The priest was the swimmer. Someone could see his mistakes from outside the pool — the swim coach. Makes sense to me.
“His [the coach’s] perspective from out of the water gave him an understanding that even I, an experienced swimmer in the water, could not have. I might think my form was perfect, but he could see that it was not.
Similarly, priests and other celibates (such as religious) DO have something to teach about marriage. What we teach is not better than the advice of married people, but it is different; it is given from a different perspective. From our position, sometimes we can see things about Holy Matrimony that even the married have trouble seeing. Further, it is to be hoped that priests and religious are also well-versed in the Biblical teaching on Matrimony and family life and can offer the benefit of our study of God’s Word and our relationship with the Author of Holy Matrimony.
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“The priest was the swimmer. Someone could see his mistakes from outside the pool — the swim coach.” - Sal
It is very clear that the author has the priest as the coach, not the swimmer.