Coaching development
CDs is focused on skill development and aimed at young swimmers aged 8+ who are swimming at level 7 swimming lessons or above; your swimmer will be training up to three days a week. This squad is taught by various coaches and we also have seniors who help us poolside. The aim is to get the swimmers strokes honed ready for the next group and to build up their stamina. They will be using equipment regularly so will need to have kick board, pool buoy and short fins for use during the session. If swimmers do not have these the club has kit you can borrow from the club locker. Swimmers will get the opportunity to compete at multiple competitions throughout the season and should be thinking about attending County Development championships as a season goal.
Juniors
Progression from Coaching Development to the Junior squad depends on meeting specific performance benchmarks. Swimmers can move up by achieving either:
– A County qualifying time in an Individual Medley (IM) for a development meet, or
– A County qualifying time in freestyle along with one other stroke.
Before advancing, it’s essential that swimmers focus on refining their technique. Coaching Development is the stage where strong fundamentals are built—once swimmers reach the Junior level, the emphasis shifts more heavily towards endurance and speed.
Final decisions on squad movement rest with the coaching team, who will assess each swimmer’s readiness holistically.
Juniors have additional pool time allocated with the training level being higher. Swimmers will have developed the necessary strength stamina and technique during their time in Coaching Development. Swimmers should be aiming for county development competitions or full county competitions. Additional equipment – hand paddles – may start to be introduced at this point.
Seniors
Seniors is the top squad aiming to allow each swimmer to attain their maximum. As with the other squads, lanes are split by speed and ability. There is another rise in training hours. The squad is expected to be competing for County, Regional and National times. This squad will require hand paddles and a Snorkel.
Masters
MASTERS
This squad is for those adults who will be wanting to improve their swimming technique in a coached environment. Sessions are an hour long and designed for those who will have varying abilities at swimming. Some will be swimming for just general health and fitness, other Masters will want to improve for a specific event such as a triathlon.
MASTERS+
This squad has more sessions per week and longer (up to 2 hours) sessions compared to Masters swimmers. The squad has swimmers of various ages, ability and fitness. The squad is very active at competitions and we have some swimmers who compete at Regional, National and European levels. There is no requirement to compete to be part of this squad and so it is perfect for those who want the longer more endurance based sessions in the pool.