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.
Welcome to the forum! It's great that you're seeking to educate yourself as much as possible - knowledge is power. The amount of feedback depends on the coach - some coaches tend to give a lot of input while others may not. Additionally, it is often very difficult to provide individual feedback when there are a lot of other swimmers in the practice itself, so look for the feedback should be inherent in the practice itself (in other words, reflected in the kicking, drills and interval sets administered by the coach). If you don't feel that your son is getting enough technical advice, you might talk to the coach and see whether he will provide individualized sessions for swimmers - or you can also seek out camps and clinics - whether offered by your team or through others- that are geared towards providing developing swimmers with technical feedback and instruction. Swimming is a long journey, so take your time and continue educating yourself on the sport. Good luck to you and your son!
Welcome to the forum! It's great that you're seeking to educate yourself as much as possible - knowledge is power. The amount of feedback depends on the coach - some coaches tend to give a lot of input while others may not. Additionally, it is often very difficult to provide individual feedback when there are a lot of other swimmers in the practice itself, so look for the feedback should be inherent in the practice itself (in other words, reflected in the kicking, drills and interval sets administered by the coach). If you don't feel that your son is getting enough technical advice, you might talk to the coach and see whether he will provide individualized sessions for swimmers - or you can also seek out camps and clinics - whether offered by your team or through others- that are geared towards providing developing swimmers with technical feedback and instruction. Swimming is a long journey, so take your time and continue educating yourself on the sport. Good luck to you and your son!
