Hey everyone, wasn't sure were to put this questions so I decided to place it here. I also wanted to get some opinions from knowlageable swimmers like yourselves so I hope you don't mind me asking this.
Here's the story..
My daughter is 9 years old and has been competing for about 8 months but taking swimming lessons since the age of 3. She's extremely descent for her age (about 35 seconds 50 free, 43 seconds 50 fly, 45 seconds 50 back and 43 seconds 50 ***) just to give you an idea. I decided to pull her off the current team as I feel he was not improving enough as her coach did very little technique training and put her in private lessons with someone I think can really help her learn the little things to make her faster.
Anyways, here is the other thing.
During her swim meets I noticed another 9 year old girl who is swimming with times such as 32 seconds 50 free, 32 seconds 50 fly, 38 seconds 50 *** ect and could not believe it. Keep in mind this girl JUST turned 9!
My question is this,
How is it that a 9 year old child can swim times as fast as many of the top 11, 12 or 13 year olds? Is this a freak of nature? Is it just good coaching? Physical strength? or what.
I did not think it was possible for kids this age to swim so fast. Is there any hope for my daughter to "catch up" to kids like this?
I would like to know everyones opinion on youth marvels like this. I believe this kids has gotten as fast as she will get but that's my own personal opinion. She is sort of short and perhaps as she matures other kids will eventually get taller and stronger and catch up to her times?
If you were in my shoes what would YOU do with your daughter to help her attain these kinds of times?
Thanks
I'm finding it hard to agree with much of anything you are posting, sorry. You talk about pushing your daughter, for who's benefit, yours or hers? Maybe she's right where she wants to be and needs to be. All pushing does is cause the object being pushed to push back.
I don't get what you mean by "only going so far." You only go as far as you want to go and there's nothing wrong with that.
No kid on the planet wants or needs their parents watching them at a workout. It's a universal truism that parents who do that are mcloco cuckoo. Drop her off, go get a cup of coffee. Sitting there evaluating her and her coach seems to be driving you bananas. The sport is for her, not you.
It's like I told wookie as I chased him at a meet with a pair of hedge clippers - I'm doing this for your own good. In retrospect, maybe it wasn't do good for him and maybe not so good for your daughter to obsess either.
What you are saying could be true if I could trust that the coach of her team was fit to be coaching. As I said before, dropping my daughter off to practice and "trusting" this man to do a good job coaching my daughter would be fine and dandy except for the fact that she's shown no visible signs of improvement under him.
I dunno, maybe you are more trusting of people than I. It's a fact that to become better at something you need to learn by someone who knows what they are doing. By my "getting a cup of coffee" does no good to my daughter is she remains on a team for the next 5 years under a coach who has done absolutely nothing.
The reason I "watch" my daughter practice has more to do with the quality of learning she is getting. There are swim clubs out there that if you let them will sock you an arm and a leg and take advantage of you if they can do it. My daughter has real talent and it's MY responsibility to make sure she has the SAME opportunity as the superstar kid down the road who grew up learning from a descent coach and not some fool.
I'm finding it hard to agree with much of anything you are posting, sorry. You talk about pushing your daughter, for who's benefit, yours or hers? Maybe she's right where she wants to be and needs to be. All pushing does is cause the object being pushed to push back.
I don't get what you mean by "only going so far." You only go as far as you want to go and there's nothing wrong with that.
No kid on the planet wants or needs their parents watching them at a workout. It's a universal truism that parents who do that are mcloco cuckoo. Drop her off, go get a cup of coffee. Sitting there evaluating her and her coach seems to be driving you bananas. The sport is for her, not you.
It's like I told wookie as I chased him at a meet with a pair of hedge clippers - I'm doing this for your own good. In retrospect, maybe it wasn't do good for him and maybe not so good for your daughter to obsess either.
What you are saying could be true if I could trust that the coach of her team was fit to be coaching. As I said before, dropping my daughter off to practice and "trusting" this man to do a good job coaching my daughter would be fine and dandy except for the fact that she's shown no visible signs of improvement under him.
I dunno, maybe you are more trusting of people than I. It's a fact that to become better at something you need to learn by someone who knows what they are doing. By my "getting a cup of coffee" does no good to my daughter is she remains on a team for the next 5 years under a coach who has done absolutely nothing.
The reason I "watch" my daughter practice has more to do with the quality of learning she is getting. There are swim clubs out there that if you let them will sock you an arm and a leg and take advantage of you if they can do it. My daughter has real talent and it's MY responsibility to make sure she has the SAME opportunity as the superstar kid down the road who grew up learning from a descent coach and not some fool.
