A Constraints-Led Approach to Swim Coaching

Motor skill acquisition and athlete development practices are rapidly evolving. Positioned at the forefront of this evolution, the constraints-led approach encourages practitioners to consider the athlete as a whole person, with unique traits, abilities, and capacities. Accordingly, an athlete’s competitive success lies in the practitioner’s ability to adapt their programming to the unique needs of each athlete and to develop an understanding of the athlete-environment relationship. A Constraints-Led Approach to Swim Coaching applies contemporary motor skill acquisition and athlete development practices to swimming. This book encourages coaches to reconsider how they approach skill development in a sport that requires considerable physical training and highly efficient movement. It presents a framework for identifying the various constraints that determine the ability to perform at a high level. It then offers coaches practical examples to navigate the manipulation of constraints to support the development of physical capacities and the ability to effectively utilize those capacities through efficient movement. These frameworks are broadly inclusive to the global sports programming market. This book is written through a “conversive” voice and is accessible to a broad audience interested in athlete development and programming such as coaches, sport scientists, support staff, athletes, and parents. At the same time, academics and students in the areas of sport coaching, biomechanics, motor skill acquisition, strength and conditioning, and related disciplines will find interest in the insights provided from this underrepresented niche in sports.

1 Introduction—Searching the Landscape for a New Way SECTION 1 Making Waves—An Introduction to Swimming and Constraints Task 2 Task Design 3 Advanced Set Construction—Adding Constraints to Influence Skill 4 The Role of Language SECTION 2 Manipulating Individual Constraints 5 Manipulating Physiology for Technical Development 6 Training Aids—Theoretical Considerations 7 Training Aids—Practical Applications SECTION 3 Coaching Principles for Effecting Change 8 Theoretical Principles for Skill Adaptation 9 Principles for Skilled Swimming 10 A Systematic Approach to Change 11 Strategies for Increasing Variability in Practice 12 Solving Complex Movement Problems with Constraints SECTION 4 Constraints in Action: Practical Examples for Coaching 13 Freestyle 14 Backstroke 15 Breaststroke 16 Butterfly 17 Underwater Kicking 18 Final Thoughts

Andrew Sheaff is currently an assistant swimming coach at the University of Virginia. Since 2017, he has helped the team achieve multiple national team championships and multiple individual champions, as well as break multiple NCAA and American records. Internationally, team members have represented the United States, winning Olympic and World Championship medals. Sheaff has also made coaching stops at Northwestern University, Bucknell University, and the University of Maryland, working with championship winning athletes at the conference, NCAA, and international level. Originally from Boston, MA and Philadelphia, PA, Sheaff swam collegiately at the University of Pittsburgh, where he was a senior athlete of distinction.