By Sofia Coraines
When it comes to swimming camps for children there are so many different ones to choose from that it can be difficult to decide which one is best suited for your child. So how do you choose the best one? When looking for a swimming camp, make sure that it is tailored to your swimmer's needs. Balance, performance, nutrition and strength training should all be components of any good swimming camp.
5 Important Factors To Consider When Choosing A Swimming Camp For Your Child
When selecting a swimming camp for a young swimmer and athlete, there are several important factors that you need to consider to help ensure that your child has the best chance to improve his or her agility and performance, keep them safe and protect their health. The following 5 factors are all important things to consider when choosing swimming camps for your children.
1. Does the swimming camp offer a well-rounded program?
When selecting a swimming camp for your child, keep in mind that it is not just about only strength or swimming. Instead, both of these factors are important and much more as well. All of the major needs of a swimmer should be addressed by a well-rounded program, ranging from nutrition to fitness. A well-rounded swimming and strength training program will include not only strength training but also balance, achievement and goal setting, injury prevention and hypertrophy as well as power and speed training.
2. What kind of training have the coaches undergone?
This is extremely important. What qualifies the individual who will be training and coaching your child to take this task on? When selecting a swimming camp for your child, ensure that the individuals who are doing the instructing are properly educated, experienced and qualified in the fields of swimming and strength training. Don't just drop off your child at a camp or program before first knowing who is doing the training and what background and experience they have. It is very important to make sure that your young swimmer has qualified and skilled coaches to not only ensure their development but safety as well.
3. Is the program safe?
When it comes to safety, there are many important things for you to consider. You need to consider the facility's safety in addition to the physical safety of your child. Both of these factors are equally important. You need to know what safety measure have been instituted by the facility in addition to what safety training has been received by the coaches.
The only way to ensure physical safety is if the proper supervision, progressions, support, feedback and guidance are provided by the trainers. Any swim coach is able to teach starts, technique and strokes. However, not all coaches are qualified to educate swimming on resistance, weight, progressions and strength training techniques. Your best option is usually to find a team of individuals who have both sets of skills so that your child is taught properly and safely.
4. Is the swimming camp's program effective?
Any effective program should address the specific needs of a swimmer and not simply be one generic program applied to all swimmers. Strength training needs to be evidence based, instead of just a weight lifting free-for-all. Instead of just lifting for bulk, swimmers need to have an effective dry land program that helps to train them for the water.
5. Is the training progressive?
Any good swimming camp should offer a progressive program, especially when it comes to strength training. The goal here should be improved overall performance as well as injury prevention, improved flexibility and increased strength. However, none of this is possible if the swimming camp's progress is not progress and customize to meet the skill set and needs of individual swimmers. There needs to be a progression of techniques and exercises as well as continuity among the various muscle groups. That helps swimmers work up to the desired goals instead of forcing them in unsafe situations.
As you can see, there is so much to consider when choosing swimming camps for your children. However, if you keep all the above considerations in mind it will help to ensure you choose a quality program that will help your child to develop his or her swimming skills effectively and safely.
Sofia Coraines is a contributing writer for Northstar Montessori Private School. For more info about Private Swimming Lessons, Swimming Camps, Competitive Swimming, Swimming Programs, etc... please visit https://www.northstarmontessori.com
School Info:
Northstar Montessori's all season swimming pool is beautifully surrounded in a solarium-type enclosure and a rubber surface decking all around the 18 x 50ft pool. They also feature the the Northstar Aquatics Program and the Aquatic Summer Camp. They offer competitive swim packages. Check them out now!
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