Achieve Special Olympics Success with These 6 Coaching Tips

We’re thrilled to have some of our amazing athletes participating in the upcoming Special Olympics! While many of our swimmers are comfortable in a pool environment, competing in a large event like this can bring new challenges. Ailene Tisser, our Physical Therapist and Head Swim Coach, has some fantastic tips to help prepare our athletes for success. These strategies focus on managing sensory input, understanding competition flow, and practicing key race elements – all designed to ensure a positive and empowering experience for our swimmers at the Special Olympics!

Ready, Set, Special Olympics!

To help your athlete get pre-competition ready, we have 6 unbeatable tips that will be a game-changer for swimmers with disabilities. These tips will help if you are coaching Special Olympics swimming or for parents who are preparing their child for the Special Olympics or a swim meet.

Empower your athletes and achieve Special Olympics success with these 6 coaching tips:

  • Prepare Your Swimmers with a Visual Schedule
    Visit the pool before the event to take photos of the pool, the waiting areas for the games, changing areas, the building and how to navigate it, as well as the sound equipment (i.e. Starting Horn, Whistles etc). Use these photos to create a visual schedule for your athletes.

    Talk about how they will wait outside in the staging area, then inside as they move to different sitting areas on the pool deck, until they get to sit at the lane prior their event starting. They will hear a horn as the signal to start, so make sure they know this and are ok with that sound.

  • Bring Fidget Toys
    Many of our swimmers have never competed in this type of event. There is a lot of waiting and a lot of noise. Prepare your swimmer with something they can fidget with, or hold while they wait. There are multiple staging areas where they need to sit and the waiting can be hard.
  • Practice Climbing Out of the Pool After their Race
    Many of us have hour long practices where we work on multiple skills, for multiple laps. When our swimmers get to the Special Olympics, they race for possibly one lap then they need to immediately get out. This can be very hard for swimmers that want to stay in the water and swim awhile, especially after waiting so long to finally get in the pool.
  • Consider Your Swimmers’ Strength and Ability to Get In and Out of the Water Quickly
    You may want them in the first lane near the ladder. Some of our swimmers may not comfortably like to go underwater. What happens if they cannot climb out at the side of the pool when the race is over and cannot swim under the lane line to get to the ladder? Think about this ahead of time and make any requests to the organizers as early as possible. Be sure to review the “heat sheet” prior to race day and note if your swimmer needs a lane near the ladder.
  • Teach Swimmers the Swim Meet Rules
    What if a swimmer doesn’t’ touch the wall at start and stop? This is one of the most important rules so they don’t get disqualified. They cannot stand up in the middle of a lap, and they need to touch the side at the end of the race. Make up your own catchy tune and practice singing it with your swimmer to help them remember. “Swim really fast when the horn will blow, and touch the wall when coach says so”.
  • Visualize the Race
    Lastly, give your swimmer a strong visual understanding of the competition. Have them watch a video of a race in the stroke they’ll be competing in. It could even be a video of them practicing their stroke! Powerful learning happens by watching a video helping them to understand what is required like making big arm movements, swimming fast and touching the wall at the end of each lap. Ask parents to watch the video with their athlete, and to talk about these important points to solidify their understanding and build confidence for race day.

Inclusion in Aquatics

Creating a positive swim practice environment is important to empower swimmers of all abilities. Coaches can develop a comprehensive approach to preparing swimmers with disabilities for swim meets and the Special Olympics by using a range of resources such as the Special Olympics Coaching Guide and the Swim Angelfish Coaching Tips.

The Special Olympics guide is a fantastic resource for understanding competition rules, modifications, and strategies for motivating athletes. Meanwhile, Swim Angelfish’s coaching philosophy emphasizes clear communication techniques that benefit swimmers with ADHD, Anxiety, Down Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). These same techniques, like visual aids and consistent routines, can be incredibly helpful for swimmers facing a wider range of challenges.

Modifications for Special Olympics swimming are crucial to ensure a positive and empowering experience for your athlete. Our time-tested Swim Whisperers® methodology provides strategies and techniques to adapt your coaching to each swimmer’s unique needs. Learn how to overcome roadblocks, foster confidence, improve technique, and celebrate personal bests at every level.

By incorporating elements from both guides and the adaptive Swim Whisperers® method, coaches can ensure their practices are truly inclusive, fostering a love of swimming and setting all athletes up for success.

Helping Your Child Manage Emotions at Competitions

Pre-race nerves are a normal part of competition for any swimmer! We know it’s important to help your child manage these emotions. First, acknowledge their feelings and remind them that even the best swimmers experience some anxiety before a race. Practice relaxation techniques like deep breathing or visualization exercises together.

Competition isn’t just about winning – it’s about personal bests and celebrating improvement! After each race, focus on the positive aspects of their performance, regardless of placement. Was their stroke looking smooth? Did they achieve a personal best time? Encourage them to set realistic goals for themselves and celebrate reaching those goals.

For swimmers with special needs or sensory sensitivities, creating a calm and familiar routine can be key. Bring familiar comfort items like a favorite stuffed animal or fidget toy. Allow extra time for bathroom breaks and sensory breaks if needed. Snacks can also be helpful to maintain energy levels during a long competition day.

A Smooth In-Water Finish

Preparing your Special Olympics athlete sets them up for a successful and rewarding competition experience. By incorporating these tips and utilizing the suggested resources, you can help your swimmer navigate the emotions of competition, manage sensory challenges, and achieve their personal best.

As each Special Olympics swimmer embarks on their unique journey, let’s dive into this season as a TEAM. Together Everyone Achieves More and we can build a wave of inclusion in aquatics, where every victory, big or small, is celebrated.

Ailene Tisser, MA, PT, Founder

Ailene is a pediatric Physical Therapist with more than 25 years of experience treating a variety of diagnoses, both in and out of the water. She is NDT (Neuro-Developmental Treatment) trained in pediatrics and is trained in DIR/Floortime. She is currently certified as an Autism Specialist by IBCCES. Ailene brings all of her Physical Therapy expertise into the water, where she helps children of all abilities feel safe, confident, and independent. She combines her passion and skill for working with children with special needs with the therapeutic properties of the water to achieve amazing results. She enjoys sharing her knowledge and experience by educating other Aquatic Professionals so that they can also make a significant impact on the lives of swimmers with special needs.

Cindy Freedman, MOTR, Founder

Cindy is a recreational therapist and an Occupational therapist. After working for ten years as a recreational therapist in a variety of settings, she pursued a Master’s degree in OT. Her career as an OT includes specialty training in sensory integration, reflex repatterning, and aquatics. She is currently certified as an Autism Specialist by IBCCES. As a swimmer and national champion diver, Her love of the water combined with her education and work experience created them an opportunity for Swim Angelfish to become a reality! “Our mission is to create an aquatic community of trained instructors so that together we can decrease the alarming statistic of drowning being the leading cause of death for children with special needs.”