E30 Ross Nicholas, from Swimmer to Coach to National Performance Director for Swim Wales
5/1/202650 min
In this in-depth interview we were joined by Ross Nicholas, the National Performance Director of Swim Wales. He discusses with us the importance of system-wide athlete development, innovative coaching principles, and the role of competitions like the Commonwealth Games in nurturing talent.
This episode offers valuable insights for coaches, athletes, and sports administrators aiming to elevate their performance and support pathways. We explored a range of areas including key topics such as,
- System-wide athlete development in swimming
- Coaching principles for technical and physiological growth
- The impact of competitions like the Commonwealth Games
- Supporting isolated or remote athletes and clubs
- Lessons from other sports and innovative approaches
You can connect with Ross on Linked: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ross-nicholas-70b09712a/
Don't forget we have a wide range of resources on our coaching website including recommend books, podcasts and links to our CPDs. You can also sign up for our free wellbeing check in there too. https://aprace.club/pages/coaches-community
For coaches looking to explore AP Race Plus, our club support platform that offers digital access to world class information for swimmers, parents and coaches, please email the team via and we will be able to help support club, big or small, wherever you are located. You can also get a feel for the platform via our website here: https://plus.aprace.club/
Contact us directly via coaches@aprace.club
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsRoss Nicholas· Guest0:02
One, two, three, four.
Kevin Pickard· Host0:05
Welcome to The Coaches Lane, the podcast brought to you by AP Race. AP Race was co-founded by triple Olympic champion Adam Peaty, and his former training partner, Ed Baxter, with the aim of revolutionizing swimming for everyone involved, whether you are a swimmer, a parent, a coach, or a swimming fan. The aim of this podcast will be to tap into the lived experiences of our guests, as well as ourselves as hosts, and bring together coaches from all around the world to share their experiences, knowledge and guidance. My name is Kevin Pickard, and I'll be co-hosting the show with Ash Morris. We have both worked across a range of environments, and we'll be asking both our own and your questions to our guests. As well as speaking to coaches, we will be inviting in other professionals, including athletes, sports science practitioners, and more, all with the aim of helping you on your coaching journey to become better than yesterday. We have a whole host of resources to share with coaches, including wellbeing support, monthly online calls, and CPD opportunities. Please check out the show notes to find out more. We are also pleased to share that our club support platform, AP Race Plus, is now live, which includes world-class content targeting swimmer and parent support, covering swimming content, nutrition for both training and race day, psychology, land training, and lots more. Again, please head to the show notes to find out more. And if