Hi everyone, I'm a new swim parent.
My daughter just wrapped up her first season of swimming (8 years old, will be 9 very soon). She has been moved up to the next training group. I'm wondering if it's very common and normal for the training groups to be 18 or more kids with one or maybe two coaches.
Her current training group was the same, often maybe 25 kids with only one coach sometimes. It was a crap shoot most days - kids constantly bumping into each other in crowded lanes. My daughter made some good progress this year but has a LOT of room for technique refinement on each stroke, plus could use work on her dives and turns. So basically everything, lol. My point is - I don't see how she will be able to improve her technique while training in such a large group with basically no individual attention. During most workouts she might get one individual comment from the coach. Is this normal?? Do I need to sit back and relax? Or should I plan to sign her up for some private lessons?
I know in the gymnastics and dance worlds, private lessons are par for the course. It's something most everyone does once they reach the competitive levels. Is swimming the same way? How often should a kid in the 9-10 age group be doing a private lesson?
Hi there, thanks for posting this and welcome to the swim parenting community! You're asking some very important questions in terms of age group swimming and coaching. I'm a coach who provides private lessons, consulting and individualized workouts to all levels of swimmers, including age groupers.
My first recommendation (if you have not already done so) would be to approach the coaches on your team. Have a conversation with them, share your concerns to see what their approach might be, and inform yourself. It could be that they have options in place for additional attention to swimmers on the team. If you still have doubts, you can always consult with a private coach for a second opinion - or even just a video analysis of your daughter's stroke to see what areas of her stroke might need more attention.
Otherwise, I don't find private lessons for young swimmers to be any different than hiring a tutor to help your child fine-tune their math, reading, or other skills at school. Swimming is a highly-technical and very individual-oriented sport and it's essential to teach and reinforce an excellent technical foundation, especially when the swimmers are young, so that they can have that foundation to build upon in the future. Having a good technical foundation will also help the swimmer to develop more efficiency in the water and avoid injuries, thus paving the way - in many cases - for a longer and more enjoyable swimming career.
Even coaches who are technique-oriented might not be able to pay individualized attention to all of the swimmers on the team. This means that learning new skills can be hit-or-miss. The struggle for survival on some teams means that speed is emphasized to the detriment of technique, and kids who are taller, stronger or more naturally adapted to a more efficient way of swimming will often emerge at the top of the pack, while others - regardless of how determined and driven they are - might have less success and become discouraged.
There is no reason not to enroll your child in private lessons if she loves the sport and you feel that she would benefit from some individualized attention. I elaborate more on this topic here: www.swimspire.com/.../
Good luck to both you and your daughter!
I say relax.
At my gym, yes, there are usually 12-18 kids with two coaches on deck. (They only get 3 lanes.). This is for the 8-13 year old range, who are just out of regular lessons and working in their first team environment. Bumping into each other all the time is normal at this level. Their paces and abilities are all over the place. It should get better as they go up in level.
One thing to work on in a workout is fine. Do you really want her coming away from every practice thinking about the 10 things she "did wrong"? The coaches usually have a focus each day. Picking one thing to work on each day is perfect. The she can focus on learning that new skill, or tweaking that change in form. This is actually still pretty relevant in Master's swims, too.
You said she has made progress this year (and she has advanced to the next level), so it sounds like the program has been good for her. If she seems to be stalling, or is just.not.getting.something, then maybe a private lesson *could* be in order.
Hi! I'm a masters coach and do a lot of private lessons at our pool. I have a variety of the swim team kids ask for lessons from beginners to older more advanced trying to fix a bad habit. My own opinion, however, is that for the most part, swim team kids don't need private lessons. If they are in the water several times a week for practice, what we do in a half hour lesson isn't going to stick much when they are training with a group and trying to keep up. That being said, here are three scenarios I am happy to take on when I know the details:
1. The KID is asking for lessons, not the parent. This is usually the case with the older ones I get, and they make the most gains from the lessons because they want to be there and have specific goals.
2. The kid doesn't absorb and make changes based on the coach addressing the whole group. The coach is giving plenty of tips and instructions each practice, and some kids hear it all and do what is asked, and some just don't learn unless they are being directly corrected. That is OK. And if a kid really needs some individual attention, then I am happy to take them on.
3. The swimmer needs a very specific skill worked on and there is a finite timeline on the lessons. "Can we get three lessons with you to work on Joey's (starts/turns/etc.)?" This may be something they just need more time on that doesn't happen at practice.
I hope that helps a little. Sounds like your little one is off to a great start. Just keep it fun for now! If specific things start to appear that they want to work on, then I would revisit the idea of lessons.
FWIW -
There are lots of ideas and philosophies out there about the best way to swim fast. Every coach has their own philosophy. SO, when I coached and parents asked me about private lessons or camps or clinics, I would tell the same thing every time.
"I am fine with you taking your daughter/son to someone for private lessons/clinics/camps. BUT, don't expect me to change my philosophy to suit the private lesson. I know what I am doing and my track record backs it up. This means that I am going to re-inforce my philosophy in practices. I never told the swimmer the other individual or camp was wrong - I just told them what works for my swimmers."
Very similar to letting your kids go to a different set of parents since they might not like your parenting style. Would you do that??
Just something to consider.
PW
Yep, been there, done that. And I threw away a lot of money on lessons when they were younger. As was stated above, the coaches work on one thing at a time, and I assure you they are more observant than you realize. Talk to the coaches. There are two types of parents in general, those who get to know the coach, and those who don't. Be one who does and you'll find your kid is learning and progressing a whole lot more than you would have thought. Tell the coach that you are happy to arrange for private lessons if he/she feels they would be good for your kid, but don't rush to get them if they aren't really necessary.
FWIW -
There are lots of ideas and philosophies out there about the best way to swim fast. Every coach has their own philosophy. SO, when I coached and parents asked me about private lessons or camps or clinics, I would tell the same thing every time.
"I am fine with you taking your daughter/son to someone for private lessons/clinics/camps.
Do people actually go to a different coach/staff for private lessons? Wow, I assumed th OP meant with the same coach. That is the only way I've ever done it with any of my kids.
