Literature available on resistance training for ages 9-14?

As an age group coach myself.....I don't necessarily agree with a drag suit at that age, but I don't see where it would hurt......the paddles, if used correctly can be used for technique work.....will all depend on the sets the coach has them do......

You might want to read this... swimming.about.com/.../shoulder_kk.htm Land training seems to be fine however ...if done with supervision. www.mayoclinic.com/.../HQ01010

You might want to read this... swimming.about.com/.../shoulder_kk.htm Quicksilver, Thanks for the site. I can't believe that this is the only piece of literature available on this topic. I cannot find anything that says that prepuberty adolescent children shouldn't use resistant training. I guess I am going to have to do a study and publish a paper. My search continues.

Shark, The American Academy of Pediatrics published a paper titled "Strength Training by Children and Adolescents" (I found it when I was researching whether my 10 year old should lift). It evaluates the pros/cons of resistance training for kids. It has a set of recommendations; the gist of it is that resistance training for kids can be safe and effective, provided proper technique is followed, and a low weight/8-15 rep program that covers all the major muscle groups is used. The paper has a fairly extensive set of references on resistance training that you could look into. It seems to me that one of the key problems with paddles is that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to monitor technique when you have lots of kids swimming. If the coach wants to do resistance training, stretch cords would perhaps be a better alternative. Dan

When I coached the youngsters, I limited their paddle work and did not allow them to power swim. It was just to be used as a relaxed drill to let them understand where their hands were to go while swimming. The Swim Paddles enhance a workout by efficiently displacing water while allowing you to focus on stroke form. They should only used to focus on form, not to be used for heavy workouts.

Brian, playing devil's advocate here....... I could say that there are just as many articles promoting the use of paddles in that age group..... The key to this whole issue is using the paddles correctly......pull the coach aside and tell him your concerns......bring with you the evidence both pro and con and discuss it with him.....unless he is a total MORON he should listen to you and be able to give you his strategy on how he plans on using them. If he doesn't.......then you definitely have an issue!!!!

I could say that there are just as many articles promoting the use of paddles in that age group..... My three day search has not turned up any article that states pro's of paddle use. Every article I have seen has been negative towards the use of paddles.

Brian, Paddles are a known cause of shoulder problems. Although some swimmers might be lucky and stay immune to the ill effects, others may slowly be doing damage which starts out as a mild soreness before it develops into a fully blown problem. Personally we trained with them as kids...and the pain was shrugged off as part of the training process. Bad idea. We had an AAU coach who dreamed up medieval pulling sets with paddles and an inner tube around the ankles (for additional drag). And unfortunately boys will tend to tough things out for fear of not wanting to be called wimpy. It must be good if coach says so...Right?! Not always. In my humble opinion, I'd rather have an age group swimmer develop feel for the water, and build their strength with dry land routines. Paddles may build large triceps and shoulders, but they offer a false sense of speed. And they numb the "feel" for the water. By the time a kid says "hey coach, my shoulder hurts"...it may be too late. Google shoulder injuries in swimmers....and hundreds of articles can be found. Every one of them advises to lay off of the paddles as part of the rehab process...particularly after the 'surgery' has been performed. Your concern is well founded. No one wants to send their kid to a sports therapist. Good luck in your efforts. ezinearticles.com/

Google shoulder injuries in swimmers....and hundreds of articles can be found. Every one of them advises to lay off of the paddles as part of the rehab process...particularly after the 'surgery' has been performed. Your concern is well founded. No one wants to send their kid to a sports therapist. I have searched Google for "shoulder injuries preadolescent swimmers" and have a ton of articles about shoulder injuries in swimmers. Most list use of paddles as a factor in shoulder injury. Increased resistance done improperly with bad technique will lead to problems. This should be common sense. My dilemma is that the local club where my son belongs has a coach without any common sense. I have at least twenty articles preaching the evils of "paddle use with bad technique" in swimming. I am continuing my search but none of the articles say specifically "Do not use resistance training with prepuberty swimmers." My son will not use paddles until he has the shoulder strength to withstand the added resistance. My worry is with all of the other youngsters that are pretty good now but that might not be around to swim in the future because someone wants them to train with paddles. I do not disagree with paddle use in individuals that can handle the added pressure on the shoulders. In college we used homemade paddles out of sheet metal. They were 8"x10" with a single piece of surgical tubing across the center. I loved using them. We use to be able to just cruise with them plus a buoy and a tube around the ankles. The goal was to get under 15 minutes for a 1500 pull. 15:06 was as fast as I got. College yes, age group no.

Just to mention more shoulder injuries are caused by improper streatching.