Another “what would you suggest” year round swim question here.
Have a 10 year olds starting winter swim. Mid range swimmer- makes A meets in summer but not usually top 3. Technique has room for improvement. Really needs speed and endurance. Swimmer is driven to improve but also needs clear and direct coaching Sea devils are closest, other options are Machine, NCAP or Makos. Ty in advance! |
See which he gets into and what distance. Do at least 3-4 times a week, if not more. |
10 year old starting winter swim does not need 3-4 or more practices a week. 2 or 3 are good. |
And they don’t need dry land. |
Start with 2 days a week. Pick which ever team is most convenient for your family taking into consideration distance and practice times. |
I would go with Machine so there’s room for growth if he turns into a great swimmer. |
This 100% |
Yes, they do. |
When you say "options," do you mean he was offered for all those groups? A lot of 10 year olds make A meets for freestyle in the summer. Depends on your team's ranking. What you're describing is an okay summer swimmer. |
Why? I’m here at the MCSL all star meet with a number of teenagers who did not start swimming 4+ times a week until 12 or 13 (one who just placed top 3). No need to go crazy in your first year of winter swim. Find a program that works for your family and see how they do with a 2-3 day/wk program. You potentially have 8 more years of this. No need to rush things. |
I wouldn’t start with Machine if he isn’t finishing top 3 in A meets as a 10 year old. First he should see where he is offered a spot. My kids swim for Sea Devils and I imagine he’d be offered a spot in Age Group 2 or possibly AG3. But if you’re in South Run, the AG3 kids at Sea Devils are finishing top 3 at Divisionals/some NVSL all stars. |
I agree that a 10 year old just starting year round swim is fine to do 2-3 days a week. When you are young and just starting location and convenience should be king, and it’s an extra bonus if there is a convenient club that your swimmer already has friends at. If your kid really blossoms from being in the water 2-3 days a week with more pointed coaching than is possible at summer swim, starts making meets with cut times, and wants to commit more to the sport, that is when you need to consider the type of club you want. The only caveat I would offer you is that Sea Devils are probably the lowest in the pecking order of the clubs you named, and if your swimmer starts making cut time meets and ends up wanting to pursue swim as a primary sport I wouldn’t choose them. |
That's not an issue with Sea Devils. They don't limit your training that way. I liked them best for their well-rounded approach to swimmers, especially the young ones. |
Swimming A meets looks different depending on the size and prowess of your team. For example, our team is so deep, my 9 year old — who is the top of the ladder in a few events on our team in her gender/age bracket — would not make the A meet in 50 free. The better measure is look at the top summer league (let’s say 50, but even 100) in your child’s age bracket and gender to see where your child’s times compare. If your child will be 11 very soon, look at the age 11-12 too. If they are close to some of the times, they are probably ready for 3 hours per week. If they we not, start with 2 hours with the option to move into a 3 hour/week group. Also, many practice groups are very different in terms of hours in the pool. Some NCAP sites are 3 days/week but only 1 hour per practice. Some Machine sites are 1.15 or 1.5 hours/practice, which may amount to the same amount of time in water, as compared with NCAP, even if your child only goes 2 days/week. |
Adding on: the hardest change for summer league swimmers who start club is the endurance factor. Often the warm up is 200 free out of the gate. Last night, I watched my child’s club practice, which included all 8-12 swimmers since it was an optional practice. My child (age 9) started with 200 free, then swam two 200 IMs, then moved to a 500 free, then did some 100 kicks, then some breaststroke/fly kick drills, then ended with 50 sprints off the blocks. They did not use fins the whole practice, and the practice was only 1 hour. It takes a few months for new club swimmers to build to this level of stamina, and some summer swimmers never learn to love it. My child loves practice; she’s go every day if she could, and the more yardage, the better for her; she loathes summer league practices because they are too easy. When I was little, however, I hated the endurance stuff of club swim and relished summer league sprints. Everyone is different. |