Oct. 30, 2015
By Michele Jaroszewski, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - As the season continues, the men's and women's swimming and diving teams are working hard to reach their goal of participating in the 2016 NCAA Championships. With the guidance of head coach Tim Murphy, the Nittany Lions are poised to have another record-breaking year.
Since Murphy joined the program in August 2013, the Nittany Lions have grown in each season. His first campaign with the Lions included a total of 20 records that were broken within the program and 19 swimmers in the 2014 NCAA Championships.
Heading into the bulk of the team's 2015-16 season, the head coach opened up about coaching philosophies and how his techniques look to improve the teams' performances. His inspirations and goals are just a small part as to what drives the team to success.
Q: What is behind your "step-by-step" coaching philosophy and getting to that next step?
Murphy: "The beginning of the season is really about developing a skill set and that's from a technical standpoint of knowing what you are doing to create speed or maintain speed from a developing capacity standpoint, in terms of a skill set in the way that you train.
"We have specific objectives, on specific days. There is always a technical component, there's always a methodology to the main set, and there's always a speed component. Sometimes that speed component is developing maximum speed, and some of it's maintaining your stroke at different speeds."
"We really try to put the first part of the season together developing capacities in the different types of training that we do, developing speed at the different capacities and control in different capacities. The back half of the season comes more about putting those pieces of the puzzle together.
"We spend a fair amount of time in the beginning of the season getting them to do things a certain way. Then, adding the volume to that. You have to have those pieces of the puzzle in order to put them together.
"From a team standpoint, the team dynamic is something that when you get it right, it is powerful. When you get it wrong it kind of lets the air out of the balloon.
"As we go along, each individual has a responsibility. When they show up to work out, they show up to deck, they interact with their teammates both in the pool [and] out of the pool; it's based on the values that their presence has to make the people around them better.
"There is both a responsibility there, a commitment there, and really a focus of doing things in a certain way that create an environment that is very competitive, very challenging. But has a level of respect and support within that. The way we go about doing things as a team and the way they go about doing things individually makes everybody better.
"The philosophy is to create an environment that's going to exceed or [maximize] that intensity for when we want to put it all together. Doing that in a step-by-step process. It's a lot of work, it's a lot of time, but we just got to make it count."
Q: What are your thoughts on the physical aspects of coaching versus the mental aspects?
Murphy: "You can't really ignore either one. You have to develop the physical components; it's all about going faster. The mental part, we talk a lot in practice about putting yourself in a race. So that they are connecting with what they are going to have when the races go up: the intensity, the excitement, [and] the environment.
"Not every practice, but their level of focus has to be such that. Six weeks from now, they are not the same swimmer. They develop technically in the water about the way they go about doing their strokes, understanding their tendencies; their strengths and their weaknesses.
"There has to be a level of focus that matches with the intensity. [That way] when we get to our competitions, we can kind of relax a bit, as opposed to trying to step it up. Usually when you're a little relaxed, you perform a little bit better. It doesn't mean that you're not intense, and your not focused, it just means that you try to find that zone where you're performing and not just trying to do too much."
Q: Who and what are your coaching inspirations?
Murphy: "First, I'm inspired by any athlete that I have in the water on a daily basis. They've told me that they want to do big things, they told me they want to be a part of this program and value what we are trying to do here. Their actions demonstrate that [at practice.]
"I know how [badly] they want to swim fast, I know how [badly] they want to beat people. That is jet fuel for me. I don't need caffeine in my coffee or anything else to get me going.
"I've been extremely fortunate to have worked with awesome teachers and coaches at every level. From people who teach you to learn how to swim, summer club, high school, YMCA, USA swimming, and Olympic swimming.
"I start with my summer club coach who told me I should go out for the swim team. It was probably because of her that motivated me to do that. The educators I had at West Chester University, and the mentors that I've had; if I could bring a little bit of them on deck with me every day, then I'll probably end up doing a good job.
"I try to honor them every day by walking out on deck, and doing the kinds of things that they taught me how to do. Then keeping my education going, so that I continue to learn from the other coaches that I work with."
Q: What is the main thing you have learned as a coach over the years?
Murphy: "I've learned that what's most important is what's in front of me. What I'm doing with the team, small group, or individual on a daily basis; I've learned that it's the students and the athletes [that are] what's most important. It's not what I know, it's what I am able to teach.
"I continue to learn that there are things that I still don't know. I continue to learn that there are things that I didn't know, I didn't know. I'm fortunate to have a relationship with coaches that are both younger than my age and a lot older than me so that if I needed to get on the phone and make a call to ask them something, they would give me their thoughts.
"I think it's a matter of doing a good job with what's in front of you, maximizing the opportunities, and being ready for any athlete at any point in time: physically, technically, emotionally."
Q: Are you looking to break anymore program records here?
Murphy: "That's always the goal, keep rewriting. You always want to see that happen. There are some good ones up there, so we got some work to do."