COUNTY YELLOW INFORMATION PACK for swimmers and parents

I’m hoping that this pack will give you all an insight into how I work and give you a few ideas about how you can help me and more importantly, your children, to achieve the best we possibly can in the pool. I like to think I’m a flexible coach and you can be sure to see well planned, enthusiastic sessions. Also, I’m more than happy to talk to anyone after any session so please approach me or contact me in advance if you’d like to ask anything. If there’s anything you would like information on which I haven’t included, then please feel free to ask me. My contact details are at the bottom of this page.

Squad Overview (from website)

Typically aged 9–12 years Competing at least at County level or have the potential to within a

specified time frame Ability to cope with the amount and intensity of training required,

including weekday morning sessions Ability to complete all four strokes legally and efficiently Ability to use pace clock and repeat times

Morning sessions – younger swimmers will only attend morning sessions as directed by their coach. This situation will be reviewed on a 3 monthly basis to assess whether or not the swimmer is ready to undertake the full offer of training for the County Squad.

Maintaining their placeTo maintain their place in this squad the swimmers will be required to:

Have an average attendance of 75% Attend appropriate competitions as directed by the coach Be a team player, represent Tynemouth if and when selected and be

a role model to younger swimmers Ability to concentrate and be able to take on board

teaching/coaching points and advice to help improve all 4 strokes and overall performance (THIS IS A CRUCIAL ONE FOR ME)

Maintain performance Attend morning training sessions (unless otherwise directed by the

coach)

Email: ross_bradley@live.co.uk

Mobile: 07429577533

1. Training- Timetable

- Pre pool warm up- Equipment

2. Competitions- Race day protocol- Qualifying Times- Competition Plan

3. Home- Flexibility and core exercises

- Nutrition advice4. Squad Goals

1. Training

Firstly, without hitting the required number of pool and land sessions, the rest of the information in this pack is useless. However, if you do make these then the remainder of the information will support the work happening at the pool. I completely understand and encourage other sports and what not but if someone is missing too many swim sessions then I can’t guarantee the same rate of improvement as others as they may miss vital technical information. Please let me know if you can’t attend a session.

Pool Training

All sessions at Tynemouth Pool:Day Time

Tuesday 19:00-19:30 Land Training19:30-21:00 Pool

Wednesday 17:15-17:30 Pre pool17:30-19:30 Pool

Thursday AM 05:20-05:30 Pre pool05:30-07:00 Pool

Thursday PM 19:00-19:30 Land Training19:30-20:30 Pool

Friday 19:15-19:30 Pre pool19:30-21:00 Pool

Sunday 14:00-14:30 Land Training14:30-16:00 Pool

Dryland Training

Types of session:

HIIT Core Stability/Body Awareness Flexibility/Stretching e.g. rolling

Day Time Type of SessionThursday(Poolside)

19:00-19:25 5 minutes rollingCircuits

Friday(Back Room)

19:00-19:25Before Competitions Only

Understanding PB’s, pre-pool, warm ups, race strategy and swim downs

Understanding nutrition and hydration on race weekends

Sunday(Dance Studio)

14:00-14:25 5 minutes rollingFull group exercises working on form

*Aim to complete home routine 2 times per week**In addition to this, swimmers should aim to complete rolling throughout the week

COUNTY YELLOWPRE POOL WARM UPSwimmers need to allow approximately 15 minutes for the pre pool warm up before every session. Being early also allows time for a full explanation

of the warm up to ensure that swimmers make the most of the early part of the session. I will change this every so often to keep it fresh but here are some examples of the exercises we will be doing:

1. Cardio45 seconds on, 15 seconds off

- Skipping- Star jumps- Jogging high knees

2. Mobility20 each

- Arm swings (rotations/over head/across)

- Leg swings (straight/across)- Internal/external rotation

3. Stretches- Pigeon stretch- Float against the wall- Pectoral stretch- Ankle rotations/sits

4. Core Activation- 5 x reaction time jumps- 20 x hip lifts- Shoulder taps- Streamline lunges- Squat jumps

Equipment

Kickboard Pullbuoy Fins Paddles http://www.nessswimwear.co.uk/accessories/hand-paddles/speedo-tech-

paddle.html (A lot of my old swimmers had these) – please ensure you get the correct size

Snorkel (I’ve never used these before but will begin to) Foam Roller

2. Competitions

COUNTY YELLOWRACE DAY PROTOCOL

The better prepared you are; the better chance you’ll deliver the performance you want. Arrive on poolside 15 minutes prior to the first warm up so that we can complete our pre pool warm up as a team.

1. Complete 1-4 of the pre pool warm up above.2. Pool warm up – Version 1 is for championships where you have longer. Version 2 is for

local meets. 3. 10 minutes before heading to marshalling complete a shortened version of the pre pool

warm up from above. In marshalling, don’t sit down for too long and BE POSITIVE ahead of your race.

