At Bobcats ADM we need to develop a tradition of excellence in our young swimmers. As children learn by repetition, we have to ensure that we are continually asking the swimmers to complete the technical skills of swimming to the highest possible level. This should include all warm ups, steady swims, recovery swims and swim downs - it is not possible to develop technique on a part time basis!

Have in your mind at all times a perfect picture of how the stroke should be swum, the drill completed, the set swum. How can these swimmers reach this ideal? What can you do to help them improve?

Key Training Points:

• Streamline every start, turn and push off
• A strong kick action should be developed in all strokes - all kicking practices to be performed as quality, with no talking allowed
• Drills should be carried out to the highest possible standard. Sloppiness must not be tolerated.
• Breathing every two strokes on Butterfly should be encouraged to maintain good body position
• Bilateral breathing should be developed on Freestyle to encourage symmetry in the stroke
• Breath holding should be developed when performing short bursts of speed over 10m and 12.5m
• Swimmers should be able to turn on either arm in Backstroke and Freestyle
• Always use an underwater pull and kick in Breaststroke out of all starts and turns establish target distances to be achieved off every turn
• On Butterfly, Backstroke and Freestyle establish and develop underwater kicks - again establish target distances or number of kicks to be performed
• Ask swimmers to hold their breath into the finish on Butterfly and Freestyle (e.g. from the flags into the wall)
• Swimmers should accelerate into every turn, and not anticipate them.

We are what we repeatedly do.

Excellence is therefore not an act, but merely a habit.

If this programme is to have real benefit, then the following message should be brought home at all times.

If swimmers want to improve their technique to become better swimmers then they have to make a conscious decision never to swim the way they swam before again. NOT EVER. They must make the change and do it that way every time to the best of their ability.

We, as coaches/teachers, need to design our practices to help them stay focused on this concept.