The Swimming Expert

QUESTION:

Hi Gary,

My daughter is 10 and my son is 9 and I was wondering how they can improve their swimming times to be able to compete in the NSW Country Swimming Championships . My daughter missed out last year but she is keen to go this year.   She is competing in different carnivals over the next few months and would love to see her achieve her goal.  She is between 3 sec – 5 seconds off her goal in 3 events of 50, 50 & 100 metres.

Does competing in carnivals improve their times or should they just keep training and show up for the main carnivals? Any advice would be helpful. I sometimes think it’s in the mind.

Many thanks, Ingrid

ANSWER:

Hi Ingrid,

Yes, competing in Carnivals will assist a young swimmers development as they will learn how to start, turn and finish in a racing environment and also practice their pacing for each lap and swimming fast.

Your coach will work with your children in regards to the balance between the number of carnivals versus having some weekends off to recover from the week’s training.

Training well continues to be important in between each carnival.

And yes, sometimes it is in the mind.  Some would argue more often than not for young swimmers, so it is really important that positive encouragement is provided around training and competition so that each child builds their own self-confidence, as well as their physical preparation.

Regards

Gary

The Swimming Expert

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:

How many times a week, should a 11 year old boy train swimming – if he is serious about training.

How long should the sessions be for?

Thanks Dina

ANSWER:

Hi Dina,

The number of sessions an 11 year old boy should train from child to child.

In general I would say 3 to 4 times a week if they are taking part in competitions.  Some, with a good background from a young age, may even do 5 or 6 sessions per week, especially if they are taking the sport seriously.  Alot will depend also on whether they are playing another sport and what other activities they have in their life.

The training sessions would normally be 1 1/2 hours with some at 2 hours for more advanced 11 year olds.

This question (and many more) are answered quite comprehensively in the book www.SwimmingForParents.com.  I am sure this book would assist you greatly with your son in this area and many others.

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

QUESTION:

Hi,   My daughter is 10 and has competed since she was 8 with good times in all strokes especially fly and free. She has had about 2 months off as a result of Osgoods Schlatters and then an accident with her pony. She is now worried her times will not be as good as her friends in the squad and they will all move to the next squad without her. Is there anything specific she should be doing on returning to training as the coaches have just said do what you can.   Thanks   CS

ANSWER:

Hi CS, The situation you find yourself in with your daughter is very similar to the one many swimmers come across during the junior swimming years.  From my experience if a swimmers aged 10 years has 2 months out of training, it will take them a good 2 months to get back into the full swing of training again.  Whilst their short term performances may not improve a period of 2 months out of the water due to injury or illness will make no difference in the long term.

The advice you have received from the coaches sounds pretty good to me and I encourage your daughter to keep working on her skills and fitness at each training session and she will be fine.

In regards to friends moving up squads, this will happen to every swimmer at some time and I strongly encourage your daughter to keep doing the work that her coaches are providing her and I am sure she will also be considered for a move to the next squad when she is ready.

Some of the specific things she can do in training is focus on her stroke technique, keep practising her skills like starts, turns and finishes, and rebuilding her aerobic fitness.

If you would like more advice on how you support your daughter’s journey in competition swimming go to www.SwimmingForParents.com.

Regards

Gary

Gary Barclay explains how to kick when swimming butterfly.