Master's Swim Programs

Kida_Adeylne

Hi all,

I'm considering trying my local masters swim program - they have a ten practice pass which would allow me to go to the only practice I'm able to/am remotely awake for (Tuesdays at 9am). But I'm not quite sure what to expect. I was wondering if anyone else is part/has been part of a masters program, and what they thought about it. Do they help you improve much? I'm sure they're all different in terms of atmosphere and everything, but hearing other peoples experience might give me some idea.

dapunks

Hi,

I have been a member of a Masters swim program for many years. I live in Ontario so I can only speak to the programs that I have been involved with. My main reason for joining a swim program was to ensure that I actually did it. I would never swim on my own. That being said the programs that I have participated in have all been coached programs. They supply a workout that includes a warm-up, then drills to work on a variety of stuff like stroke, endurance etc. and then a cool down. I also like the fact that the coaches provide feedback to improve my stroke which can actually make a huge difference. The only problem you may find if you are used to swimming by yourself is that you may be sharing the lane with more people then you are used to. I also enjoy it cause it is fun to play with the toys.

Macstraw

I've never been part of a Masters program, but I have been involved in team swimming, both as a swimmer & a coach. dapunks brought up to me what is the single most important point - feedback. You can do all the distance you want, every drill known to man & anything else you can think of it but none of it means anything if there isn't another set of eyes watching you, attached to a person willing to tell you what they see (both good & bad) & capable of guiding you to the best results. I think you need to look for a program with proactive coaches who are able to tailor their instruction to each swimmer, instead of using a cookie cutter approach where they try to make everybody do the same things the same way. Find that & I think you'll be very happy with your results, as well as really enjoy going to workouts......

girlwithcurls2

Do they take slow swimmers, or are they really competitive? I've wondered if this is something I might like to try down the road, but not if we're all going to pretend we're back on a high school team.

Kida_Adeylne

Thank you for your replies, dapunks and Macstraw.

Girlwithcurls2 - my local program says, on their webpage that they take adults of any level, and once (under the weekend program) says 'must be able to swim 100m'. So I'd guess mine is okay with slower swimmers. Which is nice, because despite being called 'speedball' the other day, that's in comparison to a bunch of older people who don't work on technique. my program also says competitions are done, but they are optional. I would imagine each program has their own standard, however. It never hurts to send off an email and ask.

ashenriver

I have been part of a Masters swim program that didn't compete. We did have a coach. I am now part of a much larger group. Weekdays there are two times and we take up 8 lanes, can be anywhere from 3-8 people per lane. There are the super competitive fast people, distance swimmers and those doing it for fitness and stroke improvement. Some compete and some don't. Also people of all age groups.

I like it for the social aspect, the fact that every session they have drills and a workout planned out, this one has excellent coaches. I had a good front crawl before I started. I now have great front crawl and still improving. The coaches and other swimmers are willing to help out and give advice.

I have competed in two meets and I plan on competing in the Provincials in April. I am not the fastest swimmer and usually placed near the end. But I beat my own times.

Macstraw

Ashen - I tell the kids all the time that they aren't racing anybody else, that the other swimmers don't matter & their only concern is the clock. If their times keep trending down, they are seeing the results of their work. I'm glad you're getting so much out of the program, there's so much more to being a part of a swim team than just the swimming & you're taking full advantage of it all......

dapunks

Both programs I have been involved with were not as concerned with speed as they were with being able to swim a certain distance. I can't even remeber what that might have been. I have just found both groups very supportive. It wasn't what the group could do but what you could do. I don't compete and it has never made a difference.

Kida_Adeylne

I just took the plunge and signed up. Will come back with my experience after I go to a practice.

Macstraw

Good for you, Kida_Adeylne, best of luck with it - I know You'll have lots of fun & you'll surprise yourself with how well you do with it.....

dapunks

Kida_Adeylne wrote: »

I just took the plunge and signed up. Will come back with my experience after I go to a practice.

Congrats! Hope you enjoy your first practice.

girlwithcurls2

Kida_Adeylne wrote: »

I just took the plunge and signed up. Will come back with my experience after I go to a practice.

I can't wait to hear about it! Have fun--just taking the plunge is a great attitude

Kida_Adeylne

Made it to a practice this morning - couldn't wait to get started!
It was a lot of work, a lot of drills and a lot of fun. Very friendly people all around (Swim people are awesome in general) and I was surprised to find that I wasn't (comparatively) all that slow. The coach was having the group work on keeping our hips up as a focus for the practice, but he gave me some specific tips for my stroke that I can practice this week. It was really nice to get that feedback, since I haven't really known what I needed to work on. I now need to get myself some paddles and fins (I had to borrow some today) and practice using the paddles (nearly swallowed the pool when we used pull buoys and paddles at the same time!)