MoCo: Advanced lessons, SwiMontgomery, stroke & turn?

[Anonymous]

Can anyone explain what they actually do in the advanced county lessons? How similar/different is it from SwimMontgomery?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your kid is at the youth advanced level I would recommend a program like Fins. My kid did both Fins and the county program before they started swimming club and Fins was by far the better of the 2.

Hmm, thanks. Can you say more about the differences between what they do in FINS vs the county advanced lessons?

(FINS looks more logistically challenging for us but we might be able to swing it... but the beginner "Seahorses" level seems a little below her skills so I don't know if it would be challenging enough, but she's definitely not ready for the next level/intermediate because she doesn't know all 4 strokes.)

DP but I have a seahorse at Fins. They have the seahorse group in two lanes separated by ability. One group spends more time on kickboards, the other does a lot of lap swimming. IMO they're not great about teaching the strokes. They just have the kids kind of wing it across the pool for the strokes they don't know. (Butterfly, breaststroke.) They also spend what feels like a disproportionate amount of time on freestyle but they don't really make corrections. It's ok but there must be a better program?

Not OP, but this was our experience too last year in the seahorses group with our 8yo. His backstroke definitely improved over the course of the year, but didn’t really learn proper breaststroke or butterfly until summer. I’m not sure the program does a good job in general of building the kids up to move to the next level- my younger DC was in Little Fins which was a little too basic, but in order to move to seahorses they required swimming 15m unaided. When after summer swim they can do but there wasn’t any focus on getting kids to swim further than a few yards in Little Fins.

Not sure what we are going to do this year. I thought about stroke and turn but seems to be mixed reviews there too.

[Anonymous]

Anyone know when SwiMontgomery reg opens and where to register? Can’t find it on Active Montgomery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your kid is at the youth advanced level I would recommend a program like Fins. My kid did both Fins and the county program before they started swimming club and Fins was by far the better of the 2.

Hmm, thanks. Can you say more about the differences between what they do in FINS vs the county advanced lessons?

(FINS looks more logistically challenging for us but we might be able to swing it... but the beginner "Seahorses" level seems a little below her skills so I don't know if it would be challenging enough, but she's definitely not ready for the next level/intermediate because she doesn't know all 4 strokes.)

DP but I have a seahorse at Fins. They have the seahorse group in two lanes separated by ability. One group spends more time on kickboards, the other does a lot of lap swimming. IMO they're not great about teaching the strokes. They just have the kids kind of wing it across the pool for the strokes they don't know. (Butterfly, breaststroke.) They also spend what feels like a disproportionate amount of time on freestyle but they don't really make corrections. It's ok but there must be a better program?

This is also what I’ve heard about Fins. Not a lot of technique instruction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone explain what they actually do in the advanced county lessons? How similar/different is it from SwimMontgomery?

Advanced county lessons are teach kids how to swim across 25 yard. Focus mostly on free and back. Swimontgomery runs more like a swim team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone know when SwiMontgomery reg opens and where to register? Can’t find it on Active Montgomery.

It’ll open August 12th, once they put the fall guide up it’ll have the number code. My guess is they will put the fall guide up tom (8/1)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone explain what they actually do in the advanced county lessons? How similar/different is it from SwimMontgomery?

Advanced county lessons are teach kids how to swim across 25 yard. Focus mostly on free and back. Swimontgomery runs more like a swim team.

I thought they already have to swim 25 yards to qualify for the advanced lessons? Do the advanced lessons focus more on improving technique, and SwiMontgomery is more about just practice/endurance rather than teaching/coaching?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone explain what they actually do in the advanced county lessons? How similar/different is it from SwimMontgomery?

Advanced county lessons are teach kids how to swim across 25 yard. Focus mostly on free and back. Swimontgomery runs more like a swim team.

I thought they already have to swim 25 yards to qualify for the advanced lessons? Do the advanced lessons focus more on improving technique, and SwiMontgomery is more about just practice/endurance rather than teaching/coaching?

My daughter took two sessions last year at KSAC. The advanced lessons are taught by the Swimontgomery instructors (not county employees) and when she took the class, there were some kids who can’t make 25. They put those kids in one lane and gave them kick boards to improve their strokes.

The other kids practiced mostly free and back and towards the end of the session, breast. Most can do backstroke but not proper. They worked on some stroke correction.

[Anonymous]

Meant to say kickboards to improve their kicking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone explain what they actually do in the advanced county lessons? How similar/different is it from SwimMontgomery?

Advanced county lessons are teach kids how to swim across 25 yard. Focus mostly on free and back. Swimontgomery runs more like a swim team.

I thought they already have to swim 25 yards to qualify for the advanced lessons? Do the advanced lessons focus more on improving technique, and SwiMontgomery is more about just practice/endurance rather than teaching/coaching?

