“Everybody is so different, but he knows how to treat each person the right way. I don’t know how you do that when you literally have a bunch of swimmers that are totally mentally different, but somehow you know how to treat every single one of them the right way. It’s pretty cool.”
Melanie Margalis on Jack Bauerle from Swim Swam
Positive Charting is a method for increasing the number of “right things” that your swimmers do. As a coach, you may tend to think it’s your job to find things that are done incorrectly and improve them. But it’s equally important to find things that are being done correctly and to reinforce them so swimmers will continue doing them.
Click below to download the Positive Charting Directions and Form, then follow the steps below.
- Write the name of each swimmer on the Positive Charting form. If there’s a specific action you want to look for, write it in the space marked “Look for.”
- When you see a swimmer doing something positive, jot a note under their name. Remember to look for team-building behaviors as well as physical actions.
- Record about the same number of comments for each team member. You may have to look harder with some kids, but try to have 3-5 comments for each.
- Be honest! Don’t make something up that’s not true.
- At your next practice, start with a team meeting in which you talk about each swimmer’s positives for 30 seconds with the whole team.
- Enjoy the positive energy of your team during practice. That’s your payoff!