Confirmed as having talent following participation in an observational trial period (eg. Talent Identification Camp).
ATHLETE PROFILE
Young and developing athletes can grow at different rates with chronological age. To add, they can enter and progress through maturation at different chronological time points. The speed and magnitude of physical and cognitive maturation can differ markedly, and such development can affect swimming performance to a greater or lesser extent.
Young and maturing swimmers could potentially reside in the matched FTEM categories, and so understanding the stage and influence of growth and maturation on performance relative to the developmental stage will be important.
- Typically associated with 11+ – 16 years.
- Entry of maturation (11+ girls; 12+ boys – 15-16 years)
- Increasing height, weight, muscle strength/force (body fat gain females); Potential surge (and decrement) in physical/fitness capability improvement relative to others – Potential (dis)advantages for early maturer’s.
- Potential period of coordination & technical control loss due to growth & instability
- Increasing emotional awareness; impulsiveness
- Capability for planning & self-control (executive functioning)
Training and emphasis:
- Technique
- Speed
- Aerobic Development (AEC)
Training purpose:
- Training Foundations
Pool:
- Continuation of Technique across all strokes
- Development of Aerobic capacity
- Further development of racing skills
- Provide a greater variety of training methods
Land:
- Increase strength to body weight ratio
- Even development of all muscle groups
- Development ‘core’ body alignment
- Maintain flexibility
10 – 14 Weeks per season
- Development and progression of quality training programs history and Appropriate exposure to competition experience & progression.
- Injury prevention & screening
- Extension of initial training program exposure.
- Exposure and experience of structured competition
- Extension of initial training program exposure.
- Exposure and experience of structured competition
- Demonstration of the key technique points (distance per stroke and stroke rate) for each stroke and racing skills in a variety of training and competition environments.
- Ability to pace races with an understanding of negative splitting especially with middle and distance freestyle events.
- Understanding the relationship between distance per stroke, stroke rates and knowledge of individual event specific splits, stroke rates and targets.
- Demonstration of appropriate musculoskeletal range of movement, stability and robustness in a variety of training and competition environments. As an example; Overhead Squat, Push Ups with correct posture, Lunge & Twist, Side Bridging, Prone Bridge
- Developing commitment, personal investment, self regulation, ownership and responsibility in training & competition.
- Emergence or establishment of resilience, mental toughness & determination to address & recover from performance set-backs & challenges.
- Formal assessment & behavioural confirmation of psychological skills
ENVIRONMENTAL SUPPORT
Evidence-based and holistic coaching delivered by Pre-elite Club/Program Coaches.
Daily Performance Training Environment
Coaching
- The Head Coach has consistently demonstrated their ability to coach all levels of swimmers in line with the maturational and stage of developmental requirements
Coaching program:
- Program delivery is holistic based on maturational stage of development via sport-specific knowledge and interpersonal skills
- Proactive coach led functional movement and injury prevention strategies
- Able to overlay (meso) long-term (4 years), (macro) seasonal and (micro) month/week/day planning. Able to adjust or change planning/training based on standards test results.
Coaching support:
- If available, allocation of assistant coaches,
- Coach provided from the club with a supportive management environment to monitor and proactively manage workload and personal development.
