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Many parents have lots of
questions about swim practice, especially when their
children are new to the sport. It is sometimes
difficult to know what to expect of your child. Your
child may talk about swim practice, but you may not
even understand the new "swimming vocabulary" your
child is using!
Many children improve rapidly during the
developmental stages due to growth and improved
technique. It is difficult to resist the tendency to
push young athletes at this stage! However, the
emphasis should be placed on technique and not
intense training. The training schedule for
developmental swimmers should be flexible enough to
provide them with enough time to participate in
other activities. Since swimmers' careers can extend
well into adulthood, swimming at the youngest levels
needs to be fun, pressure free, and filled with
learning experiences. This will ensure that swimming
remains fun throughout their lives.
You should certainly ask questions at swim team
parents' meetings or schedule an appointment with
your child's coach to clarify things. However there
are many common questions that might be answered
below. Read through the FAQs and see if you have
found yourself asking these same questions!
FAQ
Q:
Some days he likes to
just play with his friends. Should I force him to go
to practice?
A: You should not force your child; you want
his participation to be his decision. Reinforce the
choices and decisions he has made to start swimming.
For example, your son chose to go to practice on
Tuesday and Thursdays, on other days he has the
freedom to do other activities. As a parent, explain
your expectation that he fulfill the commitment he
made by joining the team. You don't want to force
your child into a sport that he does not enjoy, yet
you want your child to be involved in a 'lifetime
sport', to learn about making and keeping a
commitment and to interact with peers So, what are
you to do?
Instead of allowing your child to make a daily
decision about going to practice, allow him to
decide whether or not he wants to swim for the
season. Once the decision is made to swim, he is
making a commitment to the team and needs to follow
through on it by attending practice on a regular
basis. A haphazard schedule is detrimental to the
swimmer’s overall development.
Interestingly, when asked to reflect on the role of
their parents in their swimming, athletes from the
World Championship team talked about being pushed to
swim by their parents on a weekly basis but knowing
they could quit if they stopped having fun with
swimming.
Q: What will happen to my child’s meet
results if he only makes half of the offered
workouts because he is participating in other
sports?
A: Children involved in other activities can
benefit in the areas of coordination and balance, as
well as improved social and intellectual
development. Specialized training in one activity
does not necessarily need to take place at this
stage of development. Will your son’s teammate who
makes all practices have better results? Probably,
because his teammate is working solely on developing
swimming skills. It is up to you to explain to your
child that making the choice to participate in other
activities can have its consequences. Tell your son
that he should not compare his results to that of
his teammate, but to focus on the fact that he is
benefiting from and enjoying both sports.
Q: It looks like my child has too much fun,
shouldn’t she be working harder?
A: Be happy that your child is having fun!
According to a recent study conducted by USA
Swimming children who experience fun while
participating stay in sports longer (Tuffey, Gould,
& Medbery, 1998). At this stage of the game, the
most important aspect of development is the mastery
of skills, which means learning to swim the strokes
with proper technique. Fundamentals must be
established prior to true “training” taking place.
And, if she is having fun in the process of
learning, she is more likely to continue to swim.
Q: Shouldn’t my child be swimming more laps
instead of doing all those drills?
A: Your child needs to develop a solid
foundation in stroke mechanics. Drills and drill
sets serve the specific purpose of teaching skills
and fundamentals. Drills develop motor coordination,
motor skills, and balance. In fact, your child’s
coach may prescribe a particular drill, just for
your child, in order to improve a part of her
stroke. In addition, she may actually be
experiencing a “training” benefit from drills.
Drills require concentration and aerobic energy to
do them correctly.
Q: My daughter’s coach makes her sit on the
side of the pool. What’s that teaching her?
A: The coach has set up expectations of
proper behavior both in and out of the water.
Hopefully, your child is aware of the consequences
of testing these boundaries. Obviously the coach is
reinforcing what is expected of the children at
practice. We encourage you to reinforce the coach's
practice expectations by discussing your child’s
behavior and the consequences of that behavior.
Hopefully, this “time out” begins to reinforce
self-discipline, accountability and respect for
others.
