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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Can anyone please explain how swim team works? New to the area. Never heard of swim teams outside of high school. I have a 8 and 4 year old that are both still learning how to swim but seem to really enjoy it but my question is what happens after they complete lessons????

[b]How good at swimming do kids need to be to participate in swim team?[/b] Just get to the other side of the pool? What strokes do they need to know how to do before joining? Are there try outs?

Do we have to join a pool in the summer to partake? I’d really rather not since we won’t be around much in the summer / won’t have much time to spend at a pool.

We live in Bethesda if that matters. [/quote]

For club swimming, sign up for tryouts. Depending on the club, the maximum expectation for a 7/8 year old will be 4 legal strokes, flip turn and dive. Others will take any young kid whose parents are willing to write a check. Personally, I wouldn’t start a kid in club swim without 4 legal strokes, dive and flip turn. I would stick to summer swim and lessons until then. The transition to club swim can be detrimentally difficult for kids who aren’t quite prepared. I’ve seen plenty of kids cry through their first few weeks of practice.

I think many parents are surprised that there is less technique training than expected. A common refrain among parents new to club swimming is, “Is it normal for coaches to do endless drills and sets without correcting my child’s (obviously) incorrect technique?” And yes, it is. All clubs teach technique and even though it may seem like they are not spending the time to correct bad technique, you have to sit back and be patient. They are also teaching focus, building an aerobic base, resilience, true understanding of streamline position, etc. They don’t have the bandwidth to spend 15 min one on one with each kid that needs technique correction. It’s kind of like going from a kindergarten class of 8 kids to a 5th grade class of 30 kids. It’s no longer entirely the teacher’s responsibility to adjust leaking goggles and make sure everyone is paying attention to the demo. It’s up to the kid.[/quote]

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