bored

[dad]

it seems that as a dad my son is on a slow
track to no where i watch him swimm up and
down 3times a WEEK and think what is this all
about i know he"s good but the coach well i
don"t know. i think it might time we looked
to move. most clubs in my area would take him
no problem what do i do
dad

[Conrad Cawley]

Talk to your coach before you do anything.

------------------
Conrad

[jimmy77]

To all,

it is quite funny that you mention being bored in swimming. this is what stopped me. in fact i can remember even now (nearly 6/7 years on) what a coach used to give me. On a monday morning i would get 10 *200 and this would be repeated wednesday and Friday morning and i would have to hit a certain % of my pb (be it 85,90% depending on the time of year). i used to get 60*50 on a minute on monday night, followed by 10*100 on Tuesday and Wednesday night (again hitting a certain %). Thursday's used to be 10*75 on 1.30 and Friday's used to be 10*100 again. It went in a 3 week cycle: Freestyle, Back/brs and then IM.

'Dad' if your son is bored with swimming get the hell out of the club. Swimming is all about fun. Now a days everything has to be about fun. This starts off the circle of sport. i.e. if the child is having fun then they will want to come back, if the child comes back then they will get better. swimming is a hard sport and a good attitude to the coach and session is needed. I carried out that above mentioned schedule for about 3 years and then got old enough to question it. I would like to say that i don't bear this particular coach ill feeling and think that he is a great coach with a good past.

The thing is that if the kid isn't having fun and is just plowing up and down then there isn't much point to the sport and they will just lose interest and try something else out. swimming is not a easy sport but a coach can make it easier by making workouts interesting and creating a good atmosphere within a club.

I do agree with Conrad on what he has said and perhaps you should talk to the coach about it and perhaps this is what i should have done with my coach at the time. However a coach should not really get himself/herself in that position.

Regards.

JD

[mammamedley]

Wow! What a reply! You poor father! I feel for you! Such a dilema! I remember swimming 10x4x1ims every Tuesday evening and I bet that coach still does that now!
Swimming shouldn't be boring! But alot depends on the coach! Coaches should not only be wonderful coaches but brilliant comedians, phychotherapists in actual fact the best coaches I have come across are completely bonkers (in the nicest possible way!).
The best swimming I ever did as a child and now a master swimmer was when I did the hardest training. However that training was the most fun I ever had! Who's training with your son? Does he have fun in the lanes?
The worst training I did quite reccently was with a very quiet team of junior swimmers too scared to smile! I would ask them in the changing rooms 'why are you swimming!'. They did not know, they had no answer. It upset me tremendously expecially as I knew what it could be like. I left and went back to a bonkers coach with other bonkers kids and had the best time! It showed with brill results this year.
There should be clear goals in all swimmers minds, and lots of them. Remember why you are swimming and putting in all those hours in the pool.
For a father watching from the gallery it may seem boring for your son, but if he's anything like me, there would be the occaisional smile and wave underwater at a friend in the next lane (during a recovery swim of course!). Swimming is a very individual sport and it's a coaches responsibility to promote a team spirit within the squads making the best fun in the water.
I wish you good luck on your decision.

[Pete]

Dad
You are getting complicated answers from strangers. Conrad's advice seems to be the best road to go down. Coaches cannot always be perfect. It is a hard job dealing with a wide range of personalities. Get things sorted quickly and then decide what to do. If the club has a break over Christmas, use it to get away from talk of swimming. Then your son might be fresh to start again. Swimmers go through ups and downs. A good rest from the environment and no talk of it at home sometimes helps a lot. Changing clubs is a hard decision. In many cases it is the wrong one with the swimmer soon wanting to return to his/her roots. Take care.

[This message has been edited by Tumbleturner (edited 04 December 2000).]

[Pete]

Boy are people getting uptight about this.

My sessions are far from boring. We always have variety. I never repeat the same session in a year; the same set every three months. I always put drills in rotation of stroke into sessions every session; Number 1 stroke every 3-4 sessions; if I do a freestyle set one day, a medley the next; swim for set time sets with pulse checks: I try to get turns in most sessions: starts in some, we do relays every week and Water polo once a month. I would say that is VARIETY. Anyone want samples of my sessions E-mail me. In a club with limited pooltime you need variety. I find it difficult watching 6x400 free, 12x200 free once a year let alone once a month. How many other clubs offer variation on my scale? (hopefully lots)

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Looking forward to hearing from fellow coaches and keen swimmers needing help.

[Steve]

You don't say how old your son is - if he is only a youngster (10-14 say) then I wholeheartedly agree that boring sessions should be avoded at all costs. However I feel that as swimmers get older and come to appreciate what the aim of a particular session is that the perceived boredom of the session from outside is completely worng. This does, of course mean that the coach *needs* to explain what the aims of a session are.

None of this is to say that swimming shouldn't be fun - of course it should - just that it can be fun in a different way.

Steve

------------------
http://www.pullbuoy.co.uk (http://www.pullbuoy.co.uk/)
the UK swimming site

[BigFish]

Nor do you say whether your son is happy at the club. You only say what *you* think. Have you talked to your son about this? What are his views?

------------------
David Cuthbert (www.dartes.co.uk)
news@DaveC.org.uk

[This message has been edited by BigFish (edited 06 December 2000).]