Q: My son came home and said he had his best
result on a test set of 100s on 1:45, what does that
mean?
A: Some coaches use test sets to measure
improvement. This particular challenge set consists
of swimming a certain number of 100s on every 1
minute and 45 seconds, which is the send off. Praise
your child for this accomplishment. In addition to
achieving the physical goal, your child is also
learning to swim on an interval, read the pace
clock, and accomplish practice goals. Congratulate
him on his efforts and let him know you are proud of
him.
Q: My son complains that some of the kids in
the lane skip laps. He doesn’t think that’s fair.
What should I tell him?
A: Praise him first for completing the
workout the coach offers. Remind him that he is
there to improve his own swimming and he can’t
control what his teammates do. Tell him however,
that his best course of action is to continue to do
things right and others may actually be influenced
by his good example. By committing to do his best at
all times, over the long haul he will reap the
benefits of his hard work.
Q: My child seems to be bouncing off the wall
during “taper.” What is that?
A: Tapering is a gradual reduction in
training workloads in preparation for major
competition. Some Age Groupers do not need to taper
at all: a little rest and they are ready to go. As
training increases, swimmers need more rest and the
process of tapering is introduced. Swimmers taper
only a couple of times a year, for their major
competitions. Taper is not something that occurs for
every meet! “Taper time” is an exciting time for a
young swimmer and there are two reason for this:
- Physiologically your
child is expending less energy because the
workload has been reduced.
- Psychologically there is
less mental fatigue as he is doing less physical
work. Additionally, the anticipation and
nervousness associated with the upcoming
competition contributes to your child's bouncing
off the wall. Do not worry, it will soon be
over.
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Training for Older
Swimmers
As your child becomes a teenager,
lots of things change, including his swim training
and focus. Just when you had age group swimming all
figured out, the coach has started calling your
child's group the "senior team!" What does this mean
for your child as a swimmer and for you as a parent?
Training focus and expectations may shift and new
issues may surface. Read the FAQs below to help
guide you and schedule an appointment with the coach
if you have additional concerns.
Q: My daughter just moved up to the senior
group. Her coach wants her to start coming to
morning workouts twice a week. Is this really
necessary?
A: Your child has established proper stroke
technique and swimming fundamentals by progressing
through the levels of the team. It is appropriate at
this stage of your daughter’s career development to
increase the training loads. This includes adding
the two mornings per week. Although morning
practices come extra early, this level of commitment
is necessary for your daughter to reach the next
level of her swimming career.
Training for competitive swimming is demanding on
young athletes. As swimmers develop in the sport,
they need to understand the upcoming time demands.
One specific principle of training that applies is
the progressive overload principle. A person must be
stressed slightly more each day over time to
continue to improve. In order to do that, the coach
must plan additional time. The addition of morning
workouts often becomes necessary for the coach to
develop young athletes to their maximum potential.
Q: What type of commitment is needed for this
level of swimming?
A: While a swimmer's performance is
influenced by numerous factors, there are three that
exert the greatest influence: physical, technical
and mental. As athletes progress, a greater
commitment, of both time and energy, is needed to
enable an athlete to address all of these factors.
Additionally, the athlete is asked to take more
responsibility for and ownership of his practice and
competition performance. One way of doing this is by
accepting responsibility for leading a lifestyle
conducive to swimming well, i.e., proper nutrition,
adequate sleep, time management, managing
extra-curricular activities.
Q: I think my child is sacrificing too much
to train. Is this okay?
A: What you may consider a sacrifice, i.e.
missing a school dance, football game, or simply
going out with friends, your child many not consider
a sacrifice at all! Instead, your child has chosen
to commit to swimming. By doing so, he realizes that
a certain level of training is necessary for him to
achieve greater goals and does not look at these
activities as missed opportunities. Keep in mind
that your child realizes missing a workout is like
missing sleep, it cannot be made up. If, however,
your child is expressing sentiments that he is
missing these chances, then it is time to
re-evaluate the balance in his activities.
Q: What does the coach mean when he says that
my daughter controls eighty percent of her training?
