All About Competitive Swimming
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Thanks 25hourmaid but I have a swim club in mind recommended by my daughter’s current coach who does not really teach competitive swimming although she has been training my daughter - I just want to find out how grueling the schedule is and how often are the training sessions and the committment required. Don’t know if DD can take it…and if it means putting her other interests aside she may not want to.
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I’ve a friend who is coaching school teams and it appears that he also attends those national swim meets,etc… If you are interested, you can pm me.
Off topic, do you have concerns if your dd really train for competitive swimming, she will end up with really broad shoulders or manly physique???
I used to love swimming during my school days and frankly as a result of swimming, I’ve broad shoulders. It’s structural and it can’t be change. That’s why I always thought to myself that for my dds, it’s good that they are able to swim and survive that’s all. -
workingmom:
Thanks 25hourmaid but I have a swim club in mind recommended by my daughter's current coach who does not really teach competitive swimming although she has been training my daughter - I just want to find out how grueling the schedule is and how often are the training sessions and the committment required. Don't know if DD can take it...and if it means putting her other interests aside she may not want to.
No problem, in that case, then I suggest talking to the swimming club to find out more before you make the decision. Good luck! :lol: -
MMM:
Yah, am concerned about that plus the fact that the swimmers are all so dark - already swim 1 hr twice a wk and DD is quite tanned. Currently DD skinny n tall so can't really say she will turn out later to be very muscular.I've a friend who is coaching school teams and it appears that he also attends those national swim meets,etc... If you are interested, you can pm me.
Off topic, do you have concerns if your dd really train for competitive swimming, she will end up with really broad shoulders or manly physique???
I used to love swimming during my school days and frankly as a result of swimming, I've broad shoulders. It's structural and it can't be change. That's why I always thought to myself that for my dds, it's good that they are able to swim and survive that's all.
But I think getting her to excel in the sport gives her some excitement & purpose in her life and she seems to enjoy participating in the recent school meet so....at a cross-roads lah :? -
The following is taken from the http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13 thread. Hope it gives you some idea...and perhaps you can ask Chief about it.
ChiefKiasu:
Oh.. I stopped him when he started P1... it was too competitive and I can't afford to keep bringing him for his training sessions EVERY day. Kind of a waste since he was pretty good then - he could swim all strokes, and faster than me when he was K2. But he was also losing interest due to the intensity. He's still doing it once a week, but that is definitely not enough for competitive swimming.lizawa:
Hi ChiefKiasu,
Is your son still in competitive swimming ? how is he coping with the training and school work ?
If he can compete at the Primary School national level, he will stand a good chance to get into one of the IP schools through DSA.
He's into fencing now, since K2. He's got lots of interest in that, and not too bad at it too. Wonder if that would qualify him for DSA too? -
Competitive swimming is not for everybody. It is about you against yourself. There is no opponent in the pool. Your aim is to move your body faster and faster with every practise or competition. Your opponent? The clock.
What I like about Singapore competitive swimming:
1. It is an established sport, and the funding is good. So if your kid becomes really good and has a chance the represent Singapore, he gets a lot of goodies and support.
2. There are abundant good coaches all over Singapore, you can pick and choose who you want.
3. Singapore promotes Swimming, and therefore, there are many competitions for swimmers to hone their skills.
4. Disciplines the mind. At the highest level in Singapore, swimmers train 11 to 13 times a week, including Upper Primary kids.
5. The sport that will cause the least injury. Well, looks like it to me!
6. Many good IP secondary schools take good swimmers for DSA, but you have to be really good, just like any other sports.
7. With a good competitive swimming background, you can excel in many other sports, like water polo, synchronized swimming, triathlon, biathlon. Many ex-swimmers go on and become state representatives in these sports.
What I do not like:
1. There's no team. Your kid will not get to learn how synergy works.
2. Very competitive parents. Who like to compare and compare their kids. Like any sport, you win some and lose some. If you are the kind of parent who want to win all the time.... er you will not like swimming. Also, please don't brag. Tak boleh tahan!
3. The long, long hours. Kids get very tired. I believe our swimmers burn out too early. In overseas competitions, our Under12 shine. After than, it's a downhill.
4. Over pushy training. If your kid is below 10, please don't push them to do 7 km a day. It will cause injury. Unfortunately, many parents push their kids to join the older kids in the hope of reaching a faster time. Coaches have told me that they are causing injuries to their own kids. But the coaches will always oblige, because they know that if they don't another coach in another club will. So let your head be on your shoulders, and not your pride.
5. Your child will grow at least 7 shades darker, and have broader shoulders and become really sporty.
6. Good swimmers are mostly wimps on land. But you will likely see this only after the kid is well into his/her teens.
7. They retire too early. As early as 18, they will want to retire. Seems to be the trend in Singapore, and I think it is strange.
So, not only must you hone your skills, in swimming, you have to make sure the body is in good shape as well. If you allow it to slag, you will be dragging a burden across the pool. Discipline, diet, sleep and habit becomes part and parcel of the game.
