Find Your Passion: Coach Tim Swords: TEAM USA -Weightlifting

Some people are born to be coaches. Tim Swords, a Strength and Conditioning coach for USA Weightlifting and the founder of Team Houston has been coach for over 30 years officially, but his early days of coaching can be traced back to his small workout area in his parents’ basement in West Virginia. It was there that he found a passion for strength and weight training and, since then, he has never stopped learning and evolving. In this week’s interview, Coach Swords and I sit down and discuss how picking up a magazine at age 12 led to his interest in weightlifting and how his brothers and father played a large role in his athletic childhood. We talk about how two College Football Hall of Fame coaches (Bear Bryant and Pat Dye) shaped his youth as a football player but also as a man. He has trained Olympic medalists and has coached and helped over 200 weightlifters reach national championships, while guiding 58 to a title. But he still believes it all boils down to a dedication of being “a teacher” as a coach and helping his athletes find their passion. We’ll discuss how a trip to see Navy Seals train helped him find his coaching style, what the downfalls of over-coaching are, what kind of culture he has in his gym, and how there’s a romantic side of coaching. He tells some great stories, including how to avoid a Chechnyan jail. This week’s conversation is a must-listen for anybody, as we discuss how discovering your passion is a key to life.