A: At this stage it is important for the
athlete to take full responsibility for her
swimming. Your coach is just reinforcing this
concept. Having a good attitude, developing proper
time management, and demonstrating a strong work
ethic are important both in and out of the water.
What your child’s coach is referring to is what we
call “hidden training factors.” She is in control of
what she eats, how much sleep she gets, her practice
attendance, and even her effort on practice sets.
This may really add up to even more than 80%.
Q: When my child was an age grouper she would
swim all the events offered for her age group, now
the coach just has her focusing on distance
freestyle, why is that?
A: Prior to now, your child needed to acquire
a wide range of skills and the aerobic development
necessary to allow for this specialization. At this
point in her career, her physical development allows
her to train for specific events. Children at this
stage have reached the physical maturity necessary
to specialize in particular events for which they
are best suited.
Q: I don’t understand why the coach has the
older swimmers working with the little kids. What’s
the purpose in that?
A: There are several reasons. One, the coach
realizes the benefit of involving the younger kids’
heroes or role models from the senior group
involved. In addition, developing a teaching process
reinforces the senior swimmer’s basic skills. And,
at times, the senior kids have greater success than
the coach at teaching basic skills to these younger
swimmers.
Q: I noticed that the coach is meeting with
the senior team at the beginning of each season. Is
the coach asking for input?
A: Typically the coach likes to share his
seasonal plan with the group prior to the start of
the season, as well as reviewing the previous
season’s strengths and weaknesses. This plan
highlights the major meets, tapering and the overall
training plan. By presenting the swimmers with
information, the coach is making the athlete part of
the process. This meeting may also be a prelude to
individual goal setting sessions and an opportunity
to begin to build team unity.
Q: My child was a successful age group
swimmer. How can I help her reach the next level?
(i.e. Sectionals, Juniors, Nationals, National Team)
A: When your daughter is making the
transition, she needs to realize that she is
participating at a higher level. Improvements are in
tenths and hundredths, rather than seconds, due to
biological and physiological factors.
Throughout her career, you have been very
supportive. This support is still needed but it may
have to be a little different than in the past. It
is a good time to discuss with your daughter what
she needs from you. Do not be afraid to ask her “How
can I support you in your swimming?” While you are
an important part of her support network, realize
your daughter, at this level, should be taking on
more ownership of her swimming career.
Q: I realize my child is training hard, but
she seems to have no energy. Could something be
wrong?
A: Training for competitive swimming is very
demanding. Young swimmers are often fatigued
throughout the course of a season. Researchers have
been investigating the potential cause(s) of this
fatigue for many years. It appears that there may be
several factors that impact the athlete either alone
or in combination. Two of these include iron status
problems and caloric restriction or imbalance.
Iron is essential for good health. A primary role of
iron is to aid in transporting oxygen to the muscle
cells. Adolescents have increasing body iron
requirements (1.5x adults) due to their rapid
growth. Diets that are low in iron may predispose
young athletes, especially females, to iron
deficiency problems. Symptoms of iron deficiency
include chronic fatigue, increased susceptibility to
infection and potential problems with concentration
and perception (McArdle, Katch, Katch 1991). A
simple solution is to consume an iron rich diet that
includes poultry, lean red meats, green vegetables
and iron fortified breakfast cereals.
The second cause often relates to caloric
consumption by athletes. Competitive swimmers can
burn several thousand calories per day in training.
Often, the athlete will not replace those calories
through adequate nutritional habits. Like a
checkbook, the swimmer over time lives in a caloric
deficit. This can result in an inability to maintain
training intensity, decreased performance, fatigue,
and an increased risk for illness and/or injury.
It is very important for athletes, coaches and
parents to understand the difference between “good
fatigue” and “bad fatigue”. Fatigue is a typical
response to training, however the swimmer should
recover during the rest periods. The stress-recovery
pattern should be apparent in youngsters who are
adapting appropriately to swim training.
Q: I am concerned that my swimmer may be
developing an eating disorder. What are the symptoms
and concerns associated with eating disorders?
A: Disordered Eating encompasses the spectrum
of abnormal eating behaviors with poor nutrition on
one end and anorexia / bulimia at the other end.
Scientific research has found 12-62% of female
athletes have disordered eating.
