What To Look for in a Swim Team:

Congratulations!  At the very least you are considering placing your child on a Year Round Swim Team if you clicked onto this page.  I've decided to publish my thoughts on this subject matter due to some recent questions that have come from your fellow citizens.  They are only my thoughts and opinions, based on my personal coaching experience and parenting experience.  You have the option to take them for what they are worth to you.

As a parent you need to ask yourself this basic and fundamental question:  "What do I expect from a Club?"  Do you want a place for your child to have fun?  Of course.  Children can have fun while getting sub-par training and the resultant experience of not improving relative to others, and they can have fun while working hard and developing relative to others.  Fun and working hard are not mutually exclusive, in fact over time those improving in their swimming capabilities are the ones having the most fun and stick with the sport.  Children not having fun tend to quit, no matter how hard or soft a practice is. 

Do you want your child to learn?  I know, that was a stupid question, all parents want their children to learn.  Do you want your child to learn discipline, self-respect, mental toughness, etc?  Naturally, those things are the building blocks your child will need to succeed in today's world as a teenager and an adult.

Ok, let's look at different variables that will influence your decision as to which club you will entrust with the training of your child.  In no particular order:

Yardage vs. Technique:   Both.  Simple.  And keep in mind that this is all AGE SPECIFIC, most of the examples below are for High School age swimmers, Elementary and Middle School age swimmers will be doing far less yardage compared to High School age.  All quality clubs focus on technique and yardage, lesser clubs just focus on one or the other  The clubs that do far less yardage claim that they concentrate on technique over yardage, and that they do quality yardage instead of high yardage.  They try to mislead you that other clubs just get in and swim and swim and swim, and do mindless yardage while neglecting technique. 

In reality most clubs that do a lot of yardage also do a good percentage of that yardage working specifically on technique.  Plus all throughout practice the "high yardage" coaches are standing watching technique both above and below water, and are making corrections on technique as needed, not just sitting down in a chair in their office talking on the phone.  The clubs that try to sell you on the concept of technique instead of yardage try to make it seem that the other clubs are mindless in their approach, and that is a falsehood, and they generally know it is not true.  Clubs that focus exclusively on Sprint Training tend to do less yardage and that is fine, it you plan on competing in just 50 yard/meters events.  Even competing in the 100 yard/meter events you need an aerobic base.  I recently read an article where Ian Crocker, the great butterflyer and freestyle sprinter spent his first half of his senior year training with the distance group at Texas in order to build that base he needs to finish the last 15 yards of the 100 Freestyle.  It must have worked.  Look at the top clubs in your state, region, and nation, they combine yardage with technique, both are needed, not just one. 

Looking at the issue of quality low yardage over more mindless high yardage, that's a misleading statement as well.   Again look at the successful clubs, they do quality high yardage instead of mindless high yardage, and the results prove out in every case.  In a typical 2 hr practice, 2500 yards does not compare to 6000-7500 quality yards over the course of a season in anything over 50 yards/meters.  Plus, most "yardage" coaches have a seasonal plan with cycles built into it.  So mindless yardage does not exist in a quality club, even distance cycles have a purpose, recovery practices have a purpose, every thing has a purpose in the seasonal plan.  Beware the coach that writes the workout as he/she goes along during the practice.  Now granted, a coach may take the liberty to adjust a workout on any given day, but writing one on the deck does not qualify. 

In conclusion, as the child ages and maturity levels equalize, the well rounded swimmers in all strokes and distances with the strong aerobic base from high yardage/quality technique clubs, will fare the best in the championships meets - both are needed, do not neglect one for the other. 

Location:  How close or how far is the facility you will be training at?  For some people this is a very important variable, due to factors such as having to get other children to other places.  If you live near a great training location that is fine, if the closest training facility is home to a sub-par club, then it may hinder the ultimate development of your child.

Coaching Staff:  In my mind, this is the most important variable, and the one open to the most debate as to what constitutes a good coach or a poor coach.  Some parents look at the pedigree of the coach, in terms of the Coach's personal swimming history.  Some parents look at the performance of the kids the Coaches have trained over their coaching career.  Some parents look for a coach that holds their same values in life and keeps their word, keeping in mind that the coach may be spending more than 10 hours a week influencing your child.  Some parents look for a coach that teaches sound principals of swimming techniques, and does not sacrifice long term success for the here and now.  Some parents look for a coach that lets the kids have fun at practice.  Which is the correct choice for you?  That is your decision, your child is the one being affected.  The order I place these coaching staff considerations for my children may be different than the order you place for yours. 
 

There are a lot of coaches out there that have combined performance, technical skills, personal values and fun, their teams usually excel in the development of swimmers over time.  That is the type of program I want my child in. 

