Swim Rant

I can't stand that so many kids don't learn lane etiquette. It's not soccer. It's swimming...we don't need to get all bunched up. Coaches need to enforce separation on the starts for younger kids. I see it all the time. They want to get in front, so they don't wait the 5 seconds they are told to. Next thing you have kids crawling over each other and tapping feet and passing the person who just passed them. How can you focus on your stroke? Well speaking for myself, this is something we stress ALL THE TIME!!!!!!! And yet, the attention span of your average 8yo is about.0000000024 seconds. But as in all things, we just keep saying the following: - leave 5 seconds apart - use the clock, don't count to five as you are wrong when you don't use the clock - If you pass someone, then stay ahead of them - It's not a race, it's practice. If we say go fast THEN go fast. sigh

I can't stand that so many kids don't learn lane etiquette. It's not soccer. It's swimming...we don't need to get all bunched up. Coaches need to enforce separation on the starts for younger kids. I see it all the time. They want to get in front, so they don't wait the 5 seconds they are told to. Next thing you have kids crawling over each other and tapping feet and passing the person who just passed them. How can you focus on your stroke? Well speaking for myself, this is something we stress ALL THE TIME!!!!!!! And yet, the attention span of your average 8yo is about.0000000024 seconds. But as in all things, we just keep saying the following: - leave 5 seconds apart - use the clock, don't count to five as you are wrong when you don't use the clock - If you pass someone, then stay ahead of them - It's not a race, it's practice. If we say go fast THEN go fast. sigh