Training Group Standards and Move-Ups: Developmental Program

Gator Swim Club's training group structure is designed to allow progression over time from novice to highly experienced and skilled swimmer. The lists below show the basic expectations for groups in GSC's beginner Developmental Program.

These groups provide a step-wise progression spanning from lessons to novice competitive swimmer. We train our youth athletes to be competitive in all four strokes, at all distances. We do not gear our training toward event specialization for our 14-and-under athletes. We believe that the best swimmers are swimmers that are versatile, with a strong training base that allows them to swim any event well.

Moves from group to group are made by coaches at the end of each season (Spring – late March/early April; Summer – August; Winter – late December/early January). Coaches tend to be conservative when determining readiness to move up. We aim to place swimmers in groups where continued success will lead to increased improvement, and we try to avoid putting swimmers into groups where they will struggle to keep up. It is extremely detrimental a swimmer’s confidence and success to place them in a group for which they are not ready. We want, at all costs, to avoid advancing a swimmer to a group where they will ultimately have to move back to their previous group.

Due to the structure of our program, moves from group to group are not carried out to accommodate more convenient practice times or other member-family preferences but are coaching decisions based on the group standards. The integrity and fairness of the structure is key to the success of our swimmers at all levels.

Individual assessment of each swimmer determines whether they are ready and qualified to succeed in the next level group. Assessments are made based on the following general criteria:

  • Age
    • Each program in our team structure is are age-limited. This is to ensure that swimmers of similar physical, mental, and social maturity are grouped together as much as possible.
  • Achievements and Skills
    • These criteria include a combination of the following factors:
      • Times achieved at meets
      • Times/sets achieved/completed at practice
      • Distances completed at meets/practice
      • Physical skills (strokes, starts, turns, etc.)
    • Mental skills (understanding sets and intervals at practice, utilizing race strategies at meets, understanding nuance of stroke efficiency etc.)
  • Attendance and Commitment
    • While the Developmental groups do not have an attendance requirement, regular attendance is necessary to progress in skill and endurance. When evaluating swimmers for a move-up, coaches will consider practice attendance, meet attendance, and willingness to try new things and take on new challenges at practice and at meets.

Please keep in mind that assessments are multi-factorial. There is no single factor that will automatically move a swimmer from one group to another. Just because a swimmer is a certain age or has achieved a specific time standard does not mean that they will automatically be moved to the next group.

 

Developmental 1
The Developmental 1 group is intended to serve as a transition from lessons to the team environment. This group will provide and environment in which swimmers will develop the skills and endurance necessary to succeed in the competitive program.
 
The group size is kept small, with a higher coach-to-swimmer ratio than in the other groups. The emphasis for this group is on learning the basic rules of the four competitive strokes, starts, and turns. Swimmers will also learn the skills necessary to function in a training group, including practice vocabulary, circle swimming, reading the pace clock, listening to coaches, and respecting teammates.
 
Consistent attendance at both regular practices offered each week is recommended for continued improvement. A Sunday practice will be added each month to focus on starts and turns.
 
Swimmers in Developmental 1 can expect to compete in one intrasquad meet per season.
 
This group is designed for swimmers to take six months or less in preparation for Developmental 2. If sufficient progress is not made after six months in Developmental 1, discussion about appropriateness of GSC's program will be had with parents.
 
Minimum requirements to move into Developmental 1 are as follows:
  • Age: Minimum 6.5 years old.
  • Achievements & Skills:
    • Completion of SwimAmerica or similar lessons program OR pre-registration evaluation deeming this group appropriate based on skill level and swimming knowledge.
    • Demonstrated ability to swim 25 or more yards of freestyle and backstroke.
    • Basic knowledge of the movements of butterfly and breaststroke.
    • Maturity and commitment level required to listen to coaches’ instructions and not be disruptive to teammates.
 
Developmental 2
Swimmers in the Developmental 2 group are expected to already understand the basic rules of the four competitive strokes, starts, and turns.
 
The emphasis in this group is on developing the capacity to execute all four strokes legally and with proficiency. General racing strategies are also introduced at this level, as is bodyweight-based dryland training.
 
Swimmers in this group are encouraged to go to meets, scheduled at one per month, with a focus on Area 4 Championships as their season-ending meet.
 
Attendance at 4 of the 5 practices offered per week is the goal for Developmental 2 swimmers. Swimmers may remain in this group for six months to two years based on the swimmer's development.
 
Minimum requirements to move into the Developmental 2 group are as follows:
  • Age: Minimum 7 years old
  • Achievements & Skills:
    • Ability to swim 50 freestyle and backstroke legally and without stopping.
    • Knowledge of the basic movements to legally swim butterfly and breaststroke.
    • Demonstrated ability to consistently use rotary breathing in freestyle.
    • Demonstrated ability to consistently hold a kickboard properly and keep proper body line during kick sets.
    • Demonstrated ability to kick in a streamline position for a 25 in all strokes.
    • Demonstrated ability to push off underwater in the streamline position, on both the front and the back.
    • Demonstrated ability to execute flip turns in freestyle.
    • Understanding of the basic mechanics of the backstroke flip turn, including knowledge of stroke count.
    • Basic understanding of the pace clock (leaving on the :00 and :30, and spacing :05 or :10 behind teammates).
 
 
Developmental 3
In Developmental 3, swimmers will sharpen their skills in the competitive strokes via an emphasis preparing to make the move into the Age Group Program.
 
A little more focus on aerobic development starts in Developmental 3, with continued participation in dryland training three days per week.
 
Swimmers in this group are encouraged to go to meets, scheduled at one per month, with a focus on Area 4 Championships as their season-ending meet.

Attendance at 4 or 5 of the 6 practices offered per week is the goal for Developmental 3 swimmers. Swimmers may remain in this group for nine months to two years based on the swimmer's development.

Minimum requirements to move into the Developmental 3 group are as follows:

  • Age: 7th grade or younger
  • Achievements & Skills:
    • Generally swimmers in Developmental 3 are capable of swimming the 50 yard freestyle in less than :50 seconds, and the 100 freestyle under 2:00 minutes.
    • Generally swimmers in Developmental 3 are capable of swimming sets 400 yards or longer, on a base interval of 1:05 per 50.
    • Demonstrated ability to swim the 100 IM legally.
    • Demonstrated ability to swim longer freestyle distances in practice with consistent flip turns.
    • Demonstrated ability to push off under water in the streamline position past the flags, on both the front and the back.
    • Forward and backstroke start certification.
    • Basic understanding of simple intervals.