Hi: I'm new to this forum, but it looks like a great place to get information.
I have an 8 year old girl who was in a VERY relaxed semi-competitive program for a couple of years with volunteer lifeguard coaches. This season she joined a competitive club - we thought this would be a good place for her to get her technique improved while she was still young.
Unfortunately, this club's junior coach has never swum competitively, has only coached one year, and has yet to finish her level 1 certification. None of those 3 is a killer, but together they scare me! Also, the coach seems very reluctant to discuss anything with parents, so we're feeling a little uneasy.
I'm not a pushy crazy parent, and I don't want to interfere with the coach. I do want to help my daughter's technique, however, especially her breastroke. She's clearly got some potential there, and I want to ensure things progress. She's swimming 3 times a week, 90mins each tme.
Any suggestions? Should I get a book (any recommended) and try to work with her myself a little (I'm an ex - very ex - competitive breastroker). Should I video her and seek out a coach who can comment? Should I just butt out, hope and pray? I can't pull her and go elsewhere (and I'm not sure I would, as she likes it there, and that's very important).
She also has a very rigid straightleg freestyle kick that causes her legs to tire very easily - combined with her high head position this complicates things for her freestyle. I want to work on that too, so any suggestions?
Any comments appreciated.
Parents
Former Member
Originally posted by bip
Lacking credentials is one thing... never having swum competitively, AND never having coached, AND no credentials is a different thing entirely.
Anyway, it seems most of you want to make an assumption that only a pushy parent could take the position that I'm taking, even though you have no evidence of my being pushy. If I was pushy, I would already have stepped in, spoken to the coach about my concerns, and started coaching her myself. I'm deathly afraid of that, as I see those kinds of parents everywhere and they horrify me.
My USS swim coach did not have any competitive swimming experience at all, but we were an EXTREMELY successful team and he was and still is an excellent coach. We had olympians on our team and more JO qualifiers than you could shake a stick at. Sure its helpful to have been a competative swimmer, but not necessary if you understand the sport.
I am a coach and a mother of a 10 year old girl (who is not in my group). I watch as she is coached and although we have different styles, I don't: 1. make suggestions to the coach 2. coach her on the side. After all, the head coach should be making sure that all of his/her helpers are going in the right direction.
I run into parents that ask questions like this on a daily basis and at 8, as long as she is happy, healty and not in any danger then don't worry. If you were to approach me (and only if you were to come and approach me), I would think that you were pushy. Just my two cents!
Originally posted by bip
Lacking credentials is one thing... never having swum competitively, AND never having coached, AND no credentials is a different thing entirely.
Anyway, it seems most of you want to make an assumption that only a pushy parent could take the position that I'm taking, even though you have no evidence of my being pushy. If I was pushy, I would already have stepped in, spoken to the coach about my concerns, and started coaching her myself. I'm deathly afraid of that, as I see those kinds of parents everywhere and they horrify me.
My USS swim coach did not have any competitive swimming experience at all, but we were an EXTREMELY successful team and he was and still is an excellent coach. We had olympians on our team and more JO qualifiers than you could shake a stick at. Sure its helpful to have been a competative swimmer, but not necessary if you understand the sport.
I am a coach and a mother of a 10 year old girl (who is not in my group). I watch as she is coached and although we have different styles, I don't: 1. make suggestions to the coach 2. coach her on the side. After all, the head coach should be making sure that all of his/her helpers are going in the right direction.
I run into parents that ask questions like this on a daily basis and at 8, as long as she is happy, healty and not in any danger then don't worry. If you were to approach me (and only if you were to come and approach me), I would think that you were pushy. Just my two cents!
