Why do lane coaches teach freestyle first?

[Anonymous]

First - you get what you pay for. Summer swim is cheap. Do more expensive lessons if you want more.

Second - freestyle is the easiest to swim legally. Anything goes except touching the bottom or hanging on to a lap lane to rest.

Third - your swim team is likely run by adult volunteers and paid teen coaches. If you want more fun things to happen - perhaps you can volunteer to help organize.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First - you get what you pay for. Summer swim is cheap. Do more expensive lessons if you want more.

Second - freestyle is the easiest to swim legally. Anything goes except touching the bottom or hanging on to a lap lane to rest.

Third - your swim team is likely run by adult volunteers and paid teen coaches. If you want more fun things to happen - perhaps you can volunteer to help organize.

Actually, neither of those situations would be a DQ (at least in NVSL). You can touch or stand on the bottom in freestyle; you just can't spring up from the bottom after you touch or walk along the bottom. You can also grab the lane line; you just can't use the lane line to propel forward (so you would need to push off backwards if holding to rest).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Breaststroke is easier for uncoordinated kids who can't handle the asymmetry of crawl and don't feel extremely dominant on one side of their body.

No, breaststroke done legally isn't easier for the vast majority of kids. I've been a stroke and turn judge and referee for more than a decade for our team in the middle of the range of NVSL divisions and it is rare to have a meet without a DQ of 8 and under breaststroke.

What looks like breaststroke to non-swimmer parents is relatively easy, but learning not to put your hands past your hipline except on the pull out, and turning your feet outward during the propulsive part of the kick is really hard for the majority of kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Breaststroke is easier for uncoordinated kids who can't handle the asymmetry of crawl and don't feel extremely dominant on one side of their body.

No, breaststroke done legally isn't easier for the vast majority of kids. I've been a stroke and turn judge and referee for more than a decade for our team in the middle of the range of NVSL divisions and it is rare to have a meet without a DQ of 8 and under breaststroke.

What looks like breaststroke to non-swimmer parents is relatively easy, but learning not to put your hands past your hipline except on the pull out, and turning your feet outward during the propulsive part of the kick is really hard for the majority of kids.

Sure, freestyle won't DQ, but half-drowning for over minute on a 25m freestyle crawl isn't really better.
And illegal breaststroke is legal freestyle, so the kid can race freestyle while learning breaststroke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Breaststroke is easier for uncoordinated kids who can't handle the asymmetry of crawl and don't feel extremely dominant on one side of their body.

No, breaststroke done legally isn't easier for the vast majority of kids. I've been a stroke and turn judge and referee for more than a decade for our team in the middle of the range of NVSL divisions and it is rare to have a meet without a DQ of 8 and under breaststroke.

What looks like breaststroke to non-swimmer parents is relatively easy, but learning not to put your hands past your hipline except on the pull out, and turning your feet outward during the propulsive part of the kick is really hard for the majority of kids.

Sure, freestyle won't DQ, but half-drowning for over minute on a 25m freestyle crawl isn't really better.
And illegal breaststroke is legal freestyle, so the kid can race freestyle while learning breaststroke.

This doesn’t really make a lot of sense. If you are half drowning doing a 25m race you actually should be on the pre-team and not competing at meets. Every year I am amazed by the parents that put their kids on the team and insist that they participate in meets despite looking like they might drown. You also don’t want to encourage a kid to do an illegal breaststroke just so they can complete a 25 freestyle race. Do a year of pre-team and join the team next year after drowning is no longer a concern.

[Anonymous]

Seems hard to DQ for backstroke, no? Which is where OP is coming from

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seems hard to DQ for backstroke, no? Which is where OP is coming from

Depends on the age. Have DQ’d many for flipping over, propelling forward on the lane line or missing the wall on the flip turn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Breaststroke is easier for uncoordinated kids who can't handle the asymmetry of crawl and don't feel extremely dominant on one side of their body.

No, breaststroke done legally isn't easier for the vast majority of kids. I've been a stroke and turn judge and referee for more than a decade for our team in the middle of the range of NVSL divisions and it is rare to have a meet without a DQ of 8 and under breaststroke.

What looks like breaststroke to non-swimmer parents is relatively easy, but learning not to put your hands past your hipline except on the pull out, and turning your feet outward during the propulsive part of the kick is really hard for the majority of kids.

Sure, freestyle won't DQ, but half-drowning for over minute on a 25m freestyle crawl isn't really better.
And illegal breaststroke is legal freestyle, so the kid can race freestyle while learning breaststroke.

