Fred Vergnoux, BSCTA Coach of the Year, is coach to many of Scotland’s top swimmers, including WinningZine interviewees Gregor Tait, Kris Gilchrist and Kirsty Balfour.  Working with the City of Edinburgh programme, he was part of the record breaking Commonwealth Games team, and is travelling to Melbourne with the British squad to compete in the FINA World Championships.

Fred, from Valence in the Rhône-Alpes region of France, doesn’t run the same channels as most coaches.  He is held in high stature by his swimmers and his peers, and he has already undertaken quite a pilgrimage in his quest to become one of the world’s best.  After working at age-grade level in France as an assistant head coach, he headed for the wild west of New Mexico and the wetlands of Florida to further his credentials.

He landed in the UK in January 2005, where he has brought medal upon medal to Scotland ever since.  And though he is busy fine-tuning his athletes in preparation for the World Championships, Fred has made space in his diary to meet In The Winning Zone.  We have a few questions to ask the man who is responsible for some of Scotland’s finest. 

What brought you to Scotland, Fred?

“Well, I like speaking English!  And even though the team I worked with, CS Clichy 92, was the best in France, I came here for the challenge.  I believe if you do the same thing over and over you become weak.”

Fred wasn’t the only one who needed a challenge.  Prior to his arrival, the Edinburgh team was, unbelievably, coachless for almost six months.  With their previous trainer out of contract since the Athens Olympics in summer 2004, they were left to be coached by part-timers until Fred was appointed.  A team that contains several of the finest athletes in the country left without a consistent level of coaching!  So, needless to say, when Fred arrived they needed someone to step it up for them.

“I can’t say that when I came here they were a bunch of losers, because that wasn’t the reality.  But things were a little bit low key and they were into a routine, doing the same thing day after day.  So I told them on day one: ‘I got this job because you guys want to be the best in the world and that’s why I’m here.  And that’s what I’m doing now.’  So they got the message on board and took the challenge well.”

You simply need to look at the return on his efforts to see how successful Fred has been since his arrival: 15 Scottish records, 15 French records and 7 British records.  Not bad for two years’ work.  How he has done it is even more interesting.

Can you tell us a little bit about your regime with the swimmers?

“Well, first of all we do several training camps a year where we go away, so we can have more pool time. [At home the swimmers must share the pool with the public, limiting their training time]  Most of the time we swim outside as the breezier conditions can be a bit more challenging.  We do four camps a year.  We were in Spain in September and November, and then we went to Font Romeu [in the Cerdagne plateau of Southern France] to train in altitude for ten days over Christmas.  Then in June we do another ten days at altitude.  It breaks up the season” 

Is the altitude training for fitness purposes?

“For me, it is mostly for fresh air, and to work on different skills and speed.  We don’t really go there long enough to work on high altitude fitness, but we can get used to the process of being at a higher altitude.  And you notice that every time we go there the swimmers adapt to it faster.”

Quite vitally for a discipline such as swimming, Fred also likes to mix things up a bit for his athletes.  It is difficult to make doing endless lengths of a pool seem more interesting than it actually is.  But Fred realises that to be a top swimmer, you need to be a top athlete, which in turn means that you can’t spend all your time in the pool.  This is why he is seen as one of the most innovative swimming mentors on the circuit.

How do you try to keep things fresh and interesting for your swimmers?

“I am keen on doing climbing, mountain biking, kayaking, even hiking.  We also do a lot of running – three times every week.  I test them on the track as well.  I want them to be good at everything.  If they just stay in the pool they miss a lot and they aren’t trained as proper athletes.  I want them to be able to run, climb and jump!”

And what is the reason behind your unorthodox methods?

“My team swim 75km a week – about 25 hours in the pool.  And they do an extra 12 hours in the gym.  It is very demanding, so it is important to have fun and break the regime.”

Fred’s attitude is very simple.  If you don’t train and prepare properly, you will fail.  Or, to quote the great American President Benjamin Franklin: “By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail.”  Fred is focused on winning, and winning will only come at the top level if you are the best prepared.  Not just physically, but mentally also.

“I always say when you reach the top level of international competition, to be the best it isn’t down to talent anymore, it is more mental.  For a young swimmer talent is important in the development process, but when you reach the top level the mental aspect is probably 90%.
“For example, in the Olympic final there are eight swimmers.  All of them are experienced, talented, fit and prepared.  But the winner will be the one who is the most mentally prepared out of the eight.”
 
So how do you mentally prepare your athletes?

“Well we do that every day.  Today I said to them, ‘Good session, you did well, but you could have done much better.  Don’t come back tomorrow morning if you want to do the same.  You need to come back with a better attitude.’  So I always talk to them and push them.

“You also need to make them stronger and fitter to give them more confidence.  I expose them to difficulties.  For example, climbing, when you have never done it, is very hard.  And we also travel to meets where I have them compete against the best in the world so they know how to compete against these guys.  So there is a real strategy to make them better.”

So how do you translate those sessions and techniques into a race environment and make your swimmers winners?

“Athletes win because they decide to.  It’s not down to me.  I can motivate them a lot, but it is personal choice.  It is their responsibility.  I tell them, ‘I’m going to help you as much as I can.  If you have any questions I will answer them, and if I can’t I will make sure I get someone who can. But it is your career, your choice.’  They made the choice to come here to get better.”

So there you have it.  A masterclass in physical and mental preparation from Britain’s top swimming coach.  And if you fancy spending 25 hours a week in the pool, 12 hours a week in the gym, plus rock climbing, kayaking, hiking, running and track testing, and maybe some altitude training, maybe you should give him a call.  If you think you can hack it…

RO

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