The Golden Rules by Bob Bowman

Author:Bob Bowman
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781466864573
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

RULE 5.7: APPLY A LITTLE PRESSURE. IT WILL GO A LONG WAY.

As a coach of people who will one day be performing in front of fans and TV audiences and against high-level competition—essentially, in pressurized situations—I feel that I need to apply a certain degree of pressure during their daily training so that my swimmers are ready for the stress of race day. In a sense, I want race day to seem normal, or as normal as a major competition can be, and I want my swimmers to feel comfortable, not on edge.

How do I apply the pressure? Here’s one way: When necessary, I let them know during practice how they’re doing in a nice, LOUD voice.

I often hear friends in the “real world” talk about the boss who yells too much at meetings or behind closed doors. That he is “an ogre.” Well, I would never endorse anyone who yells for the sake of yelling or creates a hostile workplace with his volume or tone; as a mentor or boss or coach, you are looking to instruct, not intimidate, your people. But I do think that there comes a time when a change of tenor can say something beyond the actual words spoken. The change says this: We need to mix things up, because what we have now isn’t working.

I have a few set phrases that, combined with a bellow, alert people that they need to step up their effort. Here’s one: When I want to single out one swimmer, I will go right up to him and simply say, “This is not acceptable! Come back tomorrow when you’re ready to give me the effort I deserve!” There’s no ambiguity in that delivery. Sometimes, though, I want to send a subtler but still pointed message. For instance, if I see a number of swimmers collectively not pushing it in practice, I’ll yell, “We’re having a serious lack of imagination today! Let’s turn it up a little bit! You have high goals, but you need to do better if you plan to reach them. And you can do better!”

High performers know they need to keep improving, know they need to be pushed. But I’ve learned that not everyone responds to the same kind of pressure. As a coach who is trying to get my swimmers to reach their individual level of excellence, I need to know which athlete reacts best to which type of pressure I apply. With Michael, I tend to go with a more in-the-face approach. Yes, he’ll push back, but he’ll usually respond with an “I’ll show you” effort. Allison Schmitt, on the other hand, has a more docile personality. If I went with the Michael approach, she would recoil. I’ve learned to find a more suitable way to push her.

Regardless of the approach I use, my goal is the same: My athletes come to me because they believe I can help them reach their goals. The pressure I apply is part of the path to making them ready.

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