If your dc swim for a team...

[LunaLee]

Rec or competitive, can you please tell me what's involved in a typical practice.

 

DD played softball, and that's what we know. DS wants to swim on a team and maybe for HS in a year, so we are trying to prepare him, like we did with DD playing catch, batting, etc... He's had lessons for 6 weeks and can do the breaststroke, freestyle and kind of back stroke. We are working on flip turns (?). We go to the gym everyday and I make him swim 4 laps of each stroke.

 

I was wondering how many laps should he be able to swim. And maybe any other advice. He's a big kid, slightly overweight, but very tall (he's supposed to be 6'3") and has size 13 feet, and he likes to swim so this is something we want to encourage him in doing, but we just aren't sure how.

[Jackie in NE]

Well, I don't know how helpful this will be, but I'll share our story. Dd, now 17, started out in gymnastics, but for several different reasons, needed a new sport. Swimming seemed like a good idea since most of the other sports aggravated her asthma/allergies. She could swim freestyle, and breaststroke (kinda). She swam for our local club when she was in 8th grade. She was in the same lane as all the little 8 yr. olds that swam like fish. She wasn't too keen on that, but it motivated her. The other kids were all really nice to her, so it was OK. Her Freshman year, she went out for the High School team. She improved in leaps and bounds. Last year, as a Junior, she qualified for the state meet for the first time. She had a great state meet, and is really enthusiastic about this, her senior year.

All of that is to say, this swimming thing is often started at a very young age. But if your ds has a good attitude and is really willing to work hard, he can have a good experience. I also like the fact that swimming is a lifetime sport, and it's easy on the joints. Dd is even talking about swimming in college, because she likes what the strenuous exercise does for her brain power.

 

Hope that helps!

[Swimtaxi234]

If you are having your son swim a few laps of each stroke, I would have him use a kick board and kick several laps of a flutter and breast stroke kick. He could also practice kicking on his back with his arms stretched out above his head.

 

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[itsheresomewhere]

Check to see if your local YMCA has swim school. It is a prep for the swim team not swim lessons. It will prepare him if he choses to go out for the HS team.

[zimom]

Also, you asked how many laps, try to start increasing his laps. For reference, my 8 y.o., competitive swimmer usually swims about 2200 yards or so a practice. Older sister, 14, also on the team, but not near as competitive and not on the same 'track' probably swims about 3500 yards.

[Lolly]

Up his distance. Start with just kicking with a kickboard to get more yardage. If he is swimming in a standard sized pool, it is probably around 25 yards. If by laps you mean one time down, he is doing 300 yards. Try working that up to 1500 minimum. (If your lap is down and back, he is doing 600 yards. Try for 2000) (A competitive team at that age would be doing a whole lot more. High school teams...well, that varies greatly.) He will also need to learn to do butterfly and more than "kind of" backstroke. (I know he is probably working on that.)

 

However, your best bet might be to find a team. Swim teams take kids of all ages and abilities. He needs to be prepared to be placed with younger kids to begin with while he learns the strokes and increases his distance. Unfortunately, a summer league team would be best. If you live in the USA, those are generally ending. Some do practice all year and really start in the fall for the basics. I would ask around and see what you can find. The YMCA is often a good place to look. USA (competitive/year round) swim teams are another option. I have seen barely swimming middle schoolers come in and after a year be able to join a group that is their age. (High school aged swim groups often swim 4000-10,000 yards a day.) The problem is often that older beginners cannot stand being in a group with young kids who can beat the pants off of them in practice. It takes a very mature teen to be able to keep their mind focused on improving. Check the teams out, because they are all very different. There are teams where they routinely have new swimmers of all ages joining. Look around and see what is offered. Joining a team will lead to his improving much faster.

[In The Great White North]

We've had swimmers start in 8th grade, and even in high school.

 

The high school team is a no cut team. They have to be able to swim a length of the pool. He would be in the slowest group. This group works on their strokes almost exclusively (not endurance, although that does increase) Even this group does at least 1000-1500 yards per practice, one length at a time.

