The Swimming Expert

For many parents having a “swimmer” in the family is not something they planned.  Most swimmers begin in a learn-to-swim program and progress through to advanced lessons. From there they are asked to complete a couple of sessions in a junior squad and before you know it they are entrenched and absorbed by the sport of swimming.  By this stage, parents begin to realise the commitment required by a swimmer to complete the necessary training and competitions offered in the sport.

As a swimmer I had the opportunity to observe my own parents first hand and how they managed me as a swimmer, and how they worked with, and communicated with my coaches.  I was also fortunate enough to be coached by three of the most talented and experienced swimming coaches in the world - Julie Dyring, Bill Sweetenham and Leigh Nugent.

As a coach for more than a dozen years I worked closely with swimmers of all ages and have been directly involved in the introduction of parents to the sport of swimming.

For a swimming parent, understanding the role of the coach, the role the parent is required to undertake, and the responsibilities of a swimmer is critical to ensuring a positive and successful experience for the whole family. Yes, the whole family is affected by having a swimmer in the family and learning how to balance your time and other family member’s needs around the swimming schedule can be a challenge.

Over the years I have observed many parents who are introduced to swimming for the first time when their child is promoted to a junior squad.

For most swimmers who train for competitions, the measurement of their improvement is through performance and parents are encouraged to understand the many different aspects to training and competitions in an effort to provide parents with a more complete understanding of the sport and what a swimmer is experiencing.

One of the aspects I love about swimming is that when swimmers compete, no one else can affect their performance.  They have their own lane and no one can tackle them, bowl them out, hit the ball past them or affect their performance in any way.  It is just the swimmer and the black line.

Children who choose to train and swim competitively learn so many life skills as they become more exposed to the sport.

In general their grades improve at school, their time management skills improve and they learn how to win and how to lose with grace.  They are introduced to goal setting and taking responsibility for themselves.  They are also exposed to the concept that if you work hard on a skill and commit to doing something correctly over and over again, it will improve.

‘Swimming for Parents’ is a vital resource for all swimming parents.  The book, available also as an eBook with instant delivery, is a lifelong project that draws on many of my experiences as a swimmer, coach, swimming administrator and now as a parent of young children who enjoy swimming.

This book has been written to educate parents of junior and teenage swimmers and has sold more than 3000 copies all over the world.

The second edition is now available at www.SwimmingForParents.com.

QUESTION:

I have a 8 year old girl and a 9 year old boy.

They get entered into galas having to swim 800m as well as 200m IM, 100m freestyle, up to 7 or 8 races at a time. Is this very good for them?

As a parent I would like to ask the question, at what age is it healthy/unhealthy to make kids swim such big distances so young?

Thanks AJ

ANSWER:

Hi AJ,

Seven to eight races in a single day is a lot for a young swimmer, especially if there are one or two longer distance swims in there.

“Is this good for them?”  It really depends how they cope on the day.  To me the number of races seems a bit excessive for this age group and in my coaching experience I often found 4 to 5 good quality races would be the right number.

In regards to young children swimming 800m swims, I believe this is fine and so long as they are using correct technique, will be beneficial for them over time.  I’m not sure they need to do them all the time, as swims like this can also have the opposite affect and turn some children away from swimming – especially those who just like to race short distances or have short concentration spans.

The other benefit of doing a few 800m races is that those swimmers who practice on a regular basis will often perform better and see improvements in their times than those swimmers who turn up for practice irregularly and do not always put in a solid effort.

Some swimming coaches would even argue that children at a young age should only be allowed to race 200m events upwards because the 50 and 100 metre events can often reward the early developers who are stronger  at a young age, whilst the distance events reward the children who put in a consistent effort at practice.

Regards

Gary

The Swimming Expert

QUESTION:

Hi, I am 15 years old and I quit swimming 2 years ago.

I have still done swimming in between but now with a club and at a competitive level.

Now I want to get back into swimming but I have very low endurance, how would you suggest that I improve?

Sarah

ANSWER:

Hi Sarah,

I would begin Sarah doing 3 x 1 hour sessions a week and then 2 weeks later do 3 x 1 1/2 hour sessions for 2 weeks.  Once you are comfortable doing this, you should increase to 4 x 1 1/2 hour sessions and work towards doing 5 x 1 1/2 to 2 hour sessions in the following month.

By gradually increasing the length of each training session and the number of sessions you do each week, your endurance levels will improve over time.

If you went straight into 5 x 2 hour sessions a week, you risk injury and may do too much, too early and not be able to sustain it.

If you are then serious about competive swimming, at 15 years of age, you will need to then increase the number of sessions you do each week to 7-8 and be guided by your coach on any additional swimming and dryland work.

When you are only doing 3 to 5 sessions per week, other activities like walking or bike riding will also assist you to improve your aerobic fitness.

Regards

Gary

The Swimming Expert

QUESTION:

Hi, should my highly competitive 10 year old take a break from swimming?

What are the benefits of taking say 4 weeks off in the winter season, contrasted with swimming all year with only a couple of short one week breaks? Would a shorter break of say two weeks be better than 4?

She doesn’t want to stop swimming – she loves it and wants to train as much as possible as she thinks that will help her swim faster.

She normally trains 4 times a week for swimming. She plays and trains for netball and basketball many times a week and runs once a week most weeks as well, so she is pretty fit.

Where can we find out more information about how much training she should be doing?

Thanks for your help.  Leanne

ANSWER:

Hi Leanne,  Each swimming coach may have a different thought of when swimmers should have a break and for how long.

My personal thoughts are that children aged 10 years should have a minimum 6 - 7 weeks off a year to allow their body to recover from the training and assist it to grow and develop without the requirements of daily training.  This can be taken in different ways however I would encourage at least one period each year of a minimun 3 weeks off and then possibly a couple of 1 to 2 week breaks during the year.  Other coaches have had great success by giving swimmers shorter periods of rest more often, so there is no set rule.  If a swimmer has a break for 4 weeks, I would recommend having a swim in week 3 and then a couple of swims in week 4 to gradually get back into it and make sure they dont lose too much feel of the water.

On top of this, there may be times when your child is sick during the year and it is important that they recover fully from any sickness so that their immune system can cope with the training that they are doing.  This may mean missing a few sessions and then gradually getting themselves back into training over a one week period.

If you haven’t already, I would suggest buying Swimming for Parents as this book will answer many questions you will currently have and will have in the future about your daughters swimming and her progression in the sport.

Regards

Gary

The Swimming Expert

QUESTION:

Hi, we have an 8 year old daughter who has been swimming competitively for a few years and is very keen on training more.  Our problem is that we no longer live in Australia and have moved to Bali.

We would like some advice on giving her the best training program for her age.   Currently she does one squad training and one private training on technique.   Our daughter wants to be better and is as committed as an 8 year old can be, but we are really unsure as to how much and what training is appropriate.  Can you suggest a program?

Regards, Christine

ANSWER:

Hi Christine,

Thanks for your question.  I would normally advocate two x one hour sessions each week for an 8 year old, with a focus on stroke and skill development at all times. Some 8 year olds would cope with three sesions as long as they are well spaced out each week, eg Mon, Wed, Fri.  I like the idea that your daughter is doing one session a week on technique as this is very important.

If you would like more advice on the number of training sessions and progressions as your daughter gets older you are welcome to look at www.SwimmingForParents.com as this book goes into a lot more detail that will help you.

Regards

Gary

The Swimming Expert

QUESTION:

Hello,

Our daughter is 12 1/2 years and currently trains with her swim team 16 hours a week; approximately 4 hours of that is land training.

She enjoys swimming and to-date has not complained about the 4:40am wake-up, or late night swims. Her school grades are good. She has had no injuries.

We fully support the team and her coach, but my husband and I are concerned that she is training to much for a 12 years old with a growing changing body.

We would be very grateful to hear your thoughts.

With kind regards,

SH

ANSWER:

Hi SH,

There are many 12 year old girls around the world who are training 6 x 1 1/2 to 2 hour swimming sesions per week and completing  at least 2 x 1 hour of land traing each week, so what your daughter is doing is not unusual.

Having said that, it is at the higher end of training loads for 12 year old girls and while I believe this is absolutely fine, you just need to monitor her health, injuries and enjoyment levels over time and look for any signs that she may not be coping.  It sounds though, like she loves the sport and is a very accomplished swimmer.

I know for families who have grown up outside swimming, training this often seems like it is alot, and while it is, it is not unusual either in many good programs around the world.

I have actually written a book called www.SwimmingForParents.com that you may be interested in as it answers questions like this one, and many others.

Regards

Gary