ROAR Ingredients the recipe for Para-Swimming success

25 Jun 2018

British Para-Swimming has launched a new Athlete Development Framework, ROAR Ingredients, aimed at putting athletes at the centre of their own development by working with parents and coaches.

The plan has come together over the last 12 months with support from the UK Sport Pathway Team. It is the first individual para-sport in the UK to launch such an initiative, which will aims to bring greater transparency around personal athlete development.

Using psycho-social elements of development, the framework aims to complement sport specific technical and tactical elements, and will aim to create the best possible environment for swimmers to grow as athletes and people.

The plan consulted with able-bodied swimming and will be rolled out across the academy, podium potential and podium programmes, with four pillars of focus:

  • Willing to Train
  • Owning Your Performance
  • Training to Perform
  • Experience to Perform

Craig Nicholson, Performance Pathway Manager of British Para-Swimming said: “ The ROAR ingredients has been a team effort in its development, with contributions from coaches, practitioners, Home Nations leads and industry experts in the area of athletic development. I am looking forward to seeing the team around each para-swimmer bring this to life and using it every day.

“This isn’t about telling coaches and athletes how to do things, it’s about engaging the coaches and swimmers and encouraging them to think about how they can work together to demonstrate the attributes we believe are key in the development of para-swimmers.”

Chris Furber, National Performance Director of British Para-Swimming, added: “The vision of the British Para-Swimming Programme is to consistently be the best performing nation at the Paralympic games, and it is this vision that inspires both staff and athletes to learn and develop every day.

“An essential part of preparing for a Paralympic Games or any major competition is to be able to identify both your current strengths and also where your opportunities to development might come from. Once this picture is clear you can ensure you focus on the correct components and engage the right support.

“Equally exciting is that ROAR Ingredients can be used as a tool for life, helping Para-Swimmers to really understand some of the transferable skills they are able to develop during their sporting journey, which they can utilise long after they inevitably transition away from competitive swimming.”

To see the presentation shown to athletes, coaches and parents, click here.