This doesn’t really make a lot of sense. If you are half drowning doing a 25m race you actually should be on the pre-team and not competing at meets. Every year I am amazed by the parents that put their kids on the team and insist that they participate in meets despite looking like they might drown. You also don’t want to encourage a kid to do an illegal breaststroke just so they can complete a 25 freestyle race. Do a year of pre-team and join the team next year after drowning is no longer a concern.

+1000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Breaststroke is easier for uncoordinated kids who can't handle the asymmetry of crawl and don't feel extremely dominant on one side of their body.

No, breaststroke done legally isn't easier for the vast majority of kids. I've been a stroke and turn judge and referee for more than a decade for our team in the middle of the range of NVSL divisions and it is rare to have a meet without a DQ of 8 and under breaststroke.

What looks like breaststroke to non-swimmer parents is relatively easy, but learning not to put your hands past your hipline except on the pull out, and turning your feet outward during the propulsive part of the kick is really hard for the majority of kids.

Sure, freestyle won't DQ, but half-drowning for over minute on a 25m freestyle crawl isn't really better.
And illegal breaststroke is legal freestyle, so the kid can race freestyle while learning breaststroke.

This doesn’t really make a lot of sense. If you are half drowning doing a 25m race you actually should be on the pre-team and not competing at meets. Every year I am amazed by the parents that put their kids on the team and insist that they participate in meets despite looking like they might drown. You also don’t want to encourage a kid to do an illegal breaststroke just so they can complete a 25 freestyle race. Do a year of pre-team and join the team next year after drowning is no longer a concern.

Our swim team doesn't have a pre-team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Breaststroke is easier for uncoordinated kids who can't handle the asymmetry of crawl and don't feel extremely dominant on one side of their body.

No, breaststroke done legally isn't easier for the vast majority of kids. I've been a stroke and turn judge and referee for more than a decade for our team in the middle of the range of NVSL divisions and it is rare to have a meet without a DQ of 8 and under breaststroke.

What looks like breaststroke to non-swimmer parents is relatively easy, but learning not to put your hands past your hipline except on the pull out, and turning your feet outward during the propulsive part of the kick is really hard for the majority of kids.

Sure, freestyle won't DQ, but half-drowning for over minute on a 25m freestyle crawl isn't really better.
And illegal breaststroke is legal freestyle, so the kid can race freestyle while learning breaststroke.

This doesn’t really make a lot of sense. If you are half drowning doing a 25m race you actually should be on the pre-team and not competing at meets. Every year I am amazed by the parents that put their kids on the team and insist that they participate in meets despite looking like they might drown. You also don’t want to encourage a kid to do an illegal breaststroke just so they can complete a 25 freestyle race. Do a year of pre-team and join the team next year after drowning is no longer a concern.

Our swim team doesn't have a pre-team.

I'll add that the coaches decide who swims in races. It's not up to parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Breaststroke is easier for uncoordinated kids who can't handle the asymmetry of crawl and don't feel extremely dominant on one side of their body.

No, breaststroke done legally isn't easier for the vast majority of kids. I've been a stroke and turn judge and referee for more than a decade for our team in the middle of the range of NVSL divisions and it is rare to have a meet without a DQ of 8 and under breaststroke.

What looks like breaststroke to non-swimmer parents is relatively easy, but learning not to put your hands past your hipline except on the pull out, and turning your feet outward during the propulsive part of the kick is really hard for the majority of kids.

Sure, freestyle won't DQ, but half-drowning for over minute on a 25m freestyle crawl isn't really better.
And illegal breaststroke is legal freestyle, so the kid can race freestyle while learning breaststroke.

This doesn’t really make a lot of sense. If you are half drowning doing a 25m race you actually should be on the pre-team and not competing at meets. Every year I am amazed by the parents that put their kids on the team and insist that they participate in meets despite looking like they might drown. You also don’t want to encourage a kid to do an illegal breaststroke just so they can complete a 25 freestyle race. Do a year of pre-team and join the team next year after drowning is no longer a concern.

Our swim team doesn't have a pre-team.

Well, then if you want your kid actually participating in meets you should put them in lessons before the season starts so they aren’t the kid that everyone is watching wondering if someone needs to jump in and get them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seems hard to DQ for backstroke, no? Which is where OP is coming from

No / you can’t be vertical towards breast & a lot of the young kids flip over at the end before touching

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Breaststroke is easier for uncoordinated kids who can't handle the asymmetry of crawl and don't feel extremely dominant on one side of their body.

No, breaststroke done legally isn't easier for the vast majority of kids. I've been a stroke and turn judge and referee for more than a decade for our team in the middle of the range of NVSL divisions and it is rare to have a meet without a DQ of 8 and under breaststroke.

