Developing race‑winning skills is essential.

 

The hard part is helping coaches do it well with:

 

• Real swimmers, real group sizes, and real time constraints

• Conflicting information about which skills really matter

• Conflicting information about how to develop those skills

• The pressure to still train hard and prepare for competition

 

Many programs rely on each coach figuring it out on their own.

 

Some do a great job. Many are inconsistent.

And it’s hard to get everyone on the same page without giving them a clear framework and practical tools.

 

That’s where coach development comes in.

 

What I Help Coaches With

 

Whether it’s a club staff, a regional clinic, or a federation conference, my work focuses on one core aim:

 

Help coaches develop skills more effectively in their real training environments.

 

Common topics include:

 

• Identifying the skills that actually drive speed in each stroke and event

• Using task design and constraints, not just instruction, to improve skills in groups

• Building skills at speed and under fatigue, not only in warm‑up

• Integrating skill development into weekly and seasonal plans

• Designing benchmarks and progressions so coaches know if their work is effective

 

The goal is always the same:

Make the practices coaches already write more effective at helping swimmers learn the skills they need to swim fast, without turning every session into a technique clinic.

 

Formats

 

Coach development can take many forms, depending on what you need:

 

Club/program staff development

 

• In‑person or virtual sessions with your coaching staff

• Focused on your swimmers, your structure, and your constraints

• Can be one‑off workshops or part of a longer‑term project

 

Clinics and workshops

 

• Single‑ or multi‑session events for coaches in a region or league

• Practical sessions on task design, skill systems, and integrating skills into training

 

Conferences and federation events

 

• Talks and sessions for national or international audiences

• Topic selection and depth tailored to your coach education goals

• Can be combined with follow‑up virtual sessions or resources

 

Coach education projects

 

• Helping organizations design or refine their own skill development frameworks and materials

• Support for courses, modules, or resources that need a clear, skill‑based approach

 

If you’re not sure which format makes sense, that’s fine. We can figure it out together.

 

Who This Is For

 

This work is a good fit for:

 

• Clubs and schools that want their coaches aligned around a shared approach to skill development

• Organizations and leagues that want to offer practical, useful education to their coaches

• Federations and national governing bodies that want to improve how skills are taught across their systems

 

If you want your coaches to move beyond “more drills” and “more cues,” and toward designing better tasks and practices, this is for you.

 

Why Work With Me

 

• Author of A Constraints‑Led Approach to Swim Coaching (Routledge), focused specifically on how to develop skills in real training environments.

• Built full skill development systems for the multiple USA Swimming Club Excellence recipients, including a Gold Medal club.

• Created the skill development frameworks for World Aquatics Swimming Coach Development courses.

• Worked with coaches from age‑group to international level who want to improve how they develop skills.

 

My focus is always the same: practical tools and frameworks that coaches can use on deck the next day.

 

How We Can Work Together

 

Because needs vary— from a 60‑minute virtual session with a small staff to multiple days at an international conference—there is no one fixed format or fee.

 

Instead, we start with a conversation:

 

1. You contact me and tell me:

 

Who your coaches are (club, region, federation, etc.)

What you want them to learn or be able to do better

The format you’re considering (staff session, clinic, conference, course, etc.)

 

2. I’ll respond with:

 

A few concrete ideas for topics and formats that fit your goals

What preparation and support I can provide

A clear proposal if it makes sense to move forward

 

From there, we decide together whether it’s a good fit.

 

Next Step

 

If you’d like to explore coach development for your club, organization, or federation:

 

• Use the contact form below, or

• Email me directly at andrew@andrewsheaffcoaching.com with “Coach Development” in the subject line.

 

 

 

 

Please include a short description of:

 

• Who the coaches are

• What you’re hoping they’ll get from the session(s)

• Any dates or events you already have in mind

 

I’ll get back to you with ideas, and we’ll see what makes the most sense.

 

Keep it simple…

 

Andrew