NEWS & TIPS
THE EDUCATED PARENT IN SPORTS
It is never easy to be the best parent you can be for your child, as the line between pushing your child too much and giving them the best opportunity is much too grey. So how do you determine when to push and when to take a step back?
Fostering a trusting with regular communication with the coach can be a big factor in a swimmer's success. Most of the time coaches have plans that might not have came to light or in the making, so as a parent, it is essential to trust and assist the coach's vision in developing a swimmer. That being said, it should not be looked down upon to express views and ambitions, just note that the expert in the room is the coach.
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THE BALANCE BETWEEN DEVELOPING PASSION OR PRODUCING RESULTS FOR AGE GROUP SWIMMERS
The age old questions among coaches and parents, which is more important? some say developing passion allows the swimmer to not burn out so easily and therefore have more drive later in the swimmers career. On the other hand, some say results can drive the swimmer's interest and competitive drive which results in more engagement and investment of effort by the swimmers.
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Results and examples of the top swimmers in the world shows a great mix and it comes down to having balance. Some swimmers thrive in the competitive environment and some in a more engaging environment.
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BENEFITS OF SWIMMING COMPETITIVELYÂ GROWING UP
To build character is an understatement, because there are soo many thing that can build character in a person growing up. For swimming, it is different and the reasons are as follow
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Swimming is probably known as one of the sports with the longest training hours and most sessions per week. Even at the age group competitive level, kids can train up to 5-12 sessions per week and upwards of 2-5thousand meters or yards per session, depending on how old they are and how serious they are. The training schedule and commitments in particular, shows the determination of a swimmer to put themselves through every session day in and day out for the sake of self improvement in this one particular task, swimming faster.
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Every successful swimmer will need to have the Ambition, Determination, Discipline, and the spirit of never giving up, before talent comes into play. Just like in many things that we do, the work ethic and drive is mostly more important than having the knowledge or talent. And it is this skill and mindset that will allow swimmers to thrive in whatever task they do.
WHEN SHALL A SWIMMER START LAND TRAINING?
As important as swimming training is for a swimmer, whatever training a swimmer does on land is equally as important as it helps develop the necessary strength and power a swimmer need.
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The focus should be on the purpose of the land training and the age of the swimmer. Hard body weight training can come really effective from the age of as early as 7, and later with lights weights as early as 12 depending on the development of the swimmer's physique. A general rule of thumb that many coaches goes by is to develop swimmers as well rounded as possible during their development phase and not rush into specializing until later in the swimmer's career.
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swimmers at every stage will greatly benefit from any sort of guidance of land/weights training to complement their swimming training. The challenge is to get the proper recommendations and proper guidance while at the same time not over loading the swimmer.
SPORTS NUTRITION AND SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY FOR AGE GROUP SWIMMERS
When should an age group swimmer get exposed to the topic of optimal nutrition or performance psychology?
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Truth is, there is no one rule or way that fits everyone. Something that works for one individual might differ from another, but the earlier an athlete gets exposed to relevant topics to optimize performance, the better the athlete can train and grow.
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There are many traditional and unconventional advice out there that might be counter productive to an athlete's progression. If you have doubts regarding what works, it is always good to seek advice from a professional with relevant experience.