barracudas 10 and under

This level is for children 6 - 12 years old.  They will swim between 800 and 1600 yards during practice.  Practice will follow a systematic approach to competitive swimming, using drill and stroke progressions.  Starts, streamlines, turns and stroke mechanics are the focus of this group.  Major emphasis will be placed on Freestyle, Backstroke, and Breaststroke with an introduction to Butterfly. Swimmers can sign up for 2 days a week (Mon/Wed or Tues/Thurs) or 1 day a week (Fridays).

Sign Up

Prerequisites to join this group:

For children who have passed out of the Fish level in our lesson program or those who pass a try out. Swimmers must swim 50 yards Freestyle, 50 yards Backstroke, and be ready to learn a third stroke. 

 

Affective requirements:

  • Practice team spirit through practice and competition
  • Know YMCA values and be able to apply them
  • Develop positive attitude towards the sport of swimming
  • Practice good sportsmanship and ethics during practice and competition

 

Cognitive requirements:

  • Know the different strokes and when they are used in the different medleys
  • Know the different competition races that are used in meets
  • Recognize and properly use different equipment for swimming
  • Start to understand pace clock and split times
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the rules of swimming
  • Become introduced to ideas in sports psychology and basic nutrition

 

Physical requirements:

  • 70% of practice focusing on stroke development, 25% focusing on physical fitness, and 5% on starts and turns
  • Primary focus work on all four strokes, more advanced drills such as sculling, kick work to build legs, and legal starts and turns
  • Test set of 100yd., Free, 100yd. IM, and 50yds. of all stroke using legal turns and starts. Relays in this group will be used to teach competition skills.

 

Equipment:

  • water bottle
  • swim cap
  • goggles

Group 1: defined as swimmers who are new to the team, are not in shape yet. Need to develop a good streamline position, a strong steady kick of Freestyle, Backstroke, and Breaststroke. Aim at completing 50 yards Freestyle, 50 yards Backstroke, 50 yards Breaststroke, 25 yards butterfly kick, and obey lane circle swimming.  

Group 2: defined as swimmers in fairly good shape, can do all the Group 1 skills. Aim at completing 100 yards Freestyle, 100 yards Backstroke, 100 yards Breaststroke, 25 yards Butterfly and 100 yards IM. Do flip turns, and a basic racing dive.