jpklehm Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 For those of you with kids who take swim lessons, is it unusual for the coach to not be in the water? All of a sudden, my youngest (age 9) has coaches who stand on the sidelines telling the kids how to do something rather than being in the water. Today's coach has on jeans and sneakers and steps back so as not to get wet. I'm going to ask about this in the office but thought while I'm sitting here that I would ask those of you with experience. Now with my 15 yo, the coaches do stand on the side and this I understand, so I just thought I'd ask. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle O. in MO Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 I can only speak for my two kids, but when they were at the top level of their swim lessons i.e., the last level before reaching swim team, then yes the coach stood on the sidelines. I don't like it at all. I think it's rather lazy on the part of the coach/instructor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Swim lessons or swim team? Swim lessons = instructor in the water. As an instructor I may be out of the water as much as half the lesson for upper levels (level 5 or 6 red cross) I need to look a strokes from all angles to know what to correct. Sometimes that means standing on the side. Sometimes I am in the water watching under the surface with goggles on. Additionally, as an instructor I spend parts of lessons demonstrating. Swim team= coach on deck, calling drills Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4kiddies Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 My kids are 9 and 7 and just started on the swim team and the coaches have NEVER been in the water. I just assumed that it was because it is easier to see if they are doing the kicks and strokes properly from the side of the pool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebacabunch Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Yes. THis is normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 :confused: If the coach were in the water, he would not be able to see all kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joani Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 On my kids' swim team, the coaches never get in the water. My oldest helps to coach the youngest kids and they've had him get in to demonstrate a couple times, but the actual coaches never get in the water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoObvious Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Lessons- in the water every time. Team- never, ever in the water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cassiemc Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 The coaches can't see the kids strokes in the water. They must be out of the water to see that the strokes are being done right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airforcefamily Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 (edited) I'm a swim instructor, water safety instructor, and have coached a swim team. It would be very unusual for a swim coach to be in the water ever. Lower level swim lessons (1-3) generally have the instructor in the water. Mid level lessons (3-5) may or may not have the instructor in the water and that may be for all, part, or none of the time. Higher level lessons (5+) more often than not do not have the instructor in the water. It has nothing at all to do with laziness.... it's next to impossible to point out subtle problems with a stroke while standing in the water. Not to mention someone who is teaching lessons for most of the day (what is often needed to be able to offer enough lessons for all the kids who want to take them) would be physically exhausted and shivering after a couple hours in the water. Instructors usually switch off higher level and lower level lessons so they won't have to be in the water for extended periods of time. No one would expect any employee of any company to spend eight hours a day in chlorinated water. Edited October 25, 2012 by airforcefamily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 My son's are not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trillian Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 My son was 9 and moved to level 5 - the coach was out of the water - and frankly he couldn't handle it. He still needed to physical interaction as well as the verbal directions. He couldn't translate fast enough what the coach wanted him to do from words to actions. His coach would get frustrated and so would he. IMO, he was also a poor coach - he spent a lot of time talking to friends on the side. All this to say, I think it's normal but still may not work for your kid. It's when we stopped lessons (and knew swim team would be a bad fit ;) ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
higginszoo Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 This has been my experience, too. For level 4, my son's instructor was in the water part of the time. Above that, they're generally on the side for lessons. For swim team, the coaches are generally on the side here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 I can't remember my speed swim coaches being in the water. My synchro coaches would get in to show us new positions/moves but still spent more time out of the water than in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 While I agree that swim coaches don't get in the water, I'm a little surprised that people here think it's normal/acceptable that a swim instructor above Red Cross level 4 never get in the water. I have three reasons for being in the water at upper levels. Swim instructors are instructing. Part of teaching is demonstration, even in the upper levels. I quit working at Y facility. One of my issues was an instructor who never got in the water (well several). One instructor never got in and insisted on teaching the highest Y levels. Yet, she didn't know how to swim butterfly. I'm sorry I wouldn't accept stroke correction from her. My facility doesn't have underwater cameras. Are the facilities where you take lessons using underwater cameras? At level 5 and 6, I'm correcting strokes. I need to observe the students movements above and below the water. If I never got in and under water with goggles on, I'd never see what was happening below the surface to fully diagnose a problem. Because classes have 6-8 swimmers and the upper level lessons are 45 minutes long, I can usually give each swimmer a little one on one. Each child has a different problem so in any given drill I may work with one student and let the others continue with a drill. I'm hands on, even upper levels. If a student is letting his or her knees flail out consistently in breast stroke I will grab their ankles and push their legs through the proper motion a few times before they continue kicking on their own. Sometimes if you don't physically stop them, the student doesn't realize their legs aren't doing what the student thinks they are doing. What a swim coach does is different, so he/she doesn't get in the water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 Our coaches get in the water once maybe every 4-6 months. For the little guys (my 7 year old) over the past summer, they often had a coach in the water who was a college student. Other than that, they are on the side. They will have the kids stand on the deck to practice/show technique and sometimes use the older swimmers to demonstrate. I do wish they were in the water more, esp with the 10 and under. DS had trouble translating words to action too, esp with the bad acoustics of a pool. Now that he's 12, I guess he's doing ok with it and it might be embarrassing to have the coach hands on :001_smile: Brownie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpklehm Posted October 27, 2012 Author Share Posted October 27, 2012 While I agree that swim coaches don't get in the water, I'm a little surprised that people here think it's normal/acceptable that a swim instructor above Red Cross level 4 never get in the water. I have three reasons for being in the water at upper levels. Swim instructors are instructing. Part of teaching is demonstration, even in the upper levels. I quit working at Y facility. One of my issues was an instructor who never got in the water (well several). One instructor never got in and insisted on teaching the highest Y levels. Yet, she didn't know how to swim butterfly. I'm sorry I wouldn't accept stroke correction from her. My facility doesn't have underwater cameras. Are the facilities where you take lessons using underwater cameras? At level 5 and 6, I'm correcting strokes. I need to observe the students movements above and below the water. If I never got in and under water with goggles on, I'd never see what was happening below the surface to fully diagnose a problem. Because classes have 6-8 swimmers and the upper level lessons are 45 minutes long, I can usually give each swimmer a little one on one. Each child has a different problem so in any given drill I may work with one student and let the others continue with a drill. I'm hands on, even upper levels. If a student is letting his or her knees flail out consistently in breast stroke I will grab their ankles and push their legs through the proper motion a few times before they continue kicking on their own. Sometimes if you don't physically stop them, the student doesn't realize their legs aren't doing what the student thinks they are doing. What a swim coach does is different, so he/she doesn't get in the water. Thanks to everyone who responded. My oldest son is on the swim team and I understand completely why the coaches aren't in the water; I've never questioned this. However, for my 9 year old, the two coaches he's had have never been in the water with the 5-6 kids they have. The female does at least wear a swim suit but the young male coach wears regular clothes and shoes, and moves away in case his tennis shoes get wet. This I don't care for. Neither wear goggles and our swim club doesn't use underwater cameras. I understand not being in the water all the time but honestly, these lessons are in the evenings so the coaches wouldn't be in the water for 8 hours anyway. I like the combination, some time out of the water to watch strokes and some time in the water to correct and to watch under water. This has been enlightening. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 My kids swim instructors have mostly been in the water. When I had a teen taking lessons with adults the instructors were often not in the water unless absolutely necessary. Team coaches have not been in the water (except with the youngest of kids-occasionally). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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