A Q&A with Hall of Fame coach Dudley Duncan
If you coach club swimming for a long enough time, you will find that some names pop up time and again.
Now retired, Coach Duncan wants to pass on his lessons for success and the benefits of coaches owning their own club.
What advice would you give to an up-and-coming club coach who is interested in a lifelong career in swimming?
There are three life transitions to anticipate. a) enthusiasm and elation that comes from individual swimmers and team accomplishments which seem to happen from your coaching efforts, b) a time when compensation becomes more important so you can provide for yourself and a family, c) finally a stage of life when you weigh out the choices you made to be a coach respective to time with loved ones and / or other choices you might have made. When coaches are in their 20's they will almost work for free to feel the satisfaction / elation of guiding athletes to winning performances. The next thing you know is you have a family and what you make makes a difference. Finally, you ask yourself questions about whether you made good decisions about the odd hours in mornings, evenings and weekends spent away from family and friends. That said, one should know to simply make the most of the time you have with everybody.
What are some of the challenges that you had when you first started coaching?
My first paid coaching was in 1968. There was no information available, goggles were experimental so practices were according to eye discomfort and the sport (in my location) was undeveloped. It was necessary to make your own sense of it.
What does it mean to you to have achieved the goal of owning your own club and owning your own facility?
My feelings were freedom and some concern on the basis that: a) I was no longer subject to a changing board of directors and free from the time spent justifying my program to them every month, b) second was the wonder of whether I could actually accomplish all that was necessary to function as a coach, facility operator and business owner, c) third was whether "the team" could accomplish what my previous teams had accomplished given the maturity of teams in the market and the fact that all of the head coaches for those teams had worked for some years as assistant coaches with me. That said, my inner self felt contentment.
How did you balance the relationship as owner/operator of a club with being a coach?
I'm not sure it was well balanced. But I always tried to do the best I could do with whatever I was doing at the moment. I will say, despite the fact I said it would have been easier when I was younger, that at 56 years old I knew how to coach. In my 20's and 30's I spent as many hours planning practice sessions as I did coaching them but by the time I was 56 I could walk out of a pump room and start a practice just knowing what I wanted the swimmers to accomplish in the practice and the time of the season. And, I knew how the pool should operate since I also owned a pool management company. My big challenge was learning the details of the business, especially as it related to incorporation, taxes, insurance, property value and cash flow. I already owned another business but I had a business partner who handled those elements of the business so I had to push through that learning process as it related to my responsibilities as THE owner.
What lessons could athletes take away from your book?
There is quite a lot for club athletes as well as club coaches. There is a lot about the natural progression of swimmers as they develop from novice (10 & under) ages through age group swimming and into senior swimming. There is a chapter on "the mental game" which athletes will find interesting and helpful to them. Questions are answered concerning training progressions at different stages of human growth and development as well as competitive stages from novice to national. There is also a chapter called people and places in which I list swimmers at different places in different years who taught me "things" along the way. Some of the "things" might be interesting for athletes to realize they are teaching coaches while coaches are teaching them.
Why did you write the book?
Many people told me during my career that I should write a book. But mostly I think that club coaching is actually quite different from coaching at any other level; that is, summer league, YMCA, high school, college and professional coaching are somewhat similar as it relates to training and competition but USA club coaching is significantly different. The differences are not addressed anywhere for developing club coaches so this book is an attempt to do that. Also, there is the idea that one can own a pool and do the business. Pool properties seem like too great a financial challenge to own but it is not necessarily the case. Likewise, the time and energy commitment might seem unreasonable to most coaches. This reality might be true for some but it was not the case for me. And - I think it would have been much more reasonable for me if I had bought the property when I was 30 versus 56 years old. This book might make that possible for young coaches to envision.
What was your process for writing this book?
I first listed a) the overall thesis for the book, b) some pages of "coaching thoughts" that were in my consciousness, c) started writing on the thoughts that motivated me most. Then I started to develop some chapters based on the writing of those thoughts. The chapters were random at first but later it seemed like I could place them in some order based on the information that was coming out of my mind. I left the book for almost two years, but in the fall of 2021, I decided to move to Vero Beach, FL and made the decision I would finish the book when I got into the new house - which I did. I wrote it in word, not knowing (at all) what format to use, and I still don't know if it was right or good. I think the information is good but (for example) I don't even have page numbers. I still need to make decisions about pictures. I saw that CG Sports had a publishing element so I made the contact and here we are.
Who (or what) motivated you throughout your coaching career?
Swimmers! Without a doubt. They were always the source of continuity regardless of when or where I was coaching. I went back to college after 4 years in the Air Force. I knew what I wanted to do then and I was ready for an education that would help me to be good at coaching. I also coached while I was in college; therefore, I was using much of what I was learning. I had two professors who were instrumental to that learning. Mel Williams (physiology of exercise) and Gerry George (kinesiology) were authors in their respective fields and wonderful teachers. For most of my life, I have had an ability to be present in a given moment such that I have not been distracted by past mistakes made or worry about future results. I believe that quality has been one which sustained me. I thank God for that.
The Art of Swimming and the Game of Racing: Reflections of a USA Club Swimming Coach will be released from CG Sports Publishing on May 9, 2023!