Coaching Art & Science

One key to being an effective coach is maintaining a balance between art and science. In today’s world where we can measure so much more than ever before in terms of competition and training monitoring it is tempting to tip the scale toward the science. I keep reminding myself that just because you can measure something does not mean that is meaningful. Science can only get us so far, it is how it is applied and interpreted that matters. Australian swim coach Bill Sweetenham put it quite well: “Science is only useful if it makes the coach a better artist.” The challenge for coaches then is have science serve us to make the athlete better; we should never be a slave to science. Know the science but more important know yourself and your athletes. There is no doubt in my mind based on what I have seen over the years that ultimately it comes down to who is the best artist but without the science the colors in the picture may not blend as well. Winston Churchill said it best: “Science should be on tap not on top.”