Building up endurance - 9 year old kid

Thanks for your feedback on this. Yes, we do congrat her as she improves her streamline etc. Besides that, from meet to meet, we do congrat her for the improved times. If there is no improvement, we encourage her for the future. We feel someone should. :) Her coach is almost always negative about techniques and times.. For everyone in the team. Emphasizes that she pays attention to what he teaches and be lively during training, and develops her techniques. But she has to be (they all have to be) fast when it comes to a meet!! We will drive her, cheer for her as long as she wants to be there. If a day comes that she wants to quit, she quits. I have just read about Kris Humphries the day ago..! Emphasize the things they do right, and reaffirm what the coach teaches, such as "I saw you really make an effort to streamline and you got a few feet farther on your dive!" Instead of whether they did a better time or not. Every child will mature at different rates - and if you look at those tables of the top 16 at the earliest age, only 11% are still there by late teens. Also, it's about balance and choices, and not trying to "do it perfectly". Whatever is your normal routine - don't do anything different on or around swim meets. Use common sense in your choice of food, surrounding activity, etc. There isn't a magic bullet breakfast that will be the only solution. And remember that as they grow, regardless of how they measure up on paper, they will often regress or hold steady with no time improvement as part of the growing process. I tell my girls that they aren't as strong because all their energy is going to making the bones and getting taller, and so there's not as muc energy available right now for their muscles. And because their bones are growing, that's why they are less coordinated now (one girl is a mess at pulling, the other has lost her kick! but a perfect wheelbarrow team!), because their skeletal frame is changing and it takes time for the new you to get coordinated! It's simply a rite of passage that this is the only window for the bones to grow, but when they are older, there is more frame for more muscle! As an example I point out a gymnast in their class who is really strong, coordinated for her size and age. You can't compare yourself to her abilities now when all your energy is diverted to making bones and the rest of your body is literally trying to catch up. Now, that is totally made up but it's a way for the girls to understand how growth can affect where they are, and especially to understand why the motivational times are so tough. But that is why technique is so important now, because they have to RE-imprint proper techniques for the new bodies as they grow. Everything will follow as the physical body catches up! The ONE thing they can control is attitude. I will not put up with a bad attitude!

Thanks for your feedback on this. Yes, we do congrat her as she improves her streamline etc. Besides that, from meet to meet, we do congrat her for the improved times. If there is no improvement, we encourage her for the future. We feel someone should. :) Her coach is almost always negative about techniques and times.. For everyone in the team. Emphasizes that she pays attention to what he teaches and be lively during training, and develops her techniques. But she has to be (they all have to be) fast when it comes to a meet!! We will drive her, cheer for her as long as she wants to be there. If a day comes that she wants to quit, she quits. I have just read about Kris Humphries the day ago..! Emphasize the things they do right, and reaffirm what the coach teaches, such as "I saw you really make an effort to streamline and you got a few feet farther on your dive!" Instead of whether they did a better time or not. Every child will mature at different rates - and if you look at those tables of the top 16 at the earliest age, only 11% are still there by late teens. Also, it's about balance and choices, and not trying to "do it perfectly". Whatever is your normal routine - don't do anything different on or around swim meets. Use common sense in your choice of food, surrounding activity, etc. There isn't a magic bullet breakfast that will be the only solution. And remember that as they grow, regardless of how they measure up on paper, they will often regress or hold steady with no time improvement as part of the growing process. I tell my girls that they aren't as strong because all their energy is going to making the bones and getting taller, and so there's not as muc energy available right now for their muscles. And because their bones are growing, that's why they are less coordinated now (one girl is a mess at pulling, the other has lost her kick! but a perfect wheelbarrow team!), because their skeletal frame is changing and it takes time for the new you to get coordinated! It's simply a rite of passage that this is the only window for the bones to grow, but when they are older, there is more frame for more muscle! As an example I point out a gymnast in their class who is really strong, coordinated for her size and age. You can't compare yourself to her abilities now when all your energy is diverted to making bones and the rest of your body is literally trying to catch up. Now, that is totally made up but it's a way for the girls to understand how growth can affect where they are, and especially to understand why the motivational times are so tough. But that is why technique is so important now, because they have to RE-imprint proper techniques for the new bodies as they grow. Everything will follow as the physical body catches up! The ONE thing they can control is attitude. I will not put up with a bad attitude!