When is the Course?
3-5 October 2023
Where is the Course?
Jadran, 79 Njegoševa, Herceg - Novi, Montenegro
PVK Jadran - the world’s most iconic waterpolo pool!
How much does it cost?
Our early bird pricing is 550 EUR - exclusive of food, travel, transfers and accommodation. Valid for all applications received before 14 July 2023.
Where will we be staying?
Hunguest Hotel Sun Resort - a short 12 min walk from the Jadran PVK pool (complete with it's own 25m pool) - rooms are on hold for us at a special rate of 55 EUR for a single and 80 EUR for a double for the evenings of 3 and 4 October 2023.
When will you accept entries until?
Entries will be accepted until 31 August 2023. We have limited spaces on the course and will be confirming places with those who've made successful applications prior to 14 July 2023. If there are still places available beyond this point, we will consider them per our standard application process.
Please note - our application process is NOT on a first-come, first-served basis, but based on the quality of your application and suitability for our program (see below).
What will we be covering in the 3 days? What skills will we be getting?
Day 1 - each coach will be filmed and have their strokes expertly analysed by Paul Newsome, whilst deep-diving into the equipment and methods required from filming, building rapport, analysing and subsequent stroke correction. Much of our Technique theoretical concepts and methodology will be run through, including Swim Types on this first day, including a live video analysis session with a swimmer of either strong ability, or developing.
Day 2 - each coach will have the opportunity to run through our CSS testing protocols as well as a full Stroke Rate Ramp Test for up to 4 selected coaches (the other coaches will assist in the assessment - each aspect has plenty of value and insight). We'll run through aspects of how to improve your own swim coaching business and round out the day with a Speed Coaching analysis session with some stock footage and a further live video analysis session with a swimmer of contrasting ability to whomever we see on Day 1.
Day 3 - chance to put it all into practice as we run through a 1-day Swim Smooth Clinic with some ‘live’ swimmers, giving you chance to test and refine the skills you have learned on Day 1, under the full guidance of Head Coach, Paul Newsome.
Is there any certificate from this course?
A certificate of attendance will be provided (which many have used for continuing education merit points with their respective governing bodies), though the course will NOT leave you with a full Swim Smooth Coach certification, though it is the first-step in that pathway.
What type of athletes will I be able to coach after completing the certificate?
We will do our best to ensure that we get chance to work with as wide a range of swimmers and triathletes as we possibly can on this course, with the focus being on those swimming distance (endurance) freestyle in the pool and open water. It is unlikely that we will work with pure Learn-2-Swim swimmers, though we will provide access to some remote learning for this type of swimmer post-event should you need it.
Will you cover other strokes (Back, fly?)
No. This is not a focus of our program. That said, Paul Newsome is an avid Individual Medley swimmer, so there will be plenty of Q&A time to quiz him on this.
How is this course getting us closer to being a Swim Smooth Coach? What is the journey to getting there?
We uphold a very high standard of coaching to become a Swim Smooth Coach, with selection being based on three factors:
values
experience
location
There are three stages to becoming a Swim Smooth Coach:
Be selected for the 3-day Course
From your attendance on the 3-day Course, be selected - based on your values and suitability as a Swim Smooth Coach - to attend one of our global training facilities (historically this has been Perth) for further onsite training (historically this has been for 2 weeks, but our improved processes will see this being completed in 7-10 days going forwards - TBC)
Receive additional mentoring to assist you through the assessment phases (which typically takes ~3 months)
What are the benefits of being a Swim Smooth Coach?
Being a Swim Smooth Coach is being part of a family of like-minded, high-quality coaches who are willing and able to share and mentor new coaches in our grand vision of democratising access to the methodology we have created. You're playing as part of a team when you are part of our coaching collective, as opposed to having to operate independently. We meet monthly for team calls and webinars to chew the fat and bring you up to speed with our latest trainings.
All our Swim Smooth Coaches represent the very highest level of coaching service that we offer. They are promoted widely to our very large database and feature widely in our promotional activities - YouTube, social media, our blog, our podcast, in magazines etc.
All Swim Smooth Coaches receive access to exclusive Swim Smooth materials to allow them to deliver their own coaching services better, and new for 2023, each Swim Smooth Coach will be able to receive a 20% profit share on sales of the Swim Smooth Guru (for the life of that subscription) to offer an additional revenue stream and help offset the annual license fee of $3,500 Australian Dollars.
What is the pre-requirement for the course? Own swimming skills? Experience with athletes virtually / in the pool?
For the course, we select coaches based on two primary factors - their synchronicity with our core values and vision for the program, and their experience as a coach. Someone DOES NOT need to be a high-flying coach to attend the course, but should be able to demonstrate a commitment to taking their coaching further, i.e. maybe you're ‘just’ volunteer coaching at your local club at the moment, but are enthused with how you can use these skills to benefit your local community. As such we have a wide variety of experience levels attend the 3-day Course, with selection weighing heavily on alignment with our core values and vision. We HAVE knocked back coaches in the past of very high calibre but whom showed literal true interest in developing further as a coach (i.e. they were just there to tick a box or collect a ‘badge’).
To become a full Swim Smooth Coach, experience obviously becomes more of a priority, but through the mentoring and assessment process between then and now, this can be achieved OR additional training provided along the way. Location also becomes a factor too, as we will assess strategically where ‘gaps’ or ‘conflicts’ might lie with existing Swim Smooth Coaches. That said, in our refreshed commitment in 2023 and beyond to growing a wider and deeper network of Swim Smooth Coaches, using our core group of 30 current coaches to educate and mentor and each seeking assistant coaches too, this is ever-evolving and will always be considered on a case-by-case basis.
How does it differ to your new online 7-day Video Analysis “Bootcamp”?
The Bootcamp (see here for details and registration) is an online/remote learning program that has content drip-fed over a period of 7 days focusing specifically on how to do Video Analysis.
It covers the equipment required and the basics of up-skilling you to deliver one of these sessions.
It does not cover the deeper, nuanced aspects of stroke correction, squad coaching, running a successful swim coaching business and the practical aspects of having your own stroke assessed and then live analysis sessions with other swimmers that the 3-day course features.
The Bootcamp is just $247 (USD, or €229) vs the 3-day Course which has the early-bird offer of 550 EUR (until 14 July 2023).
The two courses serve very different purposes - if you want up-skilling remotely on a budget, the Bootcamp is likely for you. If you value face-2-face direct mentoring and the networking that this encourages, then the 3-day Course in Montenegro is for you. Equally, if you are considering becoming a Swim Smooth Coach, then the 3-day Course is a pre-requisite for that, whereas the Bootcamp is a separate ‘stand-alone’ product to that pathway.
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Getting There
The easiest way to get to Herceg Novi, Montenegro is via Dubrovnik aiport in Croatia. A 1.5hr transfer by road will cost €70-100.
Other airport options include Tivat and Podgorica.
Where to Stay
We recommend the Hunguest Sunresort in Herceg Novi.
Contact
Drop us an email with any additional queries.