 

I would recommend that he focus on his strokes (free, back and breast). He'll need to be a lot stronger before he can realistically do fly. The goswim website has a lot of videos that show and discuss stroke technique. A few private lessons with the coach of the team you are considering would help him catch up to his age mates more quickly.

 

I've yet to meet a teenager that swam enough all by themselves to be able to keep up with their age mates who swam on a team. That takes an incredible amount of discipline and physical awareness of the body, that most teens don't have.

 

If he wants to swim on a team in high school, the best thing you can do to prepare for that is to swim on a team now!

[TXMomof4]

My girls just tried out for a local team this week. They 'know' the strokes, but haven't had any formal swim training in almost 2 years. I wasn't sure it was a good idea, but we went anyway. It was absolutely fantastic - they will be on the slowest team, but the coaches were super-encouraging and very welcoming of all the kids. They told them not to aim for speed at this point - they just wanted to see how well they could do the strokes - so basic skills.

 

They will have the option to compete or not and they really aren't into the competition aspect right now. I figure we'll spend this season building up strength and endurance and next sememster we'll reevaluate. I'm thrilled for them and they are absolutely pumped!

 

ETA: my girls are 12 and 11. There were several kids in that age group who didn't look like speed demons in the pool!

[Kimber]

My 4 kids joined the summer league two years ago. They have improved drastically.

 

I found these instructional videos online to help my older two because they started at 11 and 13. They were really behind the other swimmers and their strokes need perfecting. After watching these videos this summer, they instantly improved. It helped to see what was happening under the water.

 

They swim on a team where they get little help in perfecting strokes. They do teach, but very hands off. This league focuses more on distance. They swim for 2 hours, taking breaks for instruction every 5 to 10 minutes or so, telling them what drills to swim next.

 

I find these videos so helpful.http://www.monkeysee.com/play/9110-how-to-swim-advanced-butterfly

 

Good Luck!

 

By the way, tell him not to get discouraged, older kids improve really quickly, especially once they learn the strokes.

[bettyandbob]

If your ds is going to high school in a year and would like to have the option of trying out for the high school team, I would look for a local rec or club program that runs a winter workout group. The clubs near me tend to call these groups "high school prep" and usually have 2-3 practices a week. These kids are not practicing on the same level as other kids in the club and are not competing in USA meets.

 

Our summer rec league runs a winter workout program. It meets twice a week for an hour. They do various drills planned by very inexperienced coaches. It is inexpensive and helps the kids keep up their endurance for swimming.

 

Our park authority has swim team prep classes. They are actually called swim team prep. They are both work out and stroke correction.

 

You might consider taking actual stroke correction classes through the park authority to improve technique. You could take stroke correction classes and go to the pool other days to work on technique independently and work on endurance.

 

I would expect you would want to be able to swim 2000 meters comfortably before tryouts. I would expect a practice to be a minimum of 2000 meters and involve sprints and distance swims as well as drills. Right now your son is swimming 400 meters in a 25 meter pool if you are counting each length of the pool as a lap (common mistake, forgive me if you did not make this mistake). A lap is 2 lengths of a pool. Most people have access to only 25 meter pools and high school team typically have meets in 25 meter pools.

 

If you plan to do all the prep on your own, get some drill books from the library. You can write workouts on index cards and put them in plastic sandwich bags. You can use youtube videos to review exactly what technique is emphasized by which drill and to view start and turn techniques.

[LunaLee]

Thanks for your help everybody. I am going to have him up his laps at the gym, and we are signing him up with a swim team, so hopefully some competition, practice, and instruction will get him where he needs to be.

[Lolly]

Thanks for your help everybody. I am going to have him up his laps at the gym, and we are signing him up with a swim team, so hopefully some competition, practice, and instruction will get him where he needs to be.

 

When he gets tired, instead of stopping have him use a kickboard and just kick another couple of laps. It is the best way to build endurance! I hope he loves swim team!!!