Hope this helps you make a informed decision. :celebrate: -
BigDevil:
[/quote]To qualify for DSA sports, the schools normally look for medalist at the National Schools level. So if the child is winning medals, then he has a very good chance of getting into the school he wants through DSA, and have funding/support for that sport.The following is taken from the http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13 thread. Hope it gives you some idea...and perhaps you can ask Chief about it.
Oh.. I stopped him when he started P1... it was too competitive and I can't afford to keep bringing him for his training sessions EVERY day. Kind of a waste since he was pretty good then - he could swim all strokes, and faster than me when he was K2. But he was also losing interest due to the intensity. He's still doing it once a week, but that is definitely not enough for competitive swimming.ChiefKiasu:
[quote=\"lizawa\"]Hi ChiefKiasu,
Is your son still in competitive swimming ? how is he coping with the training and school work ?
If he can compete at the Primary School national level, he will stand a good chance to get into one of the IP schools through DSA.
He's into fencing now, since K2. He's got lots of interest in that, and not too bad at it too. Wonder if that would qualify him for DSA too?
Some schools do take in finalists and those who have spent time training but did not even get into finals as well. For example, some schools take swimming finalists for their water polo teams. They go for tryouts. If you have ball sense and have trained competitively for a few years, they'll take you. -
2ppaamm:
This is a most accurate and comprehensive description of competitve swimming. Thanks 2ppaamm!Competitive swimming is not for everybody. It is about you against yourself. There is no opponent in the pool. Your aim is to move your body faster and faster with every practise or competition. Your opponent? The clock.
What I like about Singapore competitive swimming:
1. It is an established sport, and the funding is good. So if your kid becomes really good and has a chance the represent Singapore, he gets a lot of goodies and support.
2. There are abundant good coaches all over Singapore, you can pick and choose who you want.
3. Singapore promotes Swimming, and therefore, there are many competitions for swimmers to hone their skills.
4. Disciplines the mind. At the highest level in Singapore, swimmers train 11 to 13 times a week, including Upper Primary kids.
5. The sport that will cause the least injury. Well, looks like it to me!
6. Many good IP secondary schools take good swimmers for DSA, but you have to be really good, just like any other sports.
7. With a good competitive swimming background, you can excel in many other sports, like water polo, synchronized swimming, triathlon, biathlon. Many ex-swimmers go on and become state representatives in these sports.
What I do not like:
1. There's no team. Your kid will not get to learn how synergy works.
2. Very competitive parents. Who like to compare and compare their kids. Like any sport, you win some and lose some. If you are the kind of parent who want to win all the time.... er you will not like swimming. Also, please don't brag. Tak boleh tahan!
3. The long, long hours. Kids get very tired. I believe our swimmers burn out too early. In overseas competitions, our Under12 shine. After than, it's a downhill.
4. Over pushy training. If your kid is below 10, please don't push them to do 7 km a day. It will cause injury. Unfortunately, many parents push their kids to join the older kids in the hope of reaching a faster time. Coaches have told me that they are causing injuries to their own kids. But the coaches will always oblige, because they know that if they don't another coach in another club will. So let your head be on your shoulders, and not your pride.
5. Your child will grow at least 7 shades darker, and have broader shoulders and become really sporty.
6. Good swimmers are mostly wimps on land. But you will likely see this only after the kid is well into his/her teens.
7. They retire too early. As early as 18, they will want to retire. Seems to be the trend in Singapore, and I think it is strange.
So, not only must you hone your skills, in swimming, you have to make sure the body is in good shape as well. If you allow it to slag, you will be dragging a burden across the pool. Discipline, diet, sleep and habit becomes part and parcel of the game.
Hope this helps you make a informed decision. :celebrate:
Just to add to your \"Not like\" point 5 -> For girls, we've got to watch out for the broad shoulders part! -
ChiefKiasu:
Just to add to your \"Not like\" point 5 -> For girls, we've got to watch out for the broad shoulders part!
Yes yes.... In my case, I wasn't even a competitive swimmer to begin with. The most I did was to take part in inter class swimming competition. I think it's the butterfly stroke that led to the broad shoulder. I am \"limiting\" my dds' swimming knowledge to survival that's all. I think it's important to know freestyle, breaststroke and backstroke but they can stop at that. I do not want them to end up with broad shoulders like myself. -
Hi,
My dd is doing competitive swimming. Has been since 3rd term in P1 and has taken part in various local competitions. I don't really like her to swim so much cos of the various reasons (too tanned, broad shoulders etc), but she likes it and my hubby encourages her. Two against one, I lose!
She's now in P4. Although most swimmers train at least 5 times a week or even everyday, she only trains 3-4 times a week and could cope well with her studies. Btw, she's also doing violin. If you want to know more about competitive swimming, you can ask me.
[quote]6. Good swimmers are mostly wimps on land. But you will likely see this only after the kid is well into his/her teens. [/quote]Not true lah. She's also athletic on land and has been asked to join the track and field CCA in school. Unlikely that she will turn into a wimp as she grows.
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