| What is the best swim team for an 8yo boy. I have seen machine, ncap, and fish in my area. I want a good coach that can help improve stroke. He really needs hands on technique and skills over endurance/drills. |
Lessons and stroke school only teach technique and skills. Swim team practice will focus on endurance, race skills, and less on technique than than lessons. |
| All the local clubs are good - your answer should be based on where you live. No one should be driving 30 minutes out of the way for 8-Year Old practices. |
| Get him on a summer team first. That will make him love swimming. |
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We have already done summer
How does machine compare to fish |
They are exactly the same only different. Every coach and program is different, even within an organization. Talk to your summer coach for suggestions. At 8, location, schedule and cost are most of the driving factors. |
| Talk to your summer coach. They can recommend nearby clubs. Also talk to families on your summer team. Better to have friends to swim with they will enjoy it more. |
| Swim with Beth |
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The programs you mentioned are all good. However, none will provide “hands on” technique the same way a private coach likely will. It sounds like you have a summer pool—I would ask a coach or older teen for weekly private instruction to really focus on stroke mechanics.
As for the clubs, Fish has a very good—probably the best around—mini program. However, most kids are moving out of the mini program at 8/9. |
| Where are the kids going at 8/9? |
| They should go where their friends are at this age and have fun. Chase the rest later, when they are older, but for now, if it isn't fun, they'll quit |
| The one they get in. |
8 or 9 isn’t that young in the swim world. There are programs for kids that age at all clubs. |
When you say “hands on” do you mean a coach actually in the water with the swimmers? If that is the case, you are not going to get that at a club. |
Look it depends. When my kids did Machine's stroke mechanics at Audrey Moore, the coaches were in the water with the kids guiding and teaching them. Maybe it differs by site and/or by club. I think that's a matter for OP to research and ask around. Even when the oldest started age group club (not the stroke mechanics) as an 7-8, a coach was sometimes in the water. |