Building up endurance - 9 year old kid

Focus on technique. Make it pretty I say. I am more impressed with a slower time but good technique than the fast thrash I see from stronger kids with inferior technique. This focus on technique is in this age group up to 11 or so for girls. Then hopefully they enter the sensitive period for endurance training when there is far less time for a coach to spend fixing technique.

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!

5 days a week @ 2400 meters seems about right for a 10 year old, although I'm not sure why you count the yardage. Point is not sure if it is a good idea to squeeze an extra day in for a kid so young. Private coaching, as Rob says, is very difficult. What if the private coach suggests totally different items? How does the full time coach incorporate that without showing favoritism to your daughter? And, what happens if the private suggestions don't mesh with the team philosophy? What is your plan for that, quit the team or disrupt the team? I've seen a lot of parents, and it is about the parents, not the kid, force their kids into off-day privates. I can't say I've ever seen much benefit of this. The only way it works is if the head coach and the private coach are in lock step. Even then, I'm not convinced of the value. I do agree that kids that age need to be overfed technique. I would say we do 50% per practice of technique and that includes 30 minutes a day of turns, 5 days a week.

Whatever you decide my strongest piece of advice is to talk it over with her coach first. Next, is your daughter unhappy with her team or dissatisfied with her progress? Or is this more about you wishing her to improve? Also, “I don't think her current coach will be interested about an analysis or particular drills” is a red flag. One of the worst situations is to have 2 different coaches giving different direction to the swimmer. If you go ahead with the analysis one key to success will be for the 2 coaches to get together and come to a consensus on a single training plan; which may or may not include private lessons. It is never too early or too late to improve technique. However, this is more a function of the student rather than the teacher.

Decided to post this here instead of a new thread: My daughter is now 10 and continues to swim with her team 5 days a week, each around 2400meter. They're about 18 kids so its nothing like one on one private lessons. Her times are improving (50FR 37, 50FL 39, 50BK 41, 50BR 44) but I doubt her technique is.. and everyone around me keeps telling about the importance of technique development at this age. A coach that I've known long before has the equipment and software to do swimming analysis. He suggests that we analyze her to improve her styles. Then he adds that according to those results, he will suggest particular drills for her and she has to do them for improvement. However, I don't think her current coach will be interested about an analysis or particular drills... What would you suggest? Should I have him to do the analysis? Then how can I take care of the rest? Several private lessons? Or is it too early at this age..? Thanks!

The thing with stroke analysis and adjustment is unless there is very frequent reinforcement most of the lessons are lost. I could spend an entire practice working on flip turns and streamlines and if I don’t reinforce the lessons it will take less than 2 weeks for everyone to fall back on prior habits. But, the first thing to do is schedule a meeting with the coach. Lay out your daughter’s dissatisfaction with her progress and your thoughts on outside help. Ask the coach for suggestions. If the coach is against private lessons or incorporating corrective drills, then it seems your daughter has 2 alternatives; 1 – leave the team she is very happy with in pursuit of a team that will help her achieve swimming goals, or 2 – stay with her team and realign her goals with more realistic expectations.

Yes, she is very happy with her team but dissatisfied with her progress lately. I think it's all about her comparing times with her friends. She just wants to get better, "she" talks to me about it. She is aware that it is al about the technique and I'm trying to be there to help her. I tell her that somethings are about time, and she will get better and better. Telling her to pay attention to what coach says. Regarding yardage, I never counted it :) This info was given by her coach. As I hear from other parents, her coach is against private lessons. Some asked and got refused. In contrary to that, some are taking private lessons, especially those in B team to get in to A team and some of those in A team with her, to get in the relay team.. :) Some began to wear arena carbons etc at this age, even in the club competitions, it is so unbelievable!! To make it clear; proposed thing is swimming analysis, not private lessons. And I understand that you are not against a swimming analysis at this age. I can have her analyzed and could give the results and videos to her coach. And just leave it like that. I just don't want to interfere with his coaching at all. But if I have her analyzed, that is already interfering :) Don't know what to do... I think if he had the time and resources he would like to see all his students from underwater and correct their mistakes one by one...

The thing with stroke analysis and adjustment is unless there is very frequent reinforcement most of the lessons are lost. I could spend an entire practice working on flip turns and streamlines and if I don’t reinforce the lessons it will take less than 2 weeks for everyone to fall back on prior habits. Amen to that. I can tell from personal experience that it doesn't just apply to nine-year-olds as well. :)

The thing with stroke analysis and adjustment is unless there is very frequent reinforcement most of the lessons are lost. I could spend an entire practice working on flip turns and streamlines and if I don’t reinforce the lessons it will take less than 2 weeks for everyone to fall back on prior habits. But, the first thing to do is schedule a meeting with the coach. Lay out your daughter’s dissatisfaction with her progress and your thoughts on outside help. Ask the coach for suggestions. If the coach is against private lessons or incorporating corrective drills, then it seems your daughter has 2 alternatives; 1 – leave the team she is very happy with in pursuit of a team that will help her achieve swimming goals, or 2 – stay with her team and realign her goals with more realistic expectations. Thanks for the excellent feedback. I will ask her, If she agrees we 'll talk to her coach.

I think the key in all of this is that she is 9. Between 9 - 13 in girls the swimming is all over the place. The girls that mature early are usually the fastest. Wait til they hit 13/14. The younger ones who aren't as fast but work on technique seem to come out ahead in the long run. Then, everything I just said, will happen in reverse. The point is I see so many parents get all crazed by 10/under swimming, which is about as predictable as the stock market. In my opinion, being fast at 9/10 is a barometer of nothing in the long run of swimming. We do a lot of video analysis. It is simple and reinforces what we do in drills and workouts, same terms, same ideology. Having an Endless Pool really helps also at the club.