Success is Long-term Long-term Athlete Development related to the journey through Swimming Long-term Athlete Development Introduction the asa Technical Swimming Committee has produced this document to help parents and club helpers understand the principles behind training and competition for young swimmers. Although swimming, as a dynamic sport, will continue to change and develop, this will not alter the basic principles behind the long-term development of young swimmers. Sections Long-term Athlete The Competition Programme Points Systems Development - Growth l County Championships l What is the points system? & Development l Regional, Senior, Youth and Age l Comparative Performance Points Group Championships Systems l FUNdamentals - Childhood l l (Basic movement literacy) National Age Group, Youth British Comparative Performance Championships Tables (GB points) l SwimSkills - Late Childhood l (Building technique) National Championships l British Age Group Correction factors l Training To Train - Adolescence l Information Technology Assisting (Building the engine) Open Meet Licensing Competition l Training To Compete - Early Adulthood l Levels of Open Meets (Optimising the engine) England Talent Development l Championships & Inter Team Events l Training To Win - Adulthood (Maximising the engine) l Qualifying Times and Upper Limit Times & World Class Programme l Licensing l Training Camps Appropriate Competition l Acceptance Criteria for Entries l Monitoring British Age Group Categories l Which Competitions? l Planning (BAGCATS) How often should a l Table of National Regional and Swimmer compete? County events l Improving Standards and Increasing Challenges l Long Course / Short Course Pools? l Varying Opponents (Age Qualifying Date) l National Ranking Lists 1 For more information about swimming visit www.britishswimming.org The Journey Through Swimming “Success is a journey not Age Group swimming is about providing In order to develop basic movement a destination. The doing is the appropriate opportunities for young literacy successfully, there should people with particular reference to be participation in a wide range of often more important than their growth and development. All activities. the outcome.” human beings go through the same developmental stages from childhood As the size of the heart increases Arthur Ashe - US Champion 1968, to adulthood, though these stages can in relation to the rest of the body, Australian Champion 1970, endurance should be developed using Wimbledon Champion 1975 be at different times and each stage can vary in length. There is also a gender FUN and games. In addition, children difference in that girls tend to develop should be introduced to the simple rules This is a guide from Club through earlier than boys. and ethics of sports to complement County, Regional and National the beginning of their understanding competition to possible selection One of the central messages from the into the need for rules and structure. for international representation. LTAD swimming framework (see the These activities should be part of well- It endeavours to explain, not just back page of The Swimmer Pathway) structured programmes with proper what can be expected at each level, is that competition should be regarded progressions that are monitored but why. Some swimmers will journey as an integral part of a swimmer’s regularly. all the way, some only part of the training programme. Age Group and way, but all will have the best chance Youth swimming provide opportunities Above all else, children should have of reaching their full potential if for young people to develop their FUN and be active during this stage. they are treated as individuals. potential in preparation for senior swimming. Towards this goal, consideration SwimSkills - Late Childhood It is important that within the should be given to the physiological, (Building technique) competitive programme, individuals can psychological and emotional development During the SwimSkills period, the compete in events appropriate to their of the young swimmer. nervous system is almost fully developed stage of development and talents. and there are rapid improvements There are five stages, which can be used in the coordination of movement skills. These are reflected in the different to describe growth and development. As a result, young people should learn formats for competition at County, These equate to the five stages of the how to train and develop sport specific Regional and National levels, and also LTAD framework for swimming: skills. This is a good time to work on in the levels of licensed meets. This l FUNdamentals - Childhood developing excellent technique in all helps to ensure that the coach can l SwimSkills - Late Childhood four strokes as well as starts, turns and select levels of competition appropriate l Training to Train - Adolescence finishing skills. A multi stroke approach for their swimmers. l Training to Compete - Early Adulthood to training and competition will not only l Training to Win - Adulthood reduce the likelihood of injury but also ensure interest levels will remain high FUNdamentals - Childhood with the result that swimming should Long-term Athlete (Basic movement literacy) continue to be fun. Development - The FUNdamentals stage should be structured and fun because a child’s Studies have also shown that swimmers Growth & attention span is short and there is a who do not specialise early may have a Development strong need for positive re-enforcement. slower initial increase in performance; Growth is rapid due to the development however, they ultimately reach a higher of large muscle groups, and therefore level of achievement and are more likely Long-term Athlete Development (LTAD) the emphasis should be on developing to have a longer life in the sport. This is is about achieving the correct training, basic movement literacy and in contrast to early specialisation, which competition and recovery throughout fundamental movement skills. may produce an initial rapid increase a young athlete’s career, particularly in in performance, but a lower level of relation to the important growth and The skills to be developed are: achievement and early retirement. development years of young people. l ABCs (Agility, Balance, It provides a framework within which l Coordination, Speed) It is often a good idea to participate in all sports should plan their training and l RJT (Running, Jumping, Throwing) complementary sports i.e. those sports, which use similar energy systems and competition programmes. Swimming l KGBs (Kinesthetics, Gliding, movement patterns. has recognised this framework since l Buoyancy, Striking with the body) undertaking a review of age group l CPKs (Catching, Passing, Kicking, swimming at the end of the 1990’s. l Striking with an implement) 2 Long-term Athlete Development Training should include the use of The cardiovascular system, determines Similar to the previous stage, if ‘own body weight’ exercises; medicine the efficiency of the heart and lungs. insufficient time is devoted to this stage ball and Swiss ball exercises as well These organs are developed through or it is missed, the young swimmer is as developing suppleness. Swimmers building up work on longer distances. unlikely to reach their full potential. should also learn the basic technical Swimming is an endurance sport - and tactical skills, (known as the most events last 45 seconds or more Training to Compete - Early ancillary capacities) which include: and none are similar to the 100m Adulthood (Optimising the engine) track event, which lasts a few seconds. During the training to compete stage l Warm up and cool down Training and competition for young there should be a continued emphasis l Stretching swimmers should therefore have an on physical conditioning with the focus l Hydration and nutrition endurance base. Even at senior level on maintaining high volume workloads it is common practice for swimmers in but with increasing intensity. The l Recovery the sprint events (50 and 100m) to train number of competitions should be l Relaxation and focusing and compete in the distance above similar to the end of the previous (200m). It is recognised that a swimmer stage but the emphasis should be on Although the focus is on training, may compete successfully at a distance developing individual strengths and competition should be used to test and “down” (shorter) but that it is very working on weaknesses. This should refine skills. The recommended training difficult to compete successfully in an be achieved through practising to competition ratio is 75% to 25%. event, which is a distance “up” (longer). technical and tactical skills based This should be planned over one around specific strokes at all distances, annual cycle. This should be the stage of greater or specific distances across a range of individualisation of fitness and strokes. As a result, the year should be If a young swimmer misses this stage technical training. The focus should still divided into either two or three cycles of development then he/she is unlikely be on training rather than competition of training and competition and the to reach their full potential. One of the and the training should be predominantly ancillary capacities should be refined main reasons athletes plateau during the of high volume, low intensity work- more specific to the individual’s needs. later stages of their careers is because loads. It is important to emphasise high of an over emphasis on competition volume,