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.
Talk to the coach. They may be working on one facet now. It may be building stamina. I dont know. Certainly not all coaches are as involved as we may like, but they are almost all.smarter than the parents (that would include me).
But one thing to know is that swimming is a very complex, and counterintuitive action. And an athlete can only process and put into place one thing at a time. Maybe he is working on getting one sspect solidified before working on others. You have to break it down and build it piece by piece
Some things to add:
The head coach rarely works with the older swimmers, it is mostly (like 99% of the time) an Asst. Coach that is in charge of the older swimmers. The Asst. Coach (last year and this year) just tells the swimmers the set they need to do and that is all. They provide very little (if any) technique critiquing.
Some things to add:
The head coach rarely works with the older swimmers, it is mostly (like 99% of the time) an Asst. Coach that is in charge of the older swimmers. The Asst. Coach (last year and this year) just tells the swimmers the set they need to do and that is all. They provide very little (if any) technique critiquing.
So you really just came here to complain about your coach. Seems a meeting with the coach would be a better and more productive approach.
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!
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.
Oh, here we go with the feelings. That's probably the last thing that should be considered. I would suggest you look at what your club's mission is and how many swimmers they have in the water at once. That is the best barometer of the kind of coaching your child will receive. Clubs have different models. For instance, if you have 30 kids in the water and 1 coach, then you are probably getting what you paid for. If, however, the ratio is smaller, then you have some decisions to make possibly. And head coach is a lot of different things. It is the head coach of the club, the lead coach of the group, the lead coach of the entire age group, etc??
Going to your coach and asking for lessons or asking for camps is some kind of insulting. If a family is asking this, it's a huge red flag. Jumping immediately to privates or camps is not the best way to go. A meeting away from the deck with the coach usually clears everything up, or makes it worse, who knows.
I consider 15 - 18 to be older swimmers. 12 is right in the middle for most larger clubs.
Oh, here we go with the feelings. That's probably the last thing that should be considered..............
Going to your coach and asking for lessons or asking for camps is some kind of insulting. If a family is asking this, it's a huge red flag.
"Feelings" in this context means "opinion," sheesh.
As for the private coaching. Wow. Just. Wow. Could not disagree more. Maybe there is a regional thing or something, but around here, they are common, from 8 year olds all the way to one of our kids who is swimming in the TYR Pro meet tomorrow (who has a lesson once per week). In some cases, the parents approach the coach, in others, the coach asks the kids. Any coach that gets offended by a swimmer who cares enough to want some private coaching is a huge red flag for me. And it ain't about "feelings," it is about giveacraps.
FWIW, heard an interview with Neal Peart a day or so after he died. One of the best handful of drummers in the world. He still took lessons, even in his 60's.
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.
So you really just came here to complain about your coach. Seems a meeting with the coach would be a better and more productive approach.
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.
As for the private coaching. Wow. Just. Wow. Could not disagree more. Maybe there is a regional thing or something, but around here, they are common, from 8 year olds all the way to one of our kids who is swimming in the TYR Pro meet tomorrow (who has a lesson once per week).
I live in your region and we have 20+ club kids in Knoxville this weekend, and in every big meet nationally. If your club is so inadequate that weekly lessons are needed, it's time to find a new club.
