Question about swim teams

[Anonymous]

During swim team practices, do the kids spend most of their time in the water swimming, or is it like swim lessons where they spend the majority of time waiting for their turn? The reason I ask is that I'm trying to decide whether or not I should put my 7 year old son on a swim team or lessons. He knows how to swim, but I'd like to see him become a stronger swimmer. I was wondering if on the teams it's a lot of standing around and waiting or if it's constant swimming.

[Anonymous]

constant swimming

[Anonymous]

My child made far more progress at age 7-8 as a swimmer by participating on one of these summer swim club teams, the peer-pressure, team atmosphere and competition really stimulated her to learn and apply a lot more in terms of her strokes than any swim lessons, private or group, ever did. Just two summers made her into a confident swimmer with good strokes, other daughter never did swim club team and despite being overall a better athlete than her sister, remains a much weaker swimmer despite the same amount of early swim lessons. Don't need private lessons at all if doing swim team (once the child can confidently jump in the water and swim some distance on their own)

[Anonymous]

This varies somewhat by summer pool. Pools that are less crowded on their swim teams may offer more instruction to new swim team members, but basically, you're swimming back and forth a lot. Many teams, including the team my kids participate on, require tryouts. If you do not have the technique of the four strokes down, you may be put on the pre-team where that insturction takes place. Pre-team can be a great experience and a good one prepares you for swim team the next summer. Contact the swim teams you're interested in and find out how they instruct new members and what they expect them to be able to do upon arrival.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child made far more progress at age 7-8 as a swimmer by participating on one of these summer swim club teams, the peer-pressure, team atmosphere and competition really stimulated her to learn and apply a lot more in terms of her strokes than any swim lessons, private or group, ever did. Just two summers made her into a confident swimmer with good strokes, other daughter never did swim club team and despite being overall a better athlete than her sister, remains a much weaker swimmer despite the same amount of early swim lessons. Don't need private lessons at all if doing swim team (once the child can confidently jump in the water and swim some distance on their own)

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This varies somewhat by summer pool. Pools that are less crowded on their swim teams may offer more instruction to new swim team members, but basically, you're swimming back and forth a lot. Many teams, including the team my kids participate on, require tryouts. If you do not have the technique of the four strokes down, you may be put on the pre-team where that insturction takes place. Pre-team can be a great experience and a good one prepares you for swim team the next summer. Contact the swim teams you're interested in and find out how they instruct new members and what they expect them to be able to do upon arrival.

Is your team Division I? Our team (Division 7) lets everyone who can swim the length of the pool on and everyone can swim in B meets. For us, our team's approach is better because my kids are sloooow (even though their strokes are technically very nice).

[Anonymous]

Our team is division A (MC), but the same thing goes for the B meets - anyone can swim. They just don't let children who aren't legal in fly or breast do those strokes in the B meets (which already take close to 4 hrs).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child made far more progress at age 7-8 as a swimmer by participating on one of these summer swim club teams, the peer-pressure, team atmosphere and competition really stimulated her to learn and apply a lot more in terms of her strokes than any swim lessons, private or group, ever did. Just two summers made her into a confident swimmer with good strokes, other daughter never did swim club team and despite being overall a better athlete than her sister, remains a much weaker swimmer despite the same amount of early swim lessons. Don't need private lessons at all if doing swim team (once the child can confidently jump in the water and swim some distance on their own)

+1

+1 again. Plus kids learn how to dive off the side of the pool properly, something I never really got the hang of from my years of swimming lessons at the beach. I found swim team to be the most effective way (and cheapest) way for them to learn how to swim.

[Anonymous]

And swim team kids are so nice! The big kids look out for the little ones, they cheer each other on. It is a wonderful community beyond just the swimming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And swim team kids are so nice! The big kids look out for the little ones, they cheer each other on. It is a wonderful community beyond just the swimming.

Wow! What pool are you with? That sounds great. Our team is rather cliquish.