All About Competitive Swimming
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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. -
musette:
Quah Ting Wen is a swimmer but she's pretty and slim leh! :lol: I also noticed some of the swimmers from China are rather nice-looking too. Maybe, they have a good height to start with. :lol: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! -
csc:
Quah Ting Wen is a swimmer but she's pretty and slim leh! I also noticed some of the swimmers from China are rather nice-looking too. Maybe, they have a good height to start with.
My dd is slim too. And tall, about 1.5m, so got advantage
. I think because of her streamlined body, her best strokes are back and free.
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Thanks 2ppaamm and musette for the advice.
I think we will give it a try and see if she is keen on more intensive training in a swim club.
Actually it all started when we wanted DD1 to be more outdoorsy and take up 1 sport. Swimming was the natural thing as DH had swam competitively before for school/club. But DD1 wasn’t really interested in improving her strokes until a few months ago when we changed coach. Of course being in P2 already, she is starting a lot later than most kids nowadays. Due to this, she doesn’t really know how to swim butterfly and can do the back but just the basics. I know most club swimmers swim all 4 strokes well but DH is happy for her just to excel in 2 strokes for competition.
She seems excited participating in her school meet - she managed to get a medal for 1 event & another round tomorrow and she’s hoping for a 2nd medal - this has given her more confidence and motivation so we hope that lasts ! -
musette:
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.[/quote]Oui, she has to go into teens for you to see this lah, say about 15 or 16. In any case, only the very top swimmers (like Michael Phelps and the national swimmers) seem to have this problem. The 'less' of swimmers (good but not the elite ones) seem to balance off better.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.
Which is better, I think there are advantages in both lah. -
musette:
That's what I want to say, if you look carefully at the girls, the good swimmers have broader shoulders than normal. If they are tall as well, it is not really an issue. For girls, I like to choose Back stroke. They become very long. Nice!csc:
Quah Ting Wen is a swimmer but she's pretty and slim leh! I also noticed some of the swimmers from China are rather nice-looking too. Maybe, they have a good height to start with.
My dd is slim too. And tall, about 1.5m, so got advantage . I think because of her streamlined body, her best strokes are back and free.
Also, many coaches believe that it is the broad shoulders who are good swimmers, not swimmers who became broad shoulders. Keke.
BTW, the ones I know have broader shoulders, but not hulk-like shoulders. Got different hor...
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