News For
SWIM PARENTS
Published by The American Swimming Coaches Association
5101 NW 21 Ave.,
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Three Variables of a Swimmer’s Performance That Parents Contribute To
By Jack Maddan, Head Coach and CEO of Hilton Head Aquatics.
As we approach the midpoint of the short course season the athletes are
realizing that they are on the path to reaching their goals or they need to make
some wholesale changes. Each season presents another mountain to climb for each
swimmer. The climb they have to make will depend on the level of success they
achieved in the previous season. Success is a relative term and is different for
each athlete and training group in the program. For one swimmer it might be to
qualify for the State meet and for another it might be to make Olympic trials.
Whatever the goal might be, each swimmer has to be willing to do more work than
they did in the previous season. And parents can help.
Parents put a lot of time, money and commitment into the sport. You assist in
providing the best opportunity for your children to be successful in the pool.
Coaches appreciate that. There are certain variables that you have a direct
impact on that do affect the swimmers’ level of success.
One variable is practice attendance. As a parent, we are asking you to
support the coaching staff and encourage your swimmers to be at the number of
practices required by the coach. If the swimmers are not making that requirement
it is hard for them to benefit from the whole seasonal plan. This is critical
because each coach has a daily, weekly and seasonal plan and missing out on that
will hinder the overall success. This is different with each group, but as each
swimmer moves within the program, the expectations become much greater.
Another set of variables are nutrition, rest and body changes. This is, for some
people, the most sensitive area, but it is significant and should be addressed
seriously. As parents, if you are not providing your children with good
fuel on a daily basis then over time they will not excel in practice. This
starts the moment they enter the program. If you start with good
nutritional habits it makes it easier for them to sustain over the course of the
season and to establish a healthy lifestyle in the long term.
It is also imperative that each swimmer is getting adequate rest. When a swimmer
is burning the candle at both ends this is where injuries and illness set in.
When we have a day off, all swimmers should be wise about the decisions made so
their bodies can recover properly.
The physiological factors that take place in athletes can impede or accelerate
their progress. When a swimmer is growing, depending on how much they are
growing, this can be a good or bad thing. Many swimmers struggle physically and
mentally during this time. The growth can make them stronger in the water
or can cause them to be awkward because of growing too quickly. This is usually
more typical in boys between the ages of 13-16. For the girls, going
through puberty affects body composition and proportions and can really mess up
stroke techniques especially in butterfly and breaststroke. , especially
on the girl’s side. In addition, girls go from an 11-14 year old with a
lean body that recovers very quickly to a young woman’s body that takes longer
to recover between workouts. This is where plateaus sometimes take place and can
last up to several years. Parental support in a positive manner is a key
component in helping them to wade through these waters. There are two
specific things a parent can do. First, never allow a young swimmer to be
identified as a stroke specialist – Be cautious in saying things like, “You’re
my perfect little butterflyer,” or “You’ll be swimming the breaststroke in the
2020 Olympics.” Secondly, focus comments on continual, long term
improvement in all strokes.
One more variable: parental support of the swimmer and coach. This should
be the easiest one to control, but it is not always the case. Parents have only
one role at a swim meet: support the swimmer and the coach to achieve the
athlete’s goals. I think this is important to remember because sometimes the
athlete and parent have different goals.
These are the comments a coach would most appreciate a parent to say to their
child before and after a swim: Before the swim - “Good luck and have fun.”
After the swim -- “Good Job,” and “What did your coach say?” and “I’m proud of
you,” or sometimes, “I am sure you will do better next time.”
If your dialogue is different then this, then you are not supporting the coach
and swimmer relationship. The most detrimental thing you can do for your child
is compare them to another swimmer, coach them before or after a swim, or give
them negative feedback after a race.
So what I recommend is to make sure that you are communicating with your son or
daughter on how they are doing in practice on a daily basis. Periodically check
in with their coach and ask him or her how you child is doing, so there are no
surprises when it comes to competition time.
Remember, swimming is a sport where we look at long term progress. Some
athletes have to work for 6 months to drop one second in an event. If you can
really be aware what the contributing variables are for success (and remember
that means having some patience to reach the process), then I stand behind the
belief that your children will be better prepared for anything that comes their
way in life.