Employment program:
- Head Coach with fixed term contract
- Contract to include engagement with identified Coach professional development programs,
- employer support to attend any Australian Team or State Association Team competitions and camps
Facilities:
- Training access to a range of wet and dry facilities that are considered best practice for developing programs
Water space and partnership requirements:
- 1-2 pools at one or numerous venues, with regular access throughout the season,
- Standardised swimming pool equipment
- Facilities self-contained or with shared access
Athlete support and development facilities:
- Access to gym facilities/dryland areas
- Mobile video analysis for technical intervention
Coach program management:
- Coach office and meeting room is ideal
Athlete wellbeing and elements:
- Athletes live in manageable proximity to the training facilities (30-40mins)
Sport Science and Sports Medicine (SSSM) support:
- Introduction to educational use of Sport Science and Sport Medicine knowledge and personnel
SSSM Integration Practice:
- Service is general across most disciplines and reactive based on need/resources
- Regular support via basic educational resources
- Planned and linked to athlete stage of development
SSSM collaboration:
- Collaboration with local service providers
AMS Compliance:
- Introduction to AMS through:
- National Assessment Protocols and Trainability Profile Graphs
- Collated daily training, wellness and load information
- Record injury/illness instances
Management:
- Developmental Pathway that provides support to both athletes and coaches
Centre agreement:
- Overarching agreement with leisure provider that has, as schedules, the specific areas of service provision and operations under agreement
Support coordination:
- Support to identify and coordinate Performance Science and Medicine Management
- Oversee regular IAPP and AMS monitoring as required
Centre management:
- Strong financial and program oversight capability, including regular reporting
- Provision of high-quality underpinning business systems for the operational, financial and strategic delivery of the program
- Provide coaches with a personally supportive management environment to monitor and proactively manage workload, personal development and stress
- An awareness of and ability to facilitate the following Policies & Procedures around: Swimmers agreement, IPC Classification, induction program, Safe Sport Policy, Code of Conduct, Benchmark Event Selection Policies, Anti-Doping Policy, Supplement Policy, Social Media, Medical & Medications Policy
Centre structure:
- Proactive link with a learn to swim operation
- Self-contained pathway exists internally for flow from junior swimmers
- Accredited coaches supporting Head Coach if required
- Head Coach is actively involved in mentoring club coaches and LTS teachers
Personnel:
- State Head Coaches, State association sport science providers. SIS/SAS supported where possible.
Education:
- Sport science and sports medicine disciplines provide guidance on talent confirmation protocols.
- Camps based education begins
Support:
- Athlete data stored on the Athlete Management System.
- State camps delivered by State Head Coaches supported by University Students – quality control provided by SIS/SAS staff.
Personnel:
- Delivered by SA Youth Psychologist or Psychologist on the National Network list via SA Discipline Lead.
Education:
- Group education focused on building the:
- Resilient MIND through understanding the brain, the stress response and the concept of resilience.
- Performance MIND through beginning to understand race readiness, arousal and self-talk and delivered via online learning and SA camps.
Support:
- Group education focused on athletes, coaches and parents.
Personnel:
- Accredited Sport Dietitian, parents and coaches.
Education:
- Group practice based nutrition education focused on key performance nutrition practices.
- Introduction to Supplemental Sport foods and risk of supplement use.
Support:
- Group education focused on parent and coach upskilling.
Personnel:
- Qualified Sport physicians and practitioners who comply with anti-doping, supplementation, medication and injection policies.
Education:
- Education on health and hygiene in the DPE and team environment, the use of prescription medications, supplements.
- ASADA education on teams and camps on ASADA’s Drug testing processes.
Support:
- Provide guidance and/or administer Medical screenings.
- Injury prevention and management.
Personnel:
- Qualified Physiotherapists.
Education:
- Education on injury prevention and management, preparation for training and competition.
Support:
- Yearly medical and functional movement screening.
- Coordination with S&C to implement injury prevention and management strategies.
Personnel:
- Qualified soft tissue/massage therapists.
Education:
- Education on massage principles and development of self- massage techniques.
Personnel:
- Accredited as an ASCA Intern level Strength and Conditioning Coaches in Universities and State Institutes and Academies of Sport.
Education:
- Education on movement and strength training principles, lifting techniques and load management.
