question for swim team moms

[lea1]

My sons are in swim lessons and will be allowed to join swim team when they finish their current level, which I think will be fairly soon. When kids join the swim team, do they still need lessons also or do they get enough instruction during team practice?

[bettyandbob]

depends on the team, depends on the level of proficiency the children are when they join the team, but usually no.

 

The local summer league here does not provide instruction. Our coaches are also learning--they are high school and college students who group up in the league. The groups are large -- 50 + swimmers in the water spread through 6 lanes. Even with multiple coaches, this is not the optimum environment for perfecting strokes. Most swimmers do get better throughout the summer, simply by having practice every day and wanting to swim faster. 

 

We have multiple club teams. Many kids who swim club also swim summer rec. When I used to manage summer rec, I got to see which clubs were producing the best technique. Some clubs have kids swim laps over and over again just reinforcing bad technique. Kids get faster to a point, but with awful technique they hit a brick wall. Some clubs will force kids with poor technique into swimming groups where skills to improve technique are heavily drilled. Those kids continue to improve. Most of the club swimmer I know have been encouraged to also pay for private lessons with their coaches to improve. Considering club fees around here, I think that's awful. 

 

 

Assuming the swim lessons follow the Red Cross levels, you want to keep your kids in lessons until they are done with level 6.  Swim team focuses on gaining strength and speed, whereas swim lessons focus on developing techniques that could save your life in the real world.

[magnificent_baby]

This summer was our first swim team experience. We did the team instead of lessons.

[twoxcell]

At our Y no, once kids are on team they do not take separate lessons. My ds has the opportunity to swim 5 hours a week with his group and they work on skills and speed. Kids have to pass through the top level of swim lessons or meet certain requirements to be able to join year round team. They do also offer summer swim team.

[lea1]

Thanks for the responses. My sons are finishing up level 4 here but I don't know if they are the Red Cross levels or not. I would guess they probably are though. At our swim school, they are allowed to join the swim team after they finish level 4. The swim school has their own swim teams also. I'll have to find out what they recommend. I can't imagine continuing to pay for lessons and also paying for swim team for two kids. That might get expensive quickly.

[bettyandbob]

Thanks for the responses. My sons are finishing up level 4 here but I don't know if they are the Red Cross levels or not. I would guess they probably are though. At our swim school, they are allowed to join the swim team after they finish level 4. The swim school has their own swim teams also. I'll have to find out what they recommend. I can't imagine continuing to pay for lessons and also paying for swim team for two kids. That might get expensive quickly.

 

 

If it is similar to Red Cross level 4 (which I think is similar to Minnow at the Y, can't remember), then I'd say they had more to learn. However, since the team and the lessons have some relationship, the team may be structured to give the new swimmers more instruction in practice. Some places do that. 

[Swimtaxi234]

Our club team (year round competitive swimming) offers a swim group for beginners.  Children who have learned the basics can join the team and they work on strokes in this low stress, fun environment.  They can even compete since this area has a few low stress swim meets for the beginners.

[Upward Journey]

What many teams do is that some of practices are drills and endurance and some are stroke work. How it works here is that morning practice is getting in the yardage and evening practice is stroke work. Evening summer practice is 3 times a week and morning practice is 5 days a week (unless the meet starts on Friday). High school is the opposite. One morning practice is mandatory and one is a make-up (T & TH). Yardage is in the evening and ALL must make it 5 days a week. Dd will have to make both morning practices this winter as she'll miss part of one evening practice every week due to orchestra.

 

This is how ours mostly worked as well.