My daughter took two sessions last year at KSAC. The advanced lessons are taught by the Swimontgomery instructors (not county employees) and when she took the class, there were some kids who can’t make 25. They put those kids in one lane and gave them kick boards to improve their strokes.

The other kids practiced mostly free and back and towards the end of the session, breast. Most can do backstroke but not proper. They worked on some stroke correction.

Very helpful, thanks! Do you recommend it? Do they get a decent amount of swimming in, or is there a lot of waiting around watching other kids swim?

[Anonymous]

What about older kids 11-13 who are legal in all 4 strokes do they get practice in on breast and fly at Swimontgomery? I’m looking for my kids to get in the pool next spring but don’t was strike and turn bc it interferes with other sports, especially in the fall. One of them needs for work on flip turns both free and back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone explain what they actually do in the advanced county lessons? How similar/different is it from SwimMontgomery?

Advanced county lessons are teach kids how to swim across 25 yard. Focus mostly on free and back. Swimontgomery runs more like a swim team.

I thought they already have to swim 25 yards to qualify for the advanced lessons? Do the advanced lessons focus more on improving technique, and SwiMontgomery is more about just practice/endurance rather than teaching/coaching?

My daughter took two sessions last year at KSAC. The advanced lessons are taught by the Swimontgomery instructors (not county employees) and when she took the class, there were some kids who can’t make 25. They put those kids in one lane and gave them kick boards to improve their strokes.

The other kids practiced mostly free and back and towards the end of the session, breast. Most can do backstroke but not proper. They worked on some stroke correction.

Very helpful, thanks! Do you recommend it? Do they get a decent amount of swimming in, or is there a lot of waiting around watching other kids swim?

Both get lots of swimming. Not much of waiting around for other kids. Swimontgomery is good if you want lots of practice, endurance training. I know of friends who signed their kids up for this with the goal of trying out for club next year.

Advanced county lessons is definitely lower level for kids still learning to swim. They do separate the kids by age/ability. My daughter was 8 last year, but she was in a lane with older kids because she could do more. Swimontgomery also separate kids by age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about older kids 11-13 who are legal in all 4 strokes do they get practice in on breast and fly at Swimontgomery? I’m looking for my kids to get in the pool next spring but don’t was strike and turn bc it interferes with other sports, especially in the fall. One of them needs for work on flip turns both free and back.

Yes, they do for older kids who are legal in all 4 strokes. It’s more iffy for younger kids as some might not be legal in some strokes and then you also see 8U who are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about older kids 11-13 who are legal in all 4 strokes do they get practice in on breast and fly at Swimontgomery? I’m looking for my kids to get in the pool next spring but don’t was strike and turn bc it interferes with other sports, especially in the fall. One of them needs for work on flip turns both free and back.

Yes, they do for older kids who are legal in all 4 strokes. It’s more iffy for younger kids as some might not be legal in some strokes and then you also see 8U who are.

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone explain what they actually do in the advanced county lessons? How similar/different is it from SwimMontgomery?

Advanced county lessons are teach kids how to swim across 25 yard. Focus mostly on free and back. Swimontgomery runs more like a swim team.

I thought they already have to swim 25 yards to qualify for the advanced lessons? Do the advanced lessons focus more on improving technique, and SwiMontgomery is more about just practice/endurance rather than teaching/coaching?

My daughter took two sessions last year at KSAC. The advanced lessons are taught by the Swimontgomery instructors (not county employees) and when she took the class, there were some kids who can’t make 25. They put those kids in one lane and gave them kick boards to improve their strokes.

The other kids practiced mostly free and back and towards the end of the session, breast. Most can do backstroke but not proper. They worked on some stroke correction.

Very helpful, thanks! Do you recommend it? Do they get a decent amount of swimming in, or is there a lot of waiting around watching other kids swim?

Both get lots of swimming. Not much of waiting around for other kids. Swimontgomery is good if you want lots of practice, endurance training. I know of friends who signed their kids up for this with the goal of trying out for club next year.

Advanced county lessons is definitely lower level for kids still learning to swim. They do separate the kids by age/ability. My daughter was 8 last year, but she was in a lane with older kids because she could do more. Swimontgomery also separate kids by age.

Sorry for the dumb question, but what do you mean by "still learning to swim"? My 8yo did her first summer of swim team, was in the bottom 25% of 8 & under kids speedwise in freestyle and backstroke (didn't make A meets but wasn't the absolute slowest and could hang in there fine during practice), DQs in breaststroke and butterfly, doesn't really grasp starts/streamline, can't do dives or flip turns. Is that still considered "learning to swim" level that would benefit more from advanced lessons than SwimMontgomery?