Davidson – Swim coaches need to be more diciplined

National coach of the Grenada swim team Michael Davidson is of the view that local swimming coaches should be more disciplined.{{more}}

Davidson, who was in St. Vincent for a one week swim clinic, told SEARCHLIGHT that one of the things he observed is the lack of discipline by local swimmers.

“One of the first things I observed immediately is that these swimmers lack endurance…

“What I would like to see is that the coaches here take the sport more seriously, and let these young swimmers do more work,” Davison said.

Comparing Vincentian swimmers to those of other OECS countries, Davidson said that from his observation, the problem lies with the amount of work the swimmers do.

“In Grenada or St. Lucia, you’ll see swimmers swimming 4 to 5 days a week, and sometimes swimming from 6,000 to 7,000 yards. You’ll also see swimmers waking up at 5:00 am and heading to the pools before they head to work or school and still in the evening, head back to the pools to do more swimming…”

According to Davidson, in order to improve, swimming here needs to be more disciplined among the coaches first, “then they can pass it on to the swimmers.”

“I think in St. Vincent they have the talent, but it’s just to get the discipline and work done,” he added.

With regard to the swim clinic, Davison noted that the reception from the swimmers was good.

13 participants from the age group 11 to 14 years were involved in the clinic that was held at the Shewsbury House pool at Ratho Mill.

“The response from the young swimmers was good. They stuck to their work and also completed the workouts, and that is important.

“They are not accustomed swimming these long yards, but they did it well,” the Grenadian swim coach said.

Some of the areas covered during the clinic included mental preparation, technical development and endurance.

Davidson’s visit here was made possible through the collaborated efforts of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Swimming Association and the National Olympic Committee.

The aim of the swimming sessions, which ran from Friday, December 16, to Tuesday, December 20, was to improve the skills of the local swimmers who compete in swim events, locally, regionally or internationally.