[dad]

my son is 13 and the reason i posted question
is from a conversation we have every time i
drive him home from training
he loves the club but not the training
from the replys so far most people seem
to say the same thing training should be fun

[Machine Head]

I have to say I feel the same about my situation. "he loves the club but not the training".

[Pete]

So Guys
What sort of training do you think should prevail? Training to keep swimmers happy, with no technical input, no endurance but full of fun relays and 25m sprints? I call these so called clubs and squads "TINPOT" not in the real world of swimming. Come on get into the real world. Swimming training needs lots of repeat work, sometimes it can get boring, I know. Fitness and technical input are so important. I have swum with coaches who set 30x100 free twice a week. 16x200, 8x400. I sympathise if you have a coach like that.
Coaches varying the stroke, distance, drills, and including IM work were few and far between in my swimming days.
The interest in each session requires the swimmer to get involved, swim their best and get the best out of the coach by showing their committment. If the swimmer shows they are interested things change. They become motivated and the coach responds positively.

But! Have you followed Conrad's advice dad? Have you talked to people with experience of other clubs? Go and watch other clubs train. Find out whether the grass is greener.

[Machine Head]

I know for a fact that people are leaving the club that "Dad" belongs to because they are bored of it. They are bored of the training. And I can promise you that there will be more to go. At the moment I think it would be wise for the coach of your club to try something completely different, and not so boring. Although I agree that he does try and change it around so that you never do the same set more than once every blue moon. Although it doesn't seem to work does it?! Your swimming club falling apart, slowly but surely. Swimmers seem to be leaving on a regular basis, and most of them for the same reasons.

[jimmy77]

Tumbleturner,

I think that it is wrong to classify two types of training:

Fun - fun relays and sprints"tin pot" clubs as you put them!
Boring - churning up and down "repeated work" as you put it!

I have trained under a variety of coaches including Conrad and now coach myself and so i feel that i am in an ideal position to comment.

Dad as a 13 yr old your son will be deciding whether or not he wants to carry on swimming as we all do between 13-16yrs old.

There are better things to be doing and so how as a coach do we keep them motivated to swim.

I believe it comes down to two things at that age - respect and enjoyment.

If a swimmer respects a coach and can relate to them then they are more likely to train hard for them and generaly create a good relationship between swimmer and coach.

A good relationship spurns an enjoyment factor which is heightened when a good variety of sets is given (and interesting ones!).

If a good relationship is developed between coach and swimmer then the swimmer is more likely to carry on swimming rather than going elsewhere.

Sorry for the length.

J

PS so sorry tumble turner but i believe that you can combine both churning up and down clubs and tin pot clubs together but it just requires a good coach who understands what the swimmers need.

[Kayley Higgins]

hi i am feeling the same now as machine head and i really dont know what to do!!
I handed in my notice the other day and did my last gala ( i thought ) the day after!
I have been training twice this week and i don't know what to do!
I dont really enjoy the training but i like doing the galas and seeing my friends. i am really getting bored of just swimming up + down all the time!
What should i do??
Kayley

[dad]

thanks
to all that has taken part in this subject
it seems we all agree swimming should be
serious but also fun. kayley you have so much
to offer, and you machine head you were so good. lets not give up talk to your reps on
poolside or your chairman

[Kayley Higgins]

i have NO idea who the chairman are could u tell me? i am still unsure what to do??
thank you
kayley
x



[This message has been edited by Kayley Higgins (edited 15 December 2000).]

[dad]

kayley
chairman bob
vice chairman nigel
talk to them they will help i promise
or email me direct details given next time i see you

[Kayley Higgins]

O.K thank you very much

[kicky]

i think training is boring but that only coz u swim all the time, and its all the same how much u change it (u still in the pool swimming up and down for 2 hours)the only things that make it fun is messin' around and then u get told off which is even moe fun... e.d kicking its boring to kick and not talk but its fun to kick and talk to ur mates. and i think most swimmers would agree about that

[Machine Head]

Is everyone bored of swimming?!

If not, then what is it that keeps you interested and helps you enjoy it? Apart from mucking around Charlotte

[kicky]

mucking around getting to see people such as kirsty, and steven people who i never see outta swimming, i swim coz i'm good, and i know this sounds boastfull but if i'm not good why do i have about 5 box fulls of medals and book mark things and a row of trophy, the glory, and dad i know who u are now, i shall try and get ben swimming for the cadets anything thats good,

[poolside]

I'm not saying swimming should be boring but training is not very exciting, from one end to the next, and back again. The goal is the Gala, if your not enjoying competition then why are you training.

[Kayley Higgins]

Hi
i enjoy the Galas more than the training but if i dont go training i dont do galas

[Unfit]

i just read this topic and thought i'd tell you what i used to like. one coach i used to train with used to tell us what would be in the sessions. ie this month mondays are starts and turns tuesdays are garbage yardage wednesdays are concentrating on sprint work etc. i used to like knowing what sort of swimming i was going to be doing before i went and it meant that most people looked forward to one type of training and that made them deal with the one's they didn't like as much. another way to stop long reps getting boring is to vary the % to swim on or the repeat times, then you can't swim on autopilot but have to think about it.