Swimming for 9 yr old, how much is too much?

[JustGettingByMum]

DD loves swimming, she swims at the local swim club for 45 mins per week, and also does a junior lifeguarding course at the local pool (30 mins pw)

Swimming club letters have just come out for next term and DD is being moved up to the next level. The club offers 4 sessions, that will total 7 hours pw if she does them all

So my question is, what do you think would be reasonable amount to swim? Advice from any MNers with children in swimming clubs would be particularly welcomed, but I'm open to all views TIA.

[ragged]

What does the club require her 2 do (min)? Does she have to do all 7 hours to stay in club? Our club requires min. 3xsessions/wk, or about 4.5 hours.

[Oldjolyon]

Can she cope with it? Does she get tired on what she does now, or is she a livewire who is impossible to tire out?

Although 7 hours a week sounds a lot, if broken down into a few hours here and there, it actually doesn't seem too much at all. My DD doesn't swim, but she does do 6.5 hours of gymnastics a week. She is 6 years old. Some people comment that it is too much, but my DD is never tired, even on a saturday when she goes to gymnastics for 2.5 hours, walks out, has an hour lunch and then goes to 1.5 hours of ballet / dancing. Its her choice - she loves both and does not want to give up either! Unfortunately even after 4 hours of gymnastics / dancing on a saturday she is still not tired and will still come home and spend an hour or so on the trampoline in the garden, or riding her bike in the neighbourhood!

I guess what I'm saying is, Yes it does seem a lot, but actually when you're there, if you've got a livewire, actually it doesn't seem a lot. My DD keeps asking when her hours will go up in gymnastics (to 9 hours a week), but thankfully her club won't allow her until she is 8. But she wants to do it now! If your child wants to do it, then she'll cope and will thrive on it. My DD does .

[JustGettingByMum]

ragged and Oldjolyon hi and thanks for responding.
Sorry for not replying earlier - just got back from swimming!
It's not very clear what she is expected to do, but I get the impression that is a minimum of 2 sessions per week. The only way we can do these is to put one straight after gymnastics (literally, finish gym at 7 and be in the pool at 7), then a 2 hour session on Sunday morning.

If she is expected to do 3, then she will have to do an early session on Saturday morning, and leave early before going to her 2 dance classes that she loves but they start at 9am.

She cannot do 4 sessions as there is a straight clash.

[JustGettingByMum]

But how will she cope from a 45 minute session now, to a 2 hour session on Sunday?

That's a heck of a lot MORE swimming

[pointydog]

Once kids can swim, they spend nearly all the time doing lengths, over and over again. And then they try to swim faster and they swim against other people and so it goes on.

When my dds could swim, they found the constant lengths thing boring and stopped lessons.

So you and your dd need to decide why she is still going to lessons. Does she enjoy it? Does she want swimming to be a big part of her leisure time (because it does tend to take over)? Does she like competing? Does she want to stop lessons now she is a good swimmer?

[JustGettingByMum]

Hi pointydog, DD enjoys swimming, and is quite competitive and has taken part in a few galas. ATM she is still learning new skills eg, competitive dive starts, and "somersault turns" at the end of each length (sorry, I don't know the technical term).

I think I'm shocked at how the club have moved her from their learn to swim program, to this huge commitment. From talking to other parents this evening, I know that some swimmers have had their "commitment" to the club questioned and been offered less swimming time in the new term.

I think you are right and we need to discuss how much time she wants to spend swimming. But it is her favourite sport and at least she can keep it going into adulthood (unlike ballet and gymnastics)

[JustGettingByMum]

Argh, sorry just re-read that last comment re ballet and gym, what I mean is, swimming is something you can always do, whereas the other sports that she does, tend to teach a peak in your teens. Only the truly gifted and/or dedicated continue with them beyond the age of 18.

[basildonbond]

ds1 was doing 4 sessions a week at 9, but he'd moved up from 1 to 2, then 3 sessions so he upped the amount of swimming gradually so his body got used to the increased training

you need to ask what she's expected to do - from what you say she sounds like she's just beginning to develop as a competitive swimmer so in our club she'd be expected to do a maximum of 2 sessions a week but would have a choice of 4 different times

does she enjoy it? and does she want to do more? ds was (still is) desperate to be in the water and will do as many sessions as he can, but there are some kids in his club who really don't enjoy it and I can't see why their parents make them keep going. It does take up an awful lot of time - plus weekends lost to galas several times a year - so unless they're passionate about it, I can't see the point

ps they're 'tumble turns'

[JustGettingByMum]

Hi basildonbond, tumble turns now noted
Well Ive spoken to some of the other mums and is seems DD has been bumped up 2 groups. Most of the others in her current group are going up to 2 sessions pw. But she and several others have been put up into the group after that. Advice from other Mums is to just put her into 2 sessions at the start then build it up as and when her stamina improves and she wants to do more - but one of her other activities will have to drop!

It all kicks off next week, so I will try to have a word with her new teacher then, and hopefully it will all work out.

Thanks for all the help and advice on here.

I am very conscious of not pushing her on this. I know of some parents who take along stop watches to the pool to time their DC - and that seems like a whole different and rather pressured world to me.

[basildonbond]

that sounds v sensible

you need to be guided by your dd as if it's too much for her she'll just be put off and not want to do it at all

our club's head coach has banned parents from poolside as some of the more competitive ones were timing with stopwatches etc and 'coaching' from the side - completely pointless and counterproductive

as parents, our role is to get them there, make sure they're fed properly, get enough rest and say "well done" at regular intervals - and that's it!

