What makes little kids super fast?

[Anonymous]

Title sort of says it all. We were at a bigger mini meet this weekend and some of the 8U kids are SO fast. What are these kids doing to post super fast times? Is it private lessons, lots of practice, natural skill, all of the above?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Title sort of says it all. We were at a bigger mini meet this weekend and some of the 8U kids are SO fast. What are these kids doing to post super fast times? Is it private lessons, lots of practice, natural skill, all of the above?

They were reclassed at birth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Title sort of says it all. We were at a bigger mini meet this weekend and some of the 8U kids are SO fast. What are these kids doing to post super fast times? Is it private lessons, lots of practice, natural skill, all of the above?

I would not pay attention to a kid that young who is fast. Usually it is just better (natural) body position in the water that the other kids around them. Next, is that the kid is stronger and has decent stamina. But the better body position in the water the less strength and stamina you need.

One of my kids, was very fast at a young age because of her body position in the water, now as a teen they are a mid-at best swimmer as a teen, making some A cuts. Meanwhile I had another kid who was not a good swimmer. Barely made B times. Weird form, etc. Hit puberty at 14 and all of the sudden it fell into place. Took off in making cuts and figuring it out. Now they swim mid level D1 in school and are still making improvements. Second scenario is not that common, the first scenario is very common.

Parents overthink all of this, get impatient and try private coaching and rush the process. I think you should only do private coaching in very limited instances (to improve one little thing or work on an event for a cut) but we want to rush kids mastering all aspects of swim and then wonder why they burn out and quit. As parents, we should be fostering the joy of swim.

[Anonymous]

Some of these faster kids have amazing starts, while others are bellyflopping or diving too deep. Seems to me like a skill that can be worked on in private lessons without burning a kid out.

[Anonymous]

I agree with PP about body position. DS was naturally very fast when he was little. He always just seemed to effortlessly glide like a blur with little effort. Have no idea how it would have turned out because at 11 he decided he didn't like swimming anymore.

[Anonymous]

Some of the 8 year olds are fast simply because they started year round swim at age 6. Which seems crazy, but it’s a thing people do around here.

[Anonymous]

Lots of 5/6 year-old children around the world start swimming 2x/ week for 45-60 mins. Very normal and healthy.

[Anonymous]

Body position is huge. It is the reason that good swim programs spend so much time on streamline. Feeling that through the water is key to all the strokes. It makes the kid efficient in the water.

Every stroke requires body position to reduce drag, those that naturally can align their body will cut through the water and conserve energy.

[Anonymous]

Annual reminder of the 10 and under wonder:

https://www.swimsacri.org/nerams/UserFiles/File/THE%2010U%20WONDER.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Title sort of says it all. We were at a bigger mini meet this weekend and some of the 8U kids are SO fast. What are these kids doing to post super fast times? Is it private lessons, lots of practice, natural skill, all of the above?

Some of it is just natural talent (which may or may not persist with age). I have multiple children. They all started summer and club swim at the same age and even had the same progression of practice cadence and coaches. Two were very fast and one wasn’t. Natural talent was the only real variable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some of these faster kids have amazing starts, while others are bellyflopping or diving too deep. Seems to me like a skill that can be worked on in private lessons without burning a kid out.

We did a LOT of starts & turn clinics at that age, because omg, I couldn't keep watching. No burnout.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Annual reminder of the 10 and under wonder:

https://www.swimsacri.org/nerams/UserFiles/File/THE%2010U%20WONDER.pdf

Ranked top 16 in the U.S? Duh. Do you know own how rare that is. Where is the chart for ranked top 100 or 200 in the US?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Annual reminder of the 10 and under wonder:

https://www.swimsacri.org/nerams/UserFiles/File/THE%2010U%20WONDER.pdf

Ranked top 16 in the U.S? Duh. Do you know own how rare that is. Where is the chart for ranked top 100 or 200 in the US?

Chill. This is one of many longitudinal studies, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34099366/. Folks have looked at this over the decades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Annual reminder of the 10 and under wonder:

https://www.swimsacri.org/nerams/UserFiles/File/THE%2010U%20WONDER.pdf

Ranked top 16 in the U.S? Duh. Do you know own how rare that is. Where is the chart for ranked top 100 or 200 in the US?

Chill. This is one of many longitudinal studies, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34099366/. Folks have looked at this over the decades.

Got it. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I was a very fast swimmer as a little kid. Set a state record for 9 year old breaststroke.

I attribute it to 1) height. I grew really early and was consistently the tallest girl in my grade through middle school. 2) learned to swim early (age 3) because my mother loved swimming and took me swimming all the time as a toddler. 3) I loved swimming, and wanted to do it all the time. 4) starts and turns. A coach taught me a breaststroke pull out around age 6, and I just loved the feel of it. I would practice it for fun a lot. The feel of the water rushing past you with a good pullout is still a feeling I really enjoy.

For what it’s worth I did not continue to be an elite swimmer as I got older, especially as my peers caught up on height. I swam in college, but I was a good but not great division 3 swimmer in college.