The signs and symptoms include not eating in public,
excessive weighing-in, restriction of certain foods
or skipping meals, talk of being fat, obsessive talk
of food, calories, fat and weight, and excessive
exercising. The risks and concerns are many. Mental
and physical fatigue is an immediate concern. The
condition may become chronic, leading to menstrual
dysfunction in females and to both short-term and
long-term health problems. Speak to your child’s
doctor if you have concerns. For more information
see the fact sheet on
Disordered Eating.
Q: My son is complaining that his shoulder is
hurting after practice?
A: Swimming is relatively safe for children
when performed within reasonable guidelines.
Children often seek to push their limits, which can
result in injury. The movements in swimming are
repetitive and can result in injuries of the soft
tissues in the shoulder, knee and hip. Proper
strengthening, stretching routines and stroke
technique can reduce the risk of injury to these
joints, especially to the shoulder.
If pain occurs it is important to: (a) open the line
of communication with the coach, (b) ice the area
regularly to reduce swelling and trauma, and (c)
interact with the family physician and ask for a
referral to a sports medicine physician. The coach
should know what the problem is and when the
training aggravates the painful joint. Immediate
action to aid the healing process and to decrease
inflammation that results in pain is to ice the
area. The recommendation is twenty minutes of icing
following each practice. Performing the icing
procedure following the workout will help to reduce
swelling and pain. Finally, the swimmer should be
taken to his/her family physician. The medical
doctor can then evaluate the problem and prescribe
an appropriate treatment for the injured joint.
Q: My daughter was recently prescribed some
medicine. How do I find out if the medication is
okay for her to take?
A: A medication that is prescribed by your
daughter's physician will fall under one the three
categories: prohibited, restricted or allowable in
regards to drug testing within USA Swimming. A list
of allowable medications is on the USA Swimming
website as well as in the meet information booklets
for our major competitions. If you or your physician
need a particular question answered on a medication,
you should contact the USADA (US Anti-Doping Agency)
Drug Hotline (800-233-0393) during the hours of
8:30am to 5:00pm (Mountain Time) to get the correct
answer. A physician must prescribe all restricted
medications and a declaration form must be on file
with USA Swimming Headquarters for the swimmer to
participate in competition. Prohibited substances
must never be used when a swimmer intends to
compete.
Q: I want my child to make his National cut
so badly, but he has been off by .02 for a year,
what can he do to break through?
A: It is important for you to acknowledge
that this is your child’s goal. Your
expectations may actually be putting undue pressure
on his performances. There are two types of goals
that swimmers can set. Outcome Goals focus on
the end result of performance such as “win" or "make
finals.” Process Goals relate to the process
of performance. Examples are “breathe every 3rd
stroke" or "streamline.” Swimmers have much more
control over Process Goals. Outcome Goals are
uncontrollable since they also involve the
performance of other competitors. Swimmers and
coaches, should concentrate on Process Goals since
they involve aspects a swimmer can control. Focusing
on a time is outcome driven. Although you want
what’s best for your son, encourage him to talk to
his coach to clearly identify Process Goals to work
on to achieve improvement.
Q: My child was just selected to a USA
Swimming National Select Camp. What does this mean?
A: With this invitation comes the opportunity
to train in Colorado Springs, at the Olympic
Training Center. This wonderful experience may
include training with other top athletes from across
the country, attending motivational and educational
meetings and a special visit from an Olympian.
Q: We had a swimmer on our team a few years
ago travel to Australia for a swimming meet with the
National Junior Team. How does one earn a spot?
A: The National Junior Team is selected based
on achievement of time standards at certain
qualifying meets such as Nationals and Speedo
Championship Series Meets. These standards are
published every fall. Swimmers are eligible starting
in the spring to make these long course standards.
Women swimmers must be 15 years of age, or under, at
the time of performance, and men must be 17, or
under, at the time of performance. If there is an
event in which an athlete has not made the standard,
the fastest performer in that event who makes the
age standard and swam that time at a designated
competition is selected. This team is then invited
to attend an orientation camp in the fall and then
an international competition in the spring. This
team has been a great developmental event for future
National Team members.
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