What looks like breaststroke to non-swimmer parents is relatively easy, but learning not to put your hands past your hipline except on the pull out, and turning your feet outward during the propulsive part of the kick is really hard for the majority of kids.

Sure, freestyle won't DQ, but half-drowning for over minute on a 25m freestyle crawl isn't really better.
And illegal breaststroke is legal freestyle, so the kid can race freestyle while learning breaststroke.

This doesn’t really make a lot of sense. If you are half drowning doing a 25m race you actually should be on the pre-team and not competing at meets. Every year I am amazed by the parents that put their kids on the team and insist that they participate in meets despite looking like they might drown. You also don’t want to encourage a kid to do an illegal breaststroke just so they can complete a 25 freestyle race. Do a year of pre-team and join the team next year after drowning is no longer a concern.

Our swim team doesn't have a pre-team.

Well, then if you want your kid actually participating in meets you should put them in lessons before the season starts so they aren’t the kid that everyone is watching wondering if someone needs to jump in and get them.

Arguably that’s why most teams have evals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Breaststroke is easier for uncoordinated kids who can't handle the asymmetry of crawl and don't feel extremely dominant on one side of their body.

No, breaststroke done legally isn't easier for the vast majority of kids. I've been a stroke and turn judge and referee for more than a decade for our team in the middle of the range of NVSL divisions and it is rare to have a meet without a DQ of 8 and under breaststroke.

What looks like breaststroke to non-swimmer parents is relatively easy, but learning not to put your hands past your hipline except on the pull out, and turning your feet outward during the propulsive part of the kick is really hard for the majority of kids.

Sure, freestyle won't DQ, but half-drowning for over minute on a 25m freestyle crawl isn't really better.
And illegal breaststroke is legal freestyle, so the kid can race freestyle while learning breaststroke.

This doesn’t really make a lot of sense. If you are half drowning doing a 25m race you actually should be on the pre-team and not competing at meets. Every year I am amazed by the parents that put their kids on the team and insist that they participate in meets despite looking like they might drown. You also don’t want to encourage a kid to do an illegal breaststroke just so they can complete a 25 freestyle race. Do a year of pre-team and join the team next year after drowning is no longer a concern.

Our swim team doesn't have a pre-team.

I'll add that the coaches decide who swims in races. It's not up to parents.

Lol if you think the summer swim coach is going to get into it with a parent who has signed their kid up for swim team knowing their kid can’t swim well enough to actually compete. You know what the response is going to be if the coach says we can’t put Larlo in a meet yet, the oblivious parent says just put him in the freestyle event.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am new to our neighborhood pool so I am too afraid to ask the swim team rep, but what is the reasoning and thought process as to how and why the (teenage) lane coaches teach the Lane 6 kids freestyle. My kid has been working on freestyle for 2 straight weeks now with the exception of one day last Friday when the lane coach, seemingly randomly, had the kids do backstroke for swim practice. My kid - who absolutely struggles and hates freestyle (water in her face, can't seem to get the hang of breathing, hates having to dive in, etc.) - just loved the backstroke. Did super well the whole practice and even practiced it on her own over the weekend during family pool time.

So, why do the lane coaches not switch up the strokes? Why don't they try out different strokes for different kids? Why has it been 2 solid weeks of the same old freestyle that hasn't really clicked with my kid (and a whole bunch of other kids judging from observation during practice and during Saturday's time trials)?

Isn't backstroke fundamentally easier anyway? ANd isn't the backstroke a natural go-to if freestyle is just too difficult to get the hang of?

Wanted to ask one more thing: Does your swim team play fun water games or fun swimming games? All the kids ever seem to do is laps and kick board? Isn't there a way to make swim practice not so mundane? A bit more fun (at least maybe for the last 15 minutes of practice)?

I don't mean to sound ignorant. We're new to swim. New to the team. I don't know what is considered "normal" for swim team practice. I don't know how this, I admit limited, swim team practice experience compares.

It sounds pretty normal. Your idea/expectation of what summer swim should be vs. what it actually is in reality is a complete mismatch.

- It sounds like your kind might benefit from some individual lessons with some focus on free-style.

- Backstroke is not "fundamentally easier" and not the "go to". Your child sounds like a natural for backstroke and should continue to work on this but this isn't true for many kids.

- The season just started! The coaches will work on other strokes and there will be more variety as the season progresses.

- Practice is for practice - games are for before and after practice. The coaches may make a game of competition out of a part of practice but the goal is to work toward being a faster more proficient swimmer. The 8u's at our pool only practice for 45 min and if a third of that time is "games" that could be done some other time while "not on the clock" instead of working toward being a better swimmer, that's too much time wasted.