"Little too not truthful"- Michael Phelps' former coach Bob Bowman opens up about being brutal while giving feedback to his trainees

By Ketaki Pansare

Modified Feb 01, 2025 04:26 GMT

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Michael Phelps' former coach Bob Bowman feels trust is built on honesty. Over the years, he has refined his approach to communicating with his trainees. The 59-year-old sees honesty as a two-way street, expecting the same openness from his swimmers.

Bowman acknowledged that in the early days of his coaching career, he was straightforward to the point of being too forceful. His feedback was rapid-fire and direct. However, with experience, he has learned that how he delivers a message is just as important as the message itself. Now, he aims to be more respectful and tactful, ensuring his trainees are open to receiving the advice they need to improve.

During a podcast with Unfiltered Waters in January 2025, the legendary swimming coach reflected on his way of being brutally honest with his trainees. The snap of the podcast was shared on Instagram, accompanied by a caption:

"Always evolving, always improving. @coach_bowman talks about how his coaching style has changed over the years"

Michael Phelp's former coach shared in the video:

"I think the biggest part of trust is honesty. And I never had a problem kind of letting people know who I am and what I'm about. I'll probably be a little too not truthful. but just the way I delivered it was like tararararaara, like a machine gun. Right? And now I just try to do it in a more respectful and just tactful way. So they know that if I'm kind of telling them something they don't want to hear."

Bowman added that, for him, honesty remains non-negotiable. He expects his trainees to be truthful about their efforts and performance as only by being open and realistic, they can push past their limits and reach their full potential.

Bob Bowman began his coaching career in 1986 as an assistant coach at Florida State University. Over the years, he trained top swimmers, including Michael Phelps and Leon Marchand. He now serves as the director of swimming and head men's coach for the University of Texas Longhorns swimming and diving teams.

Bob Bowman on building athlete persistence for the long haul

Bob Bowman at Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 7 - Source: Getty

In March 2024, during a podcast with FSU Coach, Bob Bowman shared that persistence in training comes from setting short-term goals and keeping workouts engaging. He encourages his swimmers to focus on daily progress rather than worrying about distant future achievements.

He emphasized the importance of direction and goal-setting while speaking about long-term persistence. Bowman said (0:41 onwards):

"You have to have the short-term goals along the way that kind of guide what you're going to do today, tomorrow, and the next six weeks and not think too much about what's happening in two years from now, because we have no control over that."

Bob Bowman shared that Michael Phelps, one of his most successful trainees, had a strong focus on personal goals. He added that Phelps believed in setting goals and staying committed to them.