Fairly New Swim Parents Looking for Insight

Former Member
Former Member
I have a 12-year-old son who is in his third year of competitive swimming (He's been in swimming lessons since he was 6 months old but never swam competitively until he was 10). No one in my family as ever been a competitive swimmer so I am still learning all the nuances of the swim world, even after three years into it. Given that, I am trying to educate myself on what is the typical amount of "coaching" a swimmer gets at this age (or any age really)? What I mean is, I know by this age they pretty much have their strokes down but I'm thinking there are still things that need to be fine tuned. So how often does a coach or assistant coach say, "Your arms are crossing over during your free, trying doing this to lessen that." or "Your arms need to shoot out right away during your *** so you glide more."? Is it typical to have swimmers at this age just swim laps with no input from the coaches other than what to do next? Any insight is helpful. I still feel like a fish out of water at times.
Parents
  • No, I didn't come to complain, I like the coaches and have nothing against them. I honestly asked to see if this was standard practice based on what others have experienced. If it is, it is and I have no qualms with it. I would not call a 12 year old an older swimmer. Granted, my kids' team is pretty atypical in that we have a lot of senior swimmers relative to the team size. But seriously, ask if you can have a few minutes with teh coach to gain an understanding of how things work.
Reply
  • No, I didn't come to complain, I like the coaches and have nothing against them. I honestly asked to see if this was standard practice based on what others have experienced. If it is, it is and I have no qualms with it. I would not call a 12 year old an older swimmer. Granted, my kids' team is pretty atypical in that we have a lot of senior swimmers relative to the team size. But seriously, ask if you can have a few minutes with teh coach to gain an understanding of how things work.
Children
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