How do you find out about coaches to see where they are on your priority list?  Ask questions, ask club parents, ask coaches, ask swimmers, ask other teams about their perceptions of their competition.  Keep in mind that all opinions are biased to the belief values of the person speaking.  However, most importantly watch and observe for yourself.  Is the coach an "Active" or "Passive" coach?  Watch how the coach interacts with the swimmers, and watch how the swimmers reacts to the coaches.  Look for a coach, not someone who just stands there, sits there, or is in an office on the phone.  Do not rush into making a decision to join any team based on one or two practices.  The Philosopher John Locke once said: "The actions of men are the best interpreters of their thoughts."   Coaches will tell you what you want to hear, their actions may speak differently.  Watch and observe over time.  Look for a coach that loves what he or she is doing.  Again, actions speak louder than words. 

Also, if the Swim Club you choose is a member of USA Swimming, make sure that all the coaches on deck are USA registered coaches.  This is important not only for adequate training of coaches but also for insurance reasons. 

Personally I prefer coaches that will use their energy to build their team in a positive manner.  If a coach is merely administering a practice, and does not actively coach, be careful.  Beware of the coach that only focuses on their stars to the detriment of other swimmers.

History of the Club:  How long has the club been around?   What is the coaching turnover rate?  How well do they develop their swimmers over the time they are on the team?  What percentage of 10&U swimmers continue on to the Senior level? 

Length the club has been around is not that important to me.  Weak clubs can and do continue to exist.  Strong clubs can weaken for a variety of reasons.  Coaching turnover is an interesting subject.  Coaches leave for a variety of reasons such as other opportunities, burnout, disagreements, poor performance, etc.  How long has the Head Coach been around?  How many Head Coaches has the club gone through, and how quickly?  How long have the assistant coaches been around?  Why do assistant's leave?  If there is a large turnover at any level, ask further questions such as where did they go.  This is an area of consideration where you may make people uncomfortable when you start asking questions.  Body language is an important indicator to what they are really thinking.

Development of swimmers over time is an important consideration.  Do they have a strong older group?  Or do they only have just a few older stars?   How many swimmers stick with the program?  There will always be dropouts in any club, and any sport for that matter.  The challenge for swim clubs is to keep the kids in the water, those that do the best job are the ones that are usually the most successful at the Senior level.  Want a good feel of things, look at the different web sites of the local clubs and check out their meet schedules.  Find a major meet where most of the local clubs will be in attendance and then go and watch.  A large major meet is important because small developmental meets are usually stacked heavy with younger swimmers from the host club and you will not get a good sense of how well the older programs are.  While at the meet watch the coaching staffs, look at their temperament with swimmers that are upset, watch the demeanor of the kids at meets.  The swimmers that look emotionally beat down by their coach are usually just that.  The swimmers that are interacting with other kids from other teams in a positive manner, showing team pride, and smiling are having fun.  Don't judge a team by one swimmer - every team has at least one kid performing well, and at least one kid not having a good meet.  Look at the team as a whole.  You need to also be aware of the team that has a lot of older swimmers and very few young ones, that is a sign that something may be wrong as well.

Costs:  The cost of swimming is not cheap, it is comparable with other sports that have to rent facilities and pay coaches.  To compare it to the cost of your city soccer league with volunteer coaching is like comparing apples to oranges.  You can find an inexpensive swim club that is excellent, an inexpensive club that is weak, an expensive club that is excellent, and an expensive club that is weak.  How much can you afford?  How much is it worth to you?  Make sure you have a copy of your signed contract with the club specifying what the dues are and how they are to be paid.  Make sure the policy book spells out what happens if you are delinquent, make sure you know the club policy regarding who decides when and by how much dues are raised.  Know what you are getting into.

Club Policies:  Whenever you visit a club, ask for copies of their By-Laws and Charter; and a copy of their Swimmers Informational Handbook.  A good handbook will have descriptions of Team Philosophy, Levels within the Team, Coaches Responsibilities, Swimmers Responsibilities, Parents Responsibilities, Board of Directors information, Dues/Fundraising descriptions, and Swim Meet expectations.  Included somewhere in the Handbook, usually under Swimmers Responsibilities, there should be a Code of Conduct section and/or Discipline information, this is critical in my opinion.  Read the book carefully and ask clarifying questions if needed.  Beware of teams that have not taken the time to develop and publish written Philosophies, Fee Structures, Coach/Swimmer/Parent Responsibilities, and Code of Conduct/Discipline Guidelines.  Teams without those policies will typically resort to arbitrary decision making in handling discipline and/or disputes - this is usually a warning sign of weak leadership and disorganization within the club.  Make sure you have a copy of your signed contract with the club, beware of clubs that do not require a contract.

Lastly, these topics I have covered here are not exclusive to swimming.  They can be applied by parents to any sport  or activity you and your child choose to participate in.  Good Luck, and if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at webmaster@SwimSumnerCounty.com.

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