Sports
The Role of Inclusion and Mutual Respect in Swim Teams
Alexandre Indiani discusses the importance of integrating new swimmers, fostering teamwork, and maintaining poolside discipline.
Speaking on Natação Stemma, coach Alexandre Indiani highlights why welcoming new athletes and fostering mutual respect are vital pillars of athletic development. The coach shares personal experiences and team-building dynamics that strengthen team spirit.
The dynamics within a swim team extend far beyond the sets written on the whiteboard and the times clocked on the stopwatch. For coach Alexandre Indiani, the social atmosphere around the pool deck is crucial for athlete retention and development, making welcoming newcomers and showing mutual respect non-negotiable standards of daily work.
PUBLICIDADE (GAM) — 1250x250
Welcoming newcomers: A lesson learned from personal experience
Indiani recalls that during his days as a competitive swimmer in the 1980s, he experienced firsthand the challenges of switching clubs and struggling to fit in. Back then, acceptance within a group often came only after delivering standout race results—a cold environment where swimmers simply trained, packed their gear, and left. Upon transitioning into coaching, he turned that frustration into an active philosophy: consistently demanding that his swimmers warmly welcome any new teammate.
The impact of this barrier is very real in youth sports. During the conversation, co-host Wanderley Santos shared the story of his own daughter, who set internal club records in backstroke events but ended up leaving the sport prematurely due to the lack of warmth and the cold team environment at her club.
Respect as a non-negotiable team foundation
For Indiani, building a healthy group does not mean forcing deep friendships among every member, but establishing a clear foundation of respect. Regardless of personal affinity, everyone wears the same cap and represents the same team in the water.
The coach frequently reminds young athletes about the highs and lows of competitive sports: good and bad phases come and go, and no one is immune to performance slumps. Those who are on top today may need support tomorrow. This collective awareness is nurtured through daily habits, such as partner drills and high-fiving lane mates after grueling sets.
Team challenges and technical integrity
Another method used to unite the team is collective challenges. Indiani and Santos highlighted dynamics where a single athlete takes on the responsibility of hitting a target time in a solo time trial to spare the entire group from a tough set. Indiani shared a recent example where a swimmer attempted to break 1:47 in a 200m freestyle set with paddles and fins; the swimmer touched the wall at 1:47.02, and the rule was upheld with good humor and discipline: a celebration for a great effort, an easy cool-down, and a return to the planned workout.
This educational mindset also shapes workout design. Indiani refuses to use long butterfly sets or exhausting yardage as disciplinary punishment. In his view, pushing swimmers to the point where their stroke mechanics deteriorate offers zero technical value and only breeds psychological aversion to the stroke, undermining the core mission of youth athletic development.
PUBLICIDADE (GAM) — 1250x250
