Ten Things Age Group Swimming Parents Should Know

By Nick Baker, Olympic Coach, Author and Founder of Peak Performance Swim Camp —

1. All swimmers have one or more “natural strokes” that are often overlooked. For example, they may be natural in breaststroke but seldom swim that stroke in practice. As a result, their natural stroke rarely gets the nurturing it deserves, limiting swimmers’ potential over the long term.

2. Although many coaches believe in the power of the mind, few age-group swimmers receive help on the mental side of swimming, especially when dealing with competition. To guarantee success, swimmers need more than a brief pep talk by the coach minutes before a race. Coaches must offer weekly mental sessions to address the various mental challenges present in everyday swimming.

3. One hundred percent of elite swimmers perform dry-land training at least five times weekly. Swimming thousands upon thousands of yards in practice strengthens swimmers (to a point), but they also need to challenge themselves outside the pool to maximize their strength potential. Even age-group swimmers (as young as ten) need to add dryland to their swimming routine—a fact supported by the American Pediatric Society.

4. The amount of technical work offered to the average age-group swimmer per week is minuscule compared to the amount of yardage they swim. Watch any great swimmer like Michael Phelps; his technique is near perfection. This is no accident; his coach worked on his technique daily (year after year) to ensure he gained every possible advantage.

5. The majority of age-group swimmers compete in 50s, 100s, and 200s, so why do most train like distance swimmers? Swimming endless yardage at a slow to medium pace won’t develop the speed needed to compete successfully in sprint events.

6. Age group swimmers have the worst starts in swimming because coaches seldom work on them in practice. Diving off the block repeatedly the day before a swim meet (using the same flawed technique) won’t advantage them in competition. Instead, the coach must offer weekly sessions focusing on each front, back, and relay start aspect.

7. Few swimmers receive adequate time to train their “best stroke” in practice. Over the years, I have met countless butterfly, backstroke, and breaststroke specialists who seldom practice their specialty. How can swimmers excel in strokes they never train?

8. The average turn at the age-group level scores a five out of ten at best. How can swimmers win when they fall behind every turn? To rectify this weakness, coaches must offer weekly sessions focusing on each part of the turn. Swimmers must also strengthen their legs to increase push-off power.

9. It’s not uncommon for age-group swimmers to have multiple stroke flaws, which must be corrected early in their careers to heighten their chances of long-term success. Daily swimming with incorrect stroke technique creates negative muscle memories that stay with swimmers for life unless corrected. It also makes stroke correction more difficult the longer they swim incorrectly.

10. The vast majority of age-group swimmers are too stiff (physically), which affects the quality of their starts, strokes, and turns. Flexible shoulders improve the range of motion in all strokes. Flexible hips enhance the power in butterfly and breaststroke. Flexible ankles increase propulsion in all kicks. And a flexible body enhances overall stroke flow. Swimmers also need adequate practice time to stretch and perform specific stretching exercises relative to their best strokes.

Most swimmers dream of swimming at an elite college or competing in the Olympics one day. Yet their chances will be severely limited due to inadequate preparation during their formative years.

At PEAK, we offer robust solutions to improve your child’s swimming performance and ensure a brighter future. These include: