Thoughts on how much a 12 year old boy should swim

Former Member
Former Member
My son is twelve and I am a little concerned about his training. It's a lot of butterfly and a lot of distance. I have heard other coaches say that 12 year olds should focus on technique and fun. He loves swimming, he loves working hard (yes, he really does!), he loves doing butterfly. Example of his training this morning - 6x ( 2x100 fly, 100 back/*** - all on 1:30). His average time on the fly is 1:10. Is this too much? His goal is to win at least 8 golds at JO's and be in the Olympic trials in 2020. He swims 5-6 times per week. I am not sure if I should pull back a little. His coach (he was a bronze medalist in the Olympics) says my son's workout is nothing compared to his when he was young. Any thoughts on this?
Parents
  • dear swim mom i agree with your son's coach. he is probably not doing anything near what i went. back then it was more about yardage than quality...yet (and i have several teammates to prove it) the yardage certainly did its part in helping us excel. a lot has to do with genetics. michael andrews at age 12 - 6foot 5inches me 5foot 5 inches. that extra foot would have been nice if you look at the guys from Rio its clear to see that swimming has become a 6foot 3 and above sport for men fyi - there has been a total of 3 National Age Group Record Holders in the 100m Butterfly for 11-12 boys in the last 50 years Chas still has the top spot and might just keep it for all time...the record he broke still is hanging on in top 100 all time
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  • dear swim mom i agree with your son's coach. he is probably not doing anything near what i went. back then it was more about yardage than quality...yet (and i have several teammates to prove it) the yardage certainly did its part in helping us excel. a lot has to do with genetics. michael andrews at age 12 - 6foot 5inches me 5foot 5 inches. that extra foot would have been nice if you look at the guys from Rio its clear to see that swimming has become a 6foot 3 and above sport for men fyi - there has been a total of 3 National Age Group Record Holders in the 100m Butterfly for 11-12 boys in the last 50 years Chas still has the top spot and might just keep it for all time...the record he broke still is hanging on in top 100 all time
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