Version 1200m as 50m back/50m free SMOOTH @4mins4x25m kick MAX @45secs4x50m 25m drill/25m build swim @75secs4x50m race quality red zones @75secs2x50m spike 10m @75secs2/3x25m race quality DIVES In a 50m pool, swim through half way.100m stroke count recovery (if possible)

Version 2100m as 50m back/50m free SMOOTH @2mins2x25m kick MAX @45secs3x50m 25m drill/25mbuild swim @75secs3x50m race quality red zones @75secs2x25m race quality DIVESIn a 25m pool, finish to feet.

4. Complete swim down as instructed. This is generally adjusted to suit individual needs e.g. the swim they have just completed/the swim which they have next. Remember to adjust this for different swim down pool sizes.

5. Recovery is also improved by eating/drinking before completing the swim down. A bite of a banana would be a perfect snack for this time.

6. Support your teammates and have fun!

Qualifying TimesBelow are the qualifying times for both county championships and regional championships for the 2016/2017 long course season. Even though we are past the county championships, I still use these times as a guide of a swimmers progress. I won’t start thinking about next years’ ages until September.

County (N&D) Qualifying Times

Regional (NER) Qualifying Times (boys on the left, girls on the right)

Competition Plan up to end of 2016/2017 seasonThis is a rough guide to help you see how our year will be structured. L/C = Long Course; S/C = Short Course. Where I’ve put in about 200m free/200m IM, this is just an idea for myself and might not necessarily go ahead during these weeks. They would take place during normal sessions and I’d let the swimmers know.

3. Home

Flexibility and core routine

This is something which I can’t keep track of but it will be extremely supportive of the work which goes on at the pool. My recommendation is that you aim to complete this a couple of times a week whilst watching the TV or listening to music.

Week Meet Who?27.02.201706.03.2017 Tynemouth – S/C ALL13.03.201720.03.201727.03.2017 Sunderland L1 – L/C/DIDDY R2 Selected03.04.2017 GAW ALL10.04.2017 200m FREE/200m IM17.04.201724.04.2017 Chester-le-Street – S/C ALL01.05.2017 DIDDY R308.05.201715.05.2017 NER Weekend 1 – Sun L/C Qualifiers22.05.2017 NER Weekend 2 – Sun L/C Qualifiers29.05.2017 Derwentside – S/C ALL

05.06.2017 N + D Teams – Saturday at Sunderland – S/C

DIDDY Final – Sunday at Tynemouth

Selected

12.06.201719.06.201726.06.2017 200m FREE/200m IM03.07.201710.07.2017 Richmond Leeds – L/C

One day galaALL

If you can’t remember what this is, I emailed It a while back. If you’d like me to resend a copy then please email me.

Nutrition advice

Basically this is pretty much common sense ‘everything in moderation’ type stuff. It’s not a list of what to eat, just a few ideas for gala days and at training. We all seem pretty decent at drinking during training sessions. Parents it would be handy if you can keep an eye on their bottles after sessions and just give them a gentle nudge into drinking more if they aren’t. It’s a good idea to bring a little snack/drink for after training if the journey home is a bit of a distance. Milk/milkshakes/bananas/yogurt/nuts are just a few examples.

During a gala week, try not to change too much to your usual diet. Obviously eating a big bar of chocolate the night before a competition probably isn’t the best idea. Again though, it’s pretty much common sense. All I would say is make sure you drink enough, especially if a competition is during a school holiday.

At a competition is where I’m a bit pickier. PLEASE don’t bring crisps, chocolate or fizzy drinks. Make sure (I know it’s early) you have a reasonably sized breakfast – again nothing too different to normal. Drink little and often AND make sure to have a drink and snack between your race and a swim down.

Examples of refueling snacks are:

- Fresh fruit/dried fruit/some cereal type bars/yoghurt.

For lunch at a gala, the following meals are good ideas but this isn’t an extensive list:

- Pasta – mix with a little pesto or tomato sauce. Add any combination of veg (peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, sweetcorn), nuts, tuna, chicken, cheese.

- Sandwiches, wraps, rolls, pitta. with chicken; tuna; cheese; peanut butter.

If you’d like any advice on this, then please feel free to ask. I’ve got quite a bit of information I could send across if you want.

4. Goals

Develop a full squad of self motivated swimmers who are enthusiastic about their swimming, are great team players and are able to ask questions during training and competitions to help them achieve their goals

Make significant improvements across all 4 strokes and be competitive in a range of events

Make significant improvements to swimmers underwater skills (including breakouts), turns and starts

ALL swimmers competing at full squad competitions in order to contribute to a positive team environment

Maintain up to date PB’s across all strokes including 200m Free and 200m IM ALL swimmers achieving county qualifying times Increase the number of swimmers competing at regionals

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Ross