Common Questions About Practices

Practices are the key to swimming better and faster. Swimmers who attend practice consistently, listen to and follow their coach's directions, and always do their best will benefit the most from practices.

If you are concerned about your child's development, the first thing to do is to check with your child's coach to make sure your child is meeting the coach's practice expectations.

How do I know if practice is canceled?

Check the latest Practice Announcements on the website, read the weekly email newsletter, and look at the announcement boards at the pool. Youth Shark practices are always canceled when the Shaker Schools close due to inclement weather. If all else fails, call (216) 295-4163.

What time should swimmers arrive at practice?

Swimmers need to be at the pool 10 minutes before the start of practice. Some practice groups may require earlier arrivals.

When should I pickup my swimmer after practice?

Swimmers need to be picked up 10 minutes after the end of their practice.

Shouldn't my child be swimming more laps instead of doing all those drills?

The biggest roadblock to being successful as a Senior swimmer (High School and beyond) is too much too soon.

Your child needs to develop a solid foundation in stroke mechanics. Drills and drill sets serve the specific purpose of teaching skills and fundamentals. Drills develop motor coordination, motor skills, and balance. In fact, your child's coach may prescribe a particular drill, just for your child, in order to improve a part of his/her stroke. In addition, he/she may actually be experiencing a training benefit from drills. Drills require concentration and aerobic energy to do them correctly.

It looks like my child has too much fun, shouldn't he/she be working harder?

Be happy that your child is having fun! According to a recent study conducted by USA Swimming, children who experience fun while participating stay in sports longer (Tuffey, Gould, & Medbery, 1998). At this stage of the game, the most important aspect of development is the mastery of skills, which means learning to swim the strokes with proper technique. Fundamentals must be established before true training takes place. And, if he/she is having fun in the process of learning, he/she is more likely to continue to swim.

Should I force my child to go to practice?

You should not force your child; you want his/her participation to be his/her decision. Reinforce the choices and decisions he/she has made to start swimming. For example, your son chose to go to practice on Tuesday and Thursday, on other days he has the freedom to do other activities. As a parent, explain your expectation that he fulfill the commitment he made by joining the team. You don't want to force your child into a sport that he does not enjoy, yet you want your child to be involved in a lifetime sport, to learn about making and keeping a commitment and to interact with peers. So what are you to do?

Instead of allowing your child to make a daily decision about going to practice, allow him to decide whether or not he wants to swim for the season. Once the decision is made to swim, he is making a commitment to the team and needs to follow through on it by attending practice on a regular basis. A haphazard schedule is detrimental to any swimmer's overall development.

Which practice should my child attend?

The coaches will assess your child and tell you which practices your child should attend. It is important that each swimmer attends his/her assigned practice time. Establishing a routine is essential!