3 success tips from swimming’s ‘mad scientist’ David Marsh
Swim coach David Marsh knows a few things about achievement.
He took over as head swim coach at Auburn in 1990 and went on to become one of the sport’s winningest coaches. In 2007, he moved to Charlotte to become CEO of SwimMAC Carolina where he coaches Ryan Lochte and other world-class athletes.
(1) Vision. Marsh says peak performance only happens when you picture the goal with such intensity that it’s like “lasers firing out of your eyes.”
Most people have a general idea of where they want to go, but extreme passion is “very uncommon.”
Don’t let swimmer Kirsty Coventry fool you. She seems mild-mannered but he’s blown away by her intense gaze during practice.
Hey @DeAngeloRB 35 pound Turkish Getup. Stepping it up with @AthleteByDesign Hope you working hard? pic.twitter.com/4Ta5Zfh1ib
— Kirsty Coventry (@KirstyCoventry) May 11, 2015
(2) Structure. Marsh says it’s important to balance science and metrics with creativity and relationships.
As a coach, he looks for ways to amplify the unique qualities of each athlete within the system.
Often those quirks are what makes people great. Marsh’s inventiveness is why Cullen Jones calls him a “mad scientist.”
Narrow freestyle + Teamwork @annabahama @CullenJones @mark_weber18 @Katie_Meili @timphil1 @swimmacc @SwimMacElite pic.twitter.com/zskx89cKkE — David Marsh (@dmswimmac) April 20, 2015
(3) Commitment. Commitment to the process is more important than commitment to the outcome.
It’s about working hard when nobody’s watching. It’s crucial, Marsh says, to find an edge over the competition.
For swimmers, sometimes that edge is simply surviving the schedule.
A video posted by Cullen Jones (@cullenjones) on May 11, 2015 at 8:41am PDT
Photos: Jeff Siner/Charlotte Observer; Chris Coduto/Getty Images
Doug Miller is deputy city editor at the Charlotte Observer and a swimmer. Follow him @dougobserver.
This story was originally published May 11, 2015 at 11:07 PM with the headline "3 success tips from swimming’s ‘mad scientist’ David Marsh."