Fire, Water, and Trust

Below is one of my favorite parables. It is simple, yet hugely impactful.

While coaches may be tempted to share this message with their team, and I encourage you to do so, I would also suggest that coaches might want to consider how the message might apply to their own practice.

Trust works both ways, and when swimmers no longer trust their coach, the problems can be insurmountable. Sometimes, it doesn’t take much.

Once upon a time, Fire, Water, and Trust were walking in the woods. They started talking about what they would do if they got separated.

Fire said, “Look for the smoke, that’s where I’ll be.”

Water said, “Look for the green grass and flowers, that’s where I’ll be.”

Trust said, “You’d better not lose me because if you lose me, you might never get me back again.

Trust is the foundation of effective coaching.