Sports
Rules and Routine in Swimming: Alexandre Indiani's Method
Coach Alexandre Indiani explains how punctuality, boundaries, and training rituals prepare athletes for life beyond the pool.
Far beyond times on a stopwatch, building a solid swim team requires discipline, clear routines, and daily commitment. Coach Alexandre Indiani shares how he structures practices and uses sports as a life education tool.
In high-performance sports, individual talent rarely sustains itself without a solid foundation of discipline and group cohesion. For veteran coach Alexandre Indiani, building a consistent team begins long before swimmers jump into the water: it relies on non-negotiable rules, strict punctuality, and a routine that instills accountability.
PUBLICIDADE (GAM) — 1250x250
Leading by example and the math of attendance
For Indiani, poolside leadership demands setting the standard. The coach notes that he never allows himself to be late and usually arrives at the club 30 to 50 minutes before activities begin. This demand for punctuality directly extends to tracking athlete attendance. In a competitive program of six to nine weekly sessions, missing two or three practices undermines the entire technical and physiological development cycle mapped out by the coaching staff.
To keep the team focused and healthy, two priorities are treated as fundamental: preserving health to handle the workload and maintaining daily consistency to fulfill the planned athletic program.
The precise routine before entering the water
Within the method applied by Indiani, practice begins with a well-defined ritual. Upon arrival, the athlete's first obligation is to fill their water bottle. Next, the swimmers perform dryland activation in the bleachers following exact clock times.
Once activation is complete, the group gathers at the edge of the pool for exactly three minutes of guided breathing exercises. After breathing drills wrap up, athletes have two minutes to put on their training suits and get in the water. This timed dynamic eliminates distractions and teaches athletes to value every fraction of a second.
Smartphones, boundaries, and life lessons
Organizing the training environment also serves as an antidote to modern distractions. Indiani points out that he does not advocate for a total ban on devices like smartphones, but emphasizes the need for clear boundaries to prevent precious minutes of focus and rest from being squandered without control.
Competitive swimming is temporary, but the values absorbed over years of training—such as honoring commitments, respecting schedules, and maintaining consistency—remain permanently in each young person's personal and professional life.
The coach's role: persistence and accountability
Building this team culture is an ongoing process that demands patience and repetition from the coaching staff. Dealing with individuals from different backgrounds and personalities, it is up to the coach to reiterate guidelines dozens of times until they become ingrained habits.
For Indiani, the greatest sign of caring for an athlete is continuous accountability. The day the coaching staff stops correcting a swimmer's posture, punctuality, or behavior is the moment they have lost their place on the team.
PUBLICIDADE (GAM) — 1250x250
