Checking In with New Diving Coach Mike Hilde
11/19/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving
Nov. 19, 2014
What have you done since arriving in September to put your fingerprints on this program?
One of the biggest things is implementing a new dryland structure. It's everything related to diving, giving the divers the mindset that we're going to have a workout before we get in the water. It used to be just stretch and get in the water, but I'm pretty big on dryland training and going through the actions before you actually start flipping your body around. On the boards, we're focusing a lot on the basics, which is going back to dives and flip-tucks, instead of just right to your optionals. If you can't do the basic dives, you can't do the flips and the bigger dives, so implementing the basics and the fundamentals back into it is what I've brought back. It's really changed their mindset.
Was there any hesitation from the athletes or was the buy-in pretty immediate?
In the beginning, they may have been confused as to why we're doing these things, but once they started to see it and feel it, they started to believe in the process. That's huge. Once they see the success, it helps transfer into a good relationship and trust, which is big in diving. You've first got to be able to build that trust with your athletes to the point where they believe in you and you conversely believe in them. That helps everything. In this last month especially, I think that's something we've established pretty well.
Is your enthusiasm welcoming to them?
Absolutely. I'm one of the younger coaches in college and the good thing is that I've come from a very disciplined and structured background. My old coaches were both Olympians so all of my training was through the fundamentals and the basics and hard work and structure and discipline. I think that coming in, they probably thought that there was energy here, but at the same time, they're sitting there wondering, "Does he know what he's talking about?" Now that they are used to everything, I think they trust me and understand that I do know what I'm talking about. Being young and being up there able to spot them, it's a good energy right now with the team, which is great.
How have you developed your coaching philosophy over the years? How has that developed within the few weeks of being here?
Like I said, coming from such a disciplined and structured background, I've taken everything from the coaches that I learned while also adding new things that are going on. Diving is still progressing. Sometimes you get stuck back in the things you were doing growing up that it becomes difficult to adjust and add new techniques or new skills. I'm able to implement the new techniques and skills but also stay true to the fundamentals and the basics. I've been able to modify everything I've learned and create what I believe to be the best structure for a diver.
What have you folded into your mindset after being around this Michigan program?
Even from the outside, you can see this program is built on an incredibly hard work ethic. The people we have here, they're driven to be the best. You see that on the swim side of things right now. They work hard and believe in each other. They're a really close team and you see how Mike [Bottom] and the other coaches work their athletes. They have that trust and they believe in each other and support each other. It's a lot of work, but they're willing to put it in. That's what I think the diving side originally was lacking, but now, they're starting to understand that it can be done. Just because you're not a cardiovascular athlete and you're not swimming back and forth a thousand times a day doesn't mean you can't still do a lot of work. We can still put a lot of effort in to help the entire team instead of just being on the diving board and flipping around. There's a lot more that goes into it. The work ethic here carries over to everyone. Everybody wants to win and have the best team. The energy goes up and it's awesome to see how these coaches run their workouts, which helps me to get the energy to build that program and help it become as successful as swimming has been.
What is it like having Dick Kimball on deck and having that resource available?
It's outstanding. He's a legend in diving. He's been around for ages and his name is on the platform. He has some different techniques than I do, but I think that's a good thing. He's been really helpful to not only me but to these kids, as well. Having that experience, especially for recruiting, and being able to talk to the kids about what it takes to be an Olympic athlete, is great for what we're trying to do for this program. We want to bring in kids who are able to qualify for the Olympics or be at that level. Having that resource is huge.
How would you describe your coaching philosophy?
It's hard to say that there's one philosophy, because in diving, it's different for every athlete. My philosophy is hard work, structure and discipline, so that every day, they know what's expected. It's such a mental sport; you have to be able to work with different minds. Some people are fearless and they don't mind getting up there and working, but some kids are scared and you have to work with them in order to teach them how to be confident and how to follow through and have that trust in themselves. You can't throw them all in the same situation and expect everyone to react the same. It makes every day different. There's always something new to learn. For me, I can continue to be a better coach by learning from the athletes that I coach.
How are you handling getting thrown right into the season?
I think it's made me get down to work right away and not take it step-by-step. Getting into the scene late is difficult, but it's been rewarding because we've gotten a lot done in an early amount of time. Sometimes it takes a little longer to get through that process. Jumping into it isn't easy, especially when these kids have been training for a month and then all of a sudden someone comes in and changes their whole season. The hardest part is just being away from my family. It's been good to focus on the diving side of everything and come here with a plan and a goal. I've run a program with my club team before, so I know how to build and develop divers. Implementing that wasn't a hard process, but it was new and different.
