BE ON TIME: On time means 15 mins before warm-up ENCOURAGE: YOUR CHILD: Encourage your child to get immediately to a coach for warm up
MISSING AN EVENT: Sometimes a child “misses an event”, this happens it’s a learning experience DON’T freak out, DON’T dwell on it.
FALSE STARTS: Sometimes a swimmer will false start due to nerves or anticipation, it is not the end of the world, this again is a learning experience and it happens to the best of them. Remember the swimmers will feel bad about it so just support them in a positive way.
DQs: Like false starts, DQs happen, do not approach the officials. Ask the coaches what happened they will do their best to find out and explain where they got DQ'ed and “End of story”. It’s NOT a big deal.
GOALS: The child should have a goal for every swim. Sometimes a technique or time. Ask them what THEIR goals are DON’T help set it, that’s for coach and swimmer.
COACHES: The coach will likely want to speak to your child before and after the event. The “before” is to remind them of goals and needs and “after” to review the success and weak spots of the swim. Great feedback is great coaching
DRINKS: Make sure they have plenty of drink. Best to have is water with some squash and a pinch of salt. NO SWEETS, NO SUGAR. NO SWEETS, NO SUGAR.
QUESTION: If you have any questions ask the coach. Try to do it when when the coach isn’t doing 12 different things. Get real answers. Asking another parent may not get the right answer.
HUMOUR: Keep it light. Have a sense of humour. An age group swim meet, taken at face value is a pretty silly thing…..don’t overplay the “importance”of it….it’s just an opportunity to test what you’ve been practicing in training. We repeat experiences that are enjoyable and avoid experiences that aren’t.
THE END: When the meet is over, the meet is over. Forget it on the way home. Help the swimmer remember the lessons for the next time, but DON’T dwell on the meet. Meet over…move on…next.
WHAT IS WARM-UP? Physical 1. Literally warm and lubricate the muscles for “action”. 2. Increase the heart rate in preparation for race action 3. Getting in touch with your feel for the water and ability to swim the strokes correctly 4. To familiarise you with the specifics of the pool you are going to be racing in.
Mental 1. Get into focus. We’re at a swim meet to compete 2. Get rid of distractions 3. Focus on process and good technical swimming 4. Prepare to Race
Warmup Most warmups at most meets are crowded and appear chaotic. Typically the coach will put all swimmers in one or two lanes, together. The swimmers will do an easy swim. (“easy 200 free”) Then some race specific swims. Then some spikes (“4/6 x 50 as 10m max rest easy) Then some start practice.
In closing Be On Time, Do Things Correctly. Have a Great Meet
Conversations with Swimmers
Introduction: If you’ve been to swim meets, you will have noticed that both before a race and immediately after a race, the coach speaks with your child. This is an important part of the race experience, so make sure your child knows to go to the coach straight after their race.
Pre Race: Before the race, the purpose is to remind the child of the singular thing that the coach wants the child to concentrate on in that race. Or, in the words of famous Coach Confucius, “He who chases two rabbits, catches neither.” The purpose of the coach’s communication with your child is to make sure they are focused only on the item that the coach has chosen for that race. (This is based on what we’ve been doing in practice). The reason competitive swimmers practice, of course, is to prepare to race.
Post Race: Post Race, the coach wants to meet IMMEDIATELY with the athlete once they get out of the water to discuss with the athlete if they achieved that singular goal. Did they do what they set out to do? If so, “great, good job!” If not, why not? Were there other positives to take away from the race? Or if the athlete can’t remember what they were supposed to do, that’s not a good thing and back to the drawing board in learning how to concentrate!
In Closing: Both communications are critically important in the development of the athlete. If a parent wants to know what the child is supposed to be concentrating on in any particular race, ASK THE COACH! We’ll be happy to tell you. You might check afterwards and see if your child also remembered, post race, what we said about it. Then you can reinforce the need to focus and learn
The Day After Workout: Workout on the day after a swim meet is critically important to attend. Why is it so important?It’s an opportunity for the coach to recognize the good performers in front of all the swimmers. It’s an opportunity to review the team’s progress toward seasonal goals. It’s an opportunity to immediately address weaknesses observed at the meet with individuals as well as the team and to respond with drills, teaching, or appropriate training. It’s necessary in order to stay on the training plan. Depending on the time in the season, resting from a practice is counterproductive to swimming fast later in the season. It’s an opportunity to directly and deliberately face being tired and to perform regardless – an awesome life lesson.Unfortunately, an occasional parent will make a coaching decision that their child can take the day off o rest. We need the support of parents to get their children to practice on the day after or risk their child losing the above benefits
Questions
5 Questions Parents Ask 1. Are you a better swimmer today than you were yesterday? 2. Tell me something you did today that improved your ability? 3. Tell me something you appreciate about being around your teammates and your coach. 4. What life skill did you learn today that goes beyond the swimming pool? 5. Did you thank your coach at the end of practice?
5 Questions Coaches Ask 1. Will you be a better swimmer today when you leave the deck than you were when you walked on the deck 2. What is your primary goal for this season? 3. What do you need to focus on and improve in order to achieve your goal? 4. How can I best help you to achieve your goal? 5. Did you thank your parents for bringing you to and/or picking you up from practice?
