Year Round Swimming

Like many sports these days swim teams train all year long. There are 2 primary seasons that swimmers need to be aware of when swimming year round:

Short Course Season (Sept-March)

Long Course Season (April-July)

Really the only difference in these 2 season are the lengths of the pools they compete in, not necessarily the pools they train in. In the short course season the swim meets take place in 25 yard pools and long course season the swim meets take place in 50 meter pools. As your swimmer develops over the years, it becomes more important to train in both of these seasons for continued success.

Short Course Season:

September to March

The short course or winter season runs from the Fall to the Spring. Teams will train and compete in 25 yard pools aka short course pools. All the Y pools, with the exception of the Y in Pasadena are 25 yard pools. Pasadena like most outdoor, summer league pools is 25 meters or short course meters. The YCM meet schedules are designed to grow swimmers in short course competition. From the dual meets on the 'B' and 'C' meet schedules which develop an understanding of swim meets to the qualifying meets of the 'A' meet schedule, YCM uses a periodized training program to help swimmers find success throughout the season. That simple means we start the short course season off with a focus on stroke development, building a foundation of endurance and developing good swimming habits. As we transition to the height of the meet season there is shift to speed work, interval training and race theory before tapering our swimmers work load and increasing our focus on stroke mechanics to finishing the season.

Long Course Season:

April to July

The long course season typically runs from the spring through the summer. Teams will train in both 25 yard pools and will have options for some groups training in 50 meter pools. YCM rents 50 meter lane space at UMBC and Aberdeen in June and July for our 'A' meet schedule swimmers to practice. The long course practices are in conjunction with practices at their local Y. Swim meets during the long course season will be held in 50 meter or long course pools, although there maybe some short course meets for younger swimmers. During this 4 month season, YCM will use a condensed version of the short course training program. The start of the season will once again focus on stroke development, but will use longer swims to help condition the body for the rigors of a longer pool. As the meet season starts to take off there will be a shift to interval training and speed work before we once again start to taper the swimmers work load and refocus on stroke mechanics leading into their championship meets. During this season the 'C' meet schedule will not have swim meets, so swimmers that want to train without swimming in long course meets just need to let their center head coach know to switch from their current meet schedule to 'C'.

Spring add-on or Summer League Prep:

April to May

Different centers/regions have a different name for these 2 months. This is basically a sub season of the long course season. These are the months after the short course season ends and local summer league teams start. Many Blue Crab swimmers use this time to keep in swimming shape and prepare for their local summer league practices. YCM encourages as many swimmers as possible to take advantage of training with us during this time, because we focus on stroke development for first month and transition into interval training/speed work before their first summer league meet. Because YCM uses monthly payments on different meet schedules swimmers have the ability to continue their swimming without interruption and can either swim in meets or not depending on individual preference. Swimmers that do not wish to compete in meets and focus on training need to let their center head know to switch their meet schedule the 'C'.