Coach’s Corner
A look at what’s coming up in training, plus tips and links from the coaching team
The many jobs of a swimming parent
Nobody tells you this when your child joins a swimming club. You’ve joined too, and you’ve picked up quite a few jobs along the way.
- Taxi driver. There and back, in all weathers, often before the sun is up.
- Chef. Feeding someone who’s always hungry.
- Personal assistant. Right kit, enough rest, and knowing where they need to be and when.
- Fan club. The loudest cheer in the building.
- Careers adviser. Helping them work out what they want, in swimming and beyond.
- Counsellor. The listening ear in the car and the shoulder to cry on.
- Expert on your child. Nobody knows them better than you.
That’s a full day’s work on top of your real job, the rest of the family, and everything else in your life. We see it, and we’re grateful.
One job you don’t need to take on
There’s one job that’s already covered: coach. It often lands on parents without anyone asking for it.
It’s easy to feel that your child’s progress is somehow down to you, that you should be checking times, spotting what went wrong, and working out how they get faster. That’s genuinely not your job to carry. It’s ours, and we’re glad to do it.
Why it helps
When you’re able to let that one go, your swimmer hears one clear voice about their swimming, and you get to be what they most want you to be.
Ask young swimmers what they want from their parents and the answer is simple: be there, cheer, and love me the same whatever the result.
How you can help
- Enjoy it. Watch, cheer, and take it all in. These years go quickly.
- Ask about the fun first. After a session or a race, try “did you enjoy it?”
- Tell us what we can’t see. If they’re tired, worried, or busy at school, let their coach know.
Leave the coaching with us
So if you can, leave the coaching, and the worrying about times, with us. Your swimmer already has a coach. What they need most from you is the stuff only you can give: the lift to the pool, the cheer from the stands, and the love that doesn’t depend on the clock.
And if the urge to coach is hard to shake off, come and talk to us. There’s always room for enthusiastic coaches.
We’re always happy to talk. Please speak to your squad coach or the Head Coach at any time. If you’re ever worried about a child’s welfare, the club’s Welfare Officer is there to help.
A quick note on tech suits and younger swimmers
Parents often ask whether a technical racing suit will help their child swim faster. Here’s our view, and why several swimming organisations agree with it.
These suits have a place in performance swimming, but we strongly discourage them for younger, developing swimmers. This isn’t just a club opinion: a number of swimming organisations around the world have introduced restrictions on tech suits for children.
| Organisation | Restriction |
|---|---|
| 🏴 Scottish Swimming | Prohibited aged 13 and under |
| 🇺🇸 USA Swimming | Restricted aged 12 and under |
| 🇦🇺 Swimming Western Australia | Prohibited aged 12 and under at sanctioned competitions |
| 🇦🇺 Swimming Tasmania | Restricts younger age groups |
Why organisations take this approach
The reasoning matches our own coaching philosophy closely:
Develop the swimmer, not the swimsuit
At younger ages, improvements should come from better technique, starts, turns, underwater skills, fitness and race execution.
Teach them what really makes them faster
Young swimmers should learn that progress comes from training, commitment and application, not from putting on a particular suit.
They’re expensive and unnecessary
Tech suits can cost hundreds of pounds and their performance properties deteriorate with use, which puts unnecessary financial pressure on families.
Keep competition accessible
No young swimmer should feel disadvantaged because another family can afford a £300–£500 racing suit.
Think long-term, not short-term PBs
At 9, 10, 11 or 12, the aim isn’t to squeeze out every possible hundredth. It’s to build the skills and habits that make them considerably faster at 15, 16, 17 and beyond.
Scottish Swimming sums this up well: the focus for young swimmers should be on technique, training, enjoyment and learning how to improve, rather than enhanced performance through equipment.
There will come a point in a swimmer’s development when a technical suit is appropriate, and when our coaching team feels a swimmer has reached that stage, we’ll advise parents directly. Until then, the best investment we can make is in the swimmer, not the suit.
