Swimming - advice for developing from age 6

[swimmingagain]

My DS, age 6, has just started wanting to increase the amount he swims, so we've upped from 2 x 30mins sessions a week to 4 x 30mins sessions a week. He's stage 6, nearly stage 7. I think at stage 7 it's time to think about clubs.

So my question is, how do you progress from here? Do we approach a club directly? Do we determine the number of sessions a week or does the club?

If you are a swimming club mum, what were your kids doing at age 6, and how did the transition to club go? And how did they go from 2 30min sessions a week to the hours and hours required once they are 12 ish? Did they cope ok? Did they continue to enjoy it all the way through?

Thanks for any advice about our journey ahead!

I would have a good look at the websites of your local clubs, they should have information about the training groups, their sessions and locations, dates etc, so you can see what you are letting yourself in for. Our club covers quite a wide geographical area and we do a lot of driving around once you reach the higher levels. My swimmer (12 but not in the top group) has had peaks and troughs of both enthusiasm and progress.

The driving is because the club uses several pools in different towns BTW, no one pool can give them enough slots, swimmers come from all the towns, plus one pool is 50m.

Thanks meet - how much does your swimmer train now? And how much was he training age 7? Was it a case of gradually adding time/sessions each year?

She does 4 hours per week. She didn't join till she was about 8 / stage 4, before that it was half hourly lessons in a normal swim school. At level 6-7 ish in our club (the groups only approximate to the stages) you would be looking at 2 hours per week, then in the next group 3 hours (DD stayed in this group a long time as we could only fit in 2, she has other hobbies), then building from there, for each group there are various sessions at each pool each a week and a suggested minimum that you pick from those available. For the top group (age 11+) minimum is 5 hours.

Hi, my ds joined squad age 6 - was asked to trial after a coach saw him in a general swim session. He was doing 1 x 30 minute lesson at time but dh took him once a week for fun.

Swum 3 times a week for an hour once he joined until upping it at age 8. Could do all four strokes with correct technique and legal turns ie front and back tumble turns, maintaining that for the hour. 8 years later and has never wanted to quit, although ups and downs along the way! Every club is different though with different entry requirements. I would just google nearest club and see what they say.

Been fab socially and from general fitness point of view, but it is massively time consuming once they hit 9 and training and galas really kicks in.

DD1 was in Stage 8 at 6, and finished it at age 7. She also did the Swimathon with me and DH, and swam 1km continuously at 6. She was doing one hour per week, representatives from two clubs (one based where she swam, and another who used to send staff round to all the local classes to scout) asked her to join a club... then she grew a lot at the same time as being ill for 3 months, lost a lot of strength and gave up mid way through Stage 9. She still enjoys going swimming, but never did join a club or complete Stage 10. She did her Bronze, Silver and Gold, and half of her Challenge award during a summer course.

DD2 didn't enjoy it for years and progressed more slowly. I think she was around Stage 5-6 at 6, then suddenly put on a spurt and finished all the classes available locally *only up to stage 9 at this point... finished at age 9). She then wanted to do more hours, and I rang around everywhere trying to achieve that without committing to a club/ racing, but there wasn't anything else available. So we chose a small, not very competitive club rather than the huge local one. Because she joined at 9, she went straight into the 3rd group and has just moved up again. She's not one of the better ones, but it's always been about fitness and fun. She has competed twice and isn't fussed. Her fly isn't great, her crawl and backstroke are quite good, and she might try for a county time in breaststroke next year. BTW she is 10 years old and does 4 hours. The teenagers do around 18 hours per week and the club only offers around 10, so they have to put in the other hours elsewhere.

Clubs will generally determine amount they swim and are usually pretty strict about it. Many will kick from competitive wing if not doing the hours or hitting the qualifying times, esp big city clubs. Age 12 our club says 6 x 2.5 hours a week, two of which are 5.00am starts. Some clubs not as much, others want more.

DD1 went through swimming lessons and finished Stage 10 just after she turned 8. Lessons were 1h a week so it wasn't much of a step up to do 2h for swimming club. She's 10 now and in the B1 squad and does 3h a week. It's only once they get into the A squads that it really ramps up, next squad (A3) will be 5h a week. We could do more, she does football on Saturdays so doesn't do Diddy League which would be another hour training plus Galas. She is a good swimmer (e.g. best in her class at school) but the Club is big and she is in no way exceptional there but I want her to keep doing it as a good form of exercise until she's older.

Thanks everyone! Gosh, it is all a bit daunting thinking about what might be coming! DS1 LOVES swimming, so I'm slowly coming to believe we will be poolside most days til he leaves home! but I don't know whether I'm going to be able to step up and support him as well as he might need, through all the training. Also, slightly worrying about DS2, who already has to trail around to watch 4 swim classes a week for the benefit of his brother. Making me realise how many sacrifices the elite swimmers have had to make and whether all the training, even at local club level, is worth it. DS2 is still little, but if he has a passion as strong in something that is not swimming, I will b knackered going here there and everywhere! Not to mention how to manage the logistics of it all!

I think I need to stop looking into the future and just think one step at a time! Will feel less daunting that way!!

You don't need to force DS2 to watch, once they are 8 you can drop and run.

Competitive squads local to me start around age 8, and this was the same when i was a child. Generally about 3 sessions a week up to age 11/12 when it ramps up a bit.

Entry requirements are generally the ability to swim all four strokes and be able to swim a certain speed.

Wow-my ds is 6 and has only just learnt to swim 10metres! I’m impressed with all your strong swimmers.
He can cycle mile and miles though.

Look at local clubs. My daughter is the better swimmer of the two of them. They attend a lesson at our local leisure centre once a week. My step daughter has been going for a while now and she is a amazing little swimmer. I’ve often observed her in the water swimming and her skills have improved over the past couple of years. Find out as much information as you possibly can. She does swimming competitions now at school.

You will get to know other parents after a while, or perhaps find you already know some from school or wherever, then you can arrange liftshares and help each other out. I find that although you can drop and run once they are older, there isn't much you can usefully do if its only an hour so I do usually end up staying, but sometimes pop out to the local supermarket or wherever.

Thanks! As my two are both still little ish (6 and 4), I forget that that my 6 yr old will be older soon and I'll be able to just leave him!! That makes me 100% less guilty for ds2! :)

DD(11) moved to a club mid-way through year 3 (I think she was about Stage 8 ASA with good technique), moving from a 45 minute lesson to 3 sessions of 90 minutes. We continued with her Saturday afternoon lesson for a term because all technique went out the window for that first month or so (nowadays she makes it look easy). Apparently ploughing up and down in training the pool is very relaxing/mindful.

A lot of families team up to get children to and from squad (or their children are in different pools at the same time!). All day galas must be a killer for some siblings if there isn't much of an age difference (unless there is a cinema or something nearby).

My DSs 7 & 9 were selected from a local gala for trials at our local club. Initial squad trains 3 x per week with local galas most months (minimal until they are 9). Each session is 1.5-2 hrs inc land training. Next squad (age 9-11) trains 4 x per week including a 6am Saturday slot