine, etc) all in their 30’s on the Australian Swim Team. The ‘within reason’ - With Matt Welsh being the exception (taking up swimming at the age of 18 years, the only one to do so of the 700 athletes represent Australia at an international level, and was also in his 30’s and on the Australian Swim Team), the sport has multiple layers of talent identification at a State and National level. Each state (other than NSW at the moment) has a Head Coach that helps to guide the swimmers from a State entry team (in NSW’s case a Junior Sharks) through to Institute Gold Scholarships. Australian Swimming has a Head Coach and until recently a Head Youth Coach (now multiple Mentor Coaches throughout the country) that would travel to each of the State and National Championships also looks for ‘talent’. Swimming Australian Talent Pathway initiative aims to raise the level of sophistication by which we identify, monitor and support athletes/coaches, who demonstrate the potential to successfully represent Australia at major events. Throughout the Swimming Australian Age Championships, the scouting expertise of coaches such as Leigh Nugent, Bernie Mulroy, Jim Fowlie and Glen Beringen are utilised. Their role was to observe all heats and if applicable finals and identify ‘swimming talent’. Physiological Swimming Australia has invested time and effort in the area of Science and Medicine over the last few years, particularly in identifying areas that not only we as a National are weak, but also using individual identification. There have always been the National Testing Protocols (test sets) in one form or another since 1989 through until around 2010. These results were exclusively for the Australia Swim Team. In 2014 the testing protocols were reintroduced and used through the State Associations from the emerging Talent Squad through to grassroots (Area D squad). There are a range of different swimming sets that test athlete’s aerobic and aerobic systems, endurance, power and skills. Warms ups were standardised and coaches were in attendance to take you through these tests (with guidelines provided to ensure it was delivered and recorded in the same manner). The test sets may include but not be limited to: Pull Time Trial, Kick Time Trial, Best Average, Peak Velocity, and Aerobic Capacity. All results from the testing and assessments completed at each Development activity were entered into a National database. Each State and Coaching Technical Director has access to these results, and individual results were also given to home coaches. Outside the general education of anti-doping, match-fixing, etc, the National Athlete Career and Education (ACE) program (now referred to as AIS Personal Excellence) is jointly funded by the Australian Other areas for consideration include: • Success prior to the age of 16 is closely related to biological and state and territory governments. Managed by the Australian development at the senior elite level is the result of many factors. Sports Commission, it is delivered through the AIS and state and • Late or average-age maturing swimmers tend to stay in the sport territory institutes and academies of sport. The program assists longer. elite athletes to achieve sport and life goals through integrating • Sporting preparation that coincides with the developmental learning, work and sports performance. Swimming Australia has stages will result in better long-term improvements. a close working relationship with the ACE advisors in the above • Endurance based training may be the single most important network to support athletes with their study needs. component of success throughout the career of an athlete. • Capacities for effort and physical recovery must be developed concurrently for long-term success. An individual’s socio-economic status can impact many factors, • Physical preparation is a major prerequisite for skill development. including education. Access to the right information and the subsequent discipline to apply that information can impact several determining factors, including nutrition. Other factors include Environmental / Socio-Economic hydration, sleep and time management. Further there are varying Due to recent events, Swimming Australia have identified areas degrees of susceptibility to injury, which we, as coaches, see outside the pool (post swim career) that need to be developed shorten a career in the sport all too often. While it is expected that beyond just hoping it is being addressed as a part of the daily high-performing athletes will get injured from time to time it is training environment. important to remember that as an athlete’s body grows at different rates, the muscles are under tension. Again, an individual’s ability The table opposite were the areas in which specific educated was to seek expert advice and assistance, and the diligence to apply designed at different levels for the different athlete development that advice can be critical to an athlete’s recovery and subsequent pathways. As with the testing protocols, information was provided longevity in the sport. for coaches to deliver all around the country on days to develop our swimmers both in and out of the pool. Psychological What motivates an athlete to work hard can generate varying degrees of success in swimming. Combined with confidence, the ability to manage anxiety, determination, courage and calmness these psychological factors while sometimes hereditary, can, to an extent, also be influenced through training, reward and recognition and technique. According to some authors (Barnsley et al., 1985) the most successful athletes tend to continue longer in training/competition because they are well rewarded for their efforts and may thus be encouraged to continue. Instead, late born athletes within a standard age category and, in particular, late-maturing athletes, are more likely to experience failure and frustration, resulting in lower personal expectations of success which may in turn lead to a higher likelihood of quitting. Maintaining motivation requires effort and these are just a few areas for consideration: • Psychological skills within the context of the swimmer’s rationale for participation. • Age-group swimmers are not “little senior swimmers” and senior swimmers are not “bigger age-group swimmers”. • Success encourages high self-esteem. • Positive reinforcement instils a sense of success. • The emotional state of children may be unpredictable and change very quickly. There is no doubt there are many non sport specific factors that go into becoming a high performance/elite athlete and there are many models which outline these such as those below: Figure 4 Gagné’s Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent (2009) Figure 5 Mills et al (2012), p.1597 While all of these characteristics exhibit themselves in various ways with the rich mix of personalities out there, they are often central to the make-up of our high performing swimmers..