[snorkie]

Just seen this. I coach at a local club and both my children (now teenagers) swim there and have done since they were 5!

Our club isn't a high ranking one, so not as serious as many but as parents we've always had to question just how seriously to take training as well as questioning the balance between swimming and other things as the pressure to train more increased. Neither of my dc liked to train more than 3x a week as youngsters - if they did it became a chore, so it was quite easy for us to see where to draw the line. It must be harder if you have a child who is begging to go all the time.

When ds(16) was about 13/14 and I had thought he was about to give up, he suddenly got all keen and wouldn't miss a session (has been going 6x a week, missing only a very few). In consequence he's really quite good now and has also done his L1 teaching qualification and helps with the teaching as well as his NPLQ lifeguarding course so he can get a job lifeguarding. I mention this so you can get an idea of some of the benefits you might not have thought of aside from the pure competition. Dd(15) currently still swims about 2x per week and does it for fitness as she does not enjoy competing - she does have exceptional fitness however (few sports can rival swimming for developing aerobic fitness imo). I think she may give up soon though.

So initially at your dd's stage we did not go to all the sessions - you have to recognise that in taking this approach progress will not be as fast as those that do, but your child will also have more time for other things. Our club has no 2hr sessions and the younger children there struggle with their 1.5hr slots (especially after the summer break), so I do share your concerns as to how your dd will cope with the longer sessions, especially as due to her young age and without doing all the sessions she will take longer to build the stamina. She may find herself struggling to keep up, especially if the others in the group are both older and swimming more often. It might be worth exploring the possibility of her moving up just one group to start with (especially if those times fit in better with her other activities) as it would be a shame if the transition demoralises her and puts her off the sport as the club evidently think she has potential.

[JustGettingByMum]

Hi and thanks for the replies, you make very good points about keeping the balance of swimming with other activities. Before the new swim lists came out, DD had persuaded me to allow her to do a diving course, starting tomorrow, plus she is part way though a junior lifeguard course. Fortunately these are 30 min pw only, and are on straight after school so we will be home by 5pm.

snorkie I hadn't considered the effect it will have on dd's confidence if she is unable to keep up with the other swimmers because of not doing all the sessions. I need to take that on board, so thank you for raising that point.

I think I will contact the club dministrator and see if I can find out who the new teacher (or teachers?) will be, and talk through these concerns.
Unfortunately, if she does move to the next group, then she would only be able to attend 1 session (from a possible 2) because of dancing - again already committed to and she has been doing this for 5 years.

[lexcat]

I think go with your dd and what your dd wants and can cope with. My dd also 9 loves swimming and swims 1hr with her swim club, plus has two 1/2hr lessons and 1hr rookie life guarding lesson . So that 4 times a week swimming. She tried lots of different activities but swimming is the only one she stuck with. She's happy and every swimming session dd has starts a new has been her choice.

Just remember pushing her to much can make her to lose her confidence because she can't keep up because it's to much. DD know a girl in her club who swam everyday 1-2hrs age 9. She's now rising 11 and has cut a lot of her sessions as it was just to much and her swimming was suffering .

[FranSanDisco]

Dd is 9 yo and swims in a competitive squad. They have an option of 4 sessions and must swim for a min of 3 sessions. Dd swims a total of 5 hrs a week. She enjoys the social side with the other children rather than the competitive bit. Some of the children are very driven and want to progress to the next squad and some are more relaxed about it. Dd loves it for now and it's great exercise.

[shongololo]

DS is a club swimmer. He is 10. He swims 5x a week, 3 mornings, 2 evening. Total 6.5 hours.

However, he did move into this gradually - one extra session per half term. From 45 mins to 4 sessions, with one of them 2 hours......not good. I would have a word with the head coach and ask if she could spend a term with the others in the lower group to build her stamina

The time commitment and financial commitment is considerable. Weekend galas cost £5 per race and can be an hour or two away, so petrol costs. Plus the galas charge an entrance fee of around £5 per day (so you are down another ten for a 2 day event in which she may only choose to swim 3 races.). As they go up, there is specialist kit to buy, on top of goggles and swimsuits. (hand padddles, snorkels, pull buoys etc.).

It will eat up every weekend if you let it!

BUT I have one of those super active, super fidgety kids, and it has improved his concentration in class, given him a 6 pack, helped control his asthma, give him a lot of self esteem...

[JustGettingByMum]

Thanks for all the replies, and Fransandisco and shongololo, thanks for your input, it really helps getting a range of views.

Well, dd managed her 1.5hr session on Friday, but it was tough. And made worse by having additional children as their session at the 50m pool was cancelled, so it wasn't a typical session!

Today she has swam for 1hr20 (out of a 2hr session) in the 50m pool. The coach did come and talk to me, and he has suggested that she builds up slowly, working up to about 1.5 hours in the next month or so, but he did say that he was happy for her to continue in this group (I asked about moving down a group). He was brilliant and really paced her well - dd got out with a huge smile on her face and wants to continue with this session.

I guess we just wait and see. As I explained earlier, if she does move down, then she can only attend 1 session per week, for an hour.So that won't help build up her stamina anyway.

[shongololo]

their strength and endurance build very quickly once they swim several times a week. As long as she enjoys it!

[ZZZenAgain]

I have this problem too. I have decided not to put dd into the competitive squad .There is no way I can fit all the spots into her full schedule (music takes up so much time) and so she is doing one 45 session and another 11/2 which she hasn't started yet so I don'tk now how that will go.

The sociability of her club is great though. She mainly goes there for that side of things now. If it was less friendly, I would just keep swimming once a week and not get more involved with it. Sounds like your dd gets a lot of physical activity anyway.