Support:
- Access to ASC Clearinghouse Swimming S&C Support Page for fact sheets and coach upskilling
Personnel:
- General Manager Performance Pathways
- National Transition Coach
- State Head Coaches
- Program Coaches
- ASA
- SSA Development Officers
- AIS PE
- EAFU Advisors
- Internal & External SME’s
Education:
- Sport Integrity Australia
- Match-fixing
- dAIS funding
- GHFSSS funding
- Athlete agreement Classification (para) Career development Parenting through the HP pathway
- Respectful relationships
- Financial literacy
- Personal brand and sponsorship
- Media and social media
Support:
- Selection (including Orientation to BME; and post BME engagement)
- Non-selection
- Orientation to HP pathway
- Relocation
- Transition (retirement)
- Camp based intake screenings for T 2-4 athletes
- Informing identification of key transition groups (yrs 12 and/or tertiary & other)
- IAPP 2 x yrs review plus monthly status updates for E1-M athletes
Personnel:
- State Institutes and Academies of Sport Biomechanists or PhD Students
Education:
- Basic education on Biomechanical principles and use of qualitative video analysis (training and competition). Basic education on kinetic and kinematic analysis of swimming. (ie 2D tracking)
Support:
- Camp support on National and State Camps
Personnel:
- Skill acquisition specialists from the National Institutes Network.
- State and National Pre-elite Coaches.
Education:
- More detailed Coach education on key principles of instruction, practice and feedback. Introduce a self-regulated learning model to coaches/athletes.
Support:
- Provide guidance on talent confirmation protocols.
Personnel:
- State Head Coaches, State Institutes and Academies of Sport Physiologists.
Education:
- Basic education on physiological capacities and methods of training.
Support:
- Laboratory and field testing of athletes: National or state camps.
- 2 x Assessment profiles per season. Testing data stored in the AMS.
10 Comps per year
Domestic:
- National, State & Regional Championships including State Team SC
- Grade & School Competitions
Purpose:
- To participate in National Championships (Long or Short Course)
Emphasis:
- Learning to develop competitive skills
Outcome:
- Review of competition performances for improvement
- National Talent Confirmation camps and follow-up activities.
SYSTEM LEADERSHIP
National:
- General Manager Performance Pathways & National Transition Coach
- Paralympic Pathway Senior Coordinator & Paralympic Mentor Coach
State:
- State Head Coach, Club Development Managers/Officers
Regional:
- Regional Development Managers/Officers
Olympic pathway programs:
- National Talent Identification Program and State Swimming Association Programs
Paralympic pathway programs:
- National Para Development Squad
- State Swimming Association Programs
Selection bodies:
- National Talent Program Selection Criteria and Policies.
- State selection criteria’s and policies
Paralympic and other policies:
- State Swimmers agreements, induction program, code of conduct, Anti-Doping Policy, Supplement Policy, Social Media, Medical & Medications Policy, athlete education.
- Athlete Education
The Safe Sport Framework (SSF) confirms the shared responsibility we all have for keeping each other safe in swimming – children and adults alike.
Find out more.
Personnel and accountability:
- State Head Coaches
Programs:
- Pre-elite Coach Personal Development (workshops, camp-based & program visit)
- SA Coaching Accreditation – Coaching Course
Focus:
- Provide direct input into and consistent adoption of best practice identification and confirmation strategies that:
- Are reliable and valid assessments
- Cover the full athlete profile and are informed by SSSM and PE expertise
- Are cognisant of an athlete’s maturational status
- Include a balanced mix of on-water and off-water assessments
- Differentiated and specific to talent transfer or talent selected athletes
- National Talent Coaches
- Mentoring from State Head Coaches
Coaching personnel:
- National Talent Coaches, Club/Program Head Coaches & Assistant Coaches
- Mentoring from State Head Coaches
Coach education:
- Swimming Australia Coach Accreditation – Performance, Advanced and Development.
RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
- Predictive power of current T1/T2 assessments.
- Refinement of current TID battery.
- Predictive power of current assessments.
- Refinement of confirmation assessments & coaches/recruiters eye.
Potential collaborative partners:
- Australian Institute of Sport and State Institutes and Academies of Sport
- National Club network
- University Network
- Technological Industry Partners
Potential themes emanating:
- Consolidation of current talent identification and confirmation strategies and fit with E2/M Athlete Profile
- Consolidation of current talent transfer TID strategies
- Consolidation of current psychological assessments
- Developing a technical skill assessment tool for swimmers with lesser influence from maturation
