Coach and former Olympian James Gibson packed up and flew to Turkey to serve as the head coach of a Russian club in 2016; betting it all on a vision of a world class competitive team and the future of the ISL. Needless to say— it paid off.
Today, that club is better known as Energy Standard and they’ve recently claimed the first ever International Swimming League championship title.
Listen in as James talks about his career in coaching and his decision to coach for the ISL. He shares some of the challenges he’s faced along the way and what has made it all worth it. Learn how he balances his time and efforts in coaching for the Olympics and the ISL as he shares his experiences working with world class athletes like Sarah Sjostrom and Flo Manaudou.
“I still pinch myself a little bit that ISL has happened and gone already, season one… it happened so quickly and it just felt right.” -James Gibson [36:18]
Key Takeaways:
- Why James Gibson decided to work with the ISL.
- How his top athletes work towards their personal goals.
- His plans for the future with the ISL.
Episode Timeline:
- [00:02] Intro
- [00:32] James Gibson on pushing the boundaries on sprinting
- [02:21] What is a professional swimmer?
- [03:20] Energy Standard winning the ISL championships
- [04:26] How James Gibson fell into coaching
- [06:41] His subsequent coaching timeline
- [08:46] His work with Flo Manaudou
- [13:04] Advice Brett once gave Cesar Cielo
- [14:28] James Gibson’s
- [15:27] Stroke changes to Flo's routine inspired by Freddie Bousquet
- [18:28] What James Gibson is saying to his athletes
- [21:15] Olympic favorites and what makes them special
- [21:38] Sarah Sjostrom's drive & resilience
- [25:33] Chad Le Clos's passion & transition
- [27:34] Brett on working with Cesar Cielo and Fred Bousquet
- [28:52] James Gibson’s work with Ben Proud and Flo Manaudou
- [31:22] Giving equal effort to all athletes
- [33:02] Life and training in Turkey
- [34:05] Is Energy Standard Paris moving?
- [35:00] Choosing to work for the ISL
- [38:15] Focusing on the Olympics and the ISL at the same time
- [40:59] Outro
Key Quotes:
- “I'm definitely a coach that embraces the differences in people and at Energy Standard, we don't have a one model fits all- that's for sure.” - James Gibson [03:10]
- “Sometimes we over process the athlete- I know ‘process’ is a buzzword going around but sometimes its over processed and they just want to go and race. - James Gibson [14:52]
- “I still pinch myself a little bit that ISL has happened and gone already, season one… it happened so quickly and it just felt right.” -James Gibson [36:18]
Connect:
Find | Brett Hawke
On Instagram @hawkebr
Find | James Gibson
At eliteteamenergystandard.org
On Instagram: @_jamesgibson_
On Twitter: @jamesgibsongbr
Subscribe & Listen:
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Special Thanks:
Inside with Brett Hawke is presented by Fitter & Faster. Host a swim camp. More than 1,000 swim clinic sessions in 46 States plus Canada & the Bahamas in 2019.
Inside with Brett Hawke is produced and promoted by Swimnerd. Connect your phone to your pace clock with the Swimnerd Pace Clock. Digital, affordable, and Bluetooth programmable from your smartphone.
All pictures of James Gibson used in promotion of this podcast are attributed to the amazing Mine Kasapoglu.