Back in August, I saw that the American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) was launching a new course to become a Certified Summer Swim Coach. For those of you who are unaware, summer swim teams can be so much different from your standard club or high school teams. The competitors can often be those who face one another in other more competitive seasons. They use this format to bridge the summer gap and stay in shape while working on and developing new skills.
For many, the level of commitment and attendance is insignificant in comparison to their other teams and as a result, the coach is faced with endless new challenges. Since swimming is such a competitive sport, you’re faced with going into meets with a fraction of your team. Often, that small group are your least experienced and skilled swimmers, but you have to make due because swim meet scoring can be tremendously one-sided, and that looks bad to say the least.
ASCA put together an amazing course that presents solutions for all of these challenges in this unique format. Most swim coaches that need to earn a paycheck often work through the summer with private lessons, but being able to continue coaching is an important constant. The course goes in-depth about organizing and creating teams, as well as programming and creating practices that cater to the vast array of skill levels. It also gives you insight into how to see it as a parent and swimmer.
American society is so full-throttle from September through May that we often seek to do nothing from June through August. Summer is summer and that means holidays, vacation, and being lazy. It’s crucial in the development of our youth and adults that we continue to practice developing skills throughout the entirety of the year since time off often means losing our conditioning and a deterioration of our skills. For those who play other sports, swimming is the perfect summer sport to maintain endurance and flexibility without destroying your body.
There is no question that swimming is a near-perfect form of exercise. It’s functional, it’s challenging, it yields results, and when done properly it can take less of a toll on your body than nearly any other activity. Whether you’re young or old, it’s important to consider using something like swimming throughout the year to stay in shape. If you’re a swimmer, the more time out of the pool, the worse off you are, and finding an ASCA Certified Summer Coach would be a great resource to get through the summer strong. Use swimming to stay hungry and fit!
