Athlete Placement in the BAC Age Group Programs
There are many factors that the coaching staff will consider when placing an athlete in a training program. It is one of the most important choices a coach has to make. Therefore the coaches will try to get to know each swimmer under him/her in order to determine which group is best for the long term development of the athlete.
If the answer to all these questions is “yes”, an athlete may be ready for advancement to the next training group. The final decision in training group changes will be determined by the coaching staff. Many factors are considered in group placement. Ability and speed are not the most important. The swimmer must be physically, mentally, and emotionally ready for the demands of the next level. The priority of the BAC training program is to provide the right level of training for each swimmer
- Has the swimmer demonstrated a commitment to the BAC training program?
- Does the swimmer have a positive attitude and the maturity to handle the increased expectation of the next group?
- Can the swimmer attend the number of practices required?
- Can the swimmer train at the successfully at the base intervals typically used at the next training level?
- Does the swimmer have sufficient stroke techniques, and knowledge of drills required in the next practice group?
- Is the swimmer of a similar age and at the experience level of the next training group (will they “fit” in with the peer group?)
BAC Swimming Groups
Pre-Competitive Group (Ages 6-11)
This is our entry-level group. Try-outs are required in order to join. Swimmer must be able to complete the following in order to join:
- Swim 50 yards of freestyle
- Swim 50 yards of backstroke
- Able to jump into water.
- Feel comfortable and secure in the water
Pre-Comp practice is offered four days a week. It is recommended to come to at least two-three for regular improvement.
Practice duration is 45 minutes.
Pre-Comp is a stroke school. The focal point is having fun learning the basic mechanics of Freestyle and Backstroke. Emphasis is placed on balance and coordination in the water, learning how to listen attentively to coaches and following stroke instruction. We do lots of kicking to build up “the motor”; we introduce 2-3 basic drills for each stroke. Breaststroke and Butterfly drills are introduced along with starts, turns and streamlining skills.
There is no attendance requirement for this group, but athletes will improve more quickly, and make more friends , the more often they attend workout.
Goals of Pre-Comp Group:
- Swim a 100 IM legally (regardless of time)
- Do a flip turn
- Kick 4x25 @ :45
- Push off and streamline to flags with dolphin kick
- Acquire basic understanding of the pace clock
- Begin to enter and compete in meets (with coach approval)
Barracuda Group (Ages 6 & up)
This group is a continuation of our pre-competitive group. The Barracuda Group is still a stroke school with a bit more emphasis on becoming “race ready” while having fun. The requirements are basically the same as pre-competitive group with the addition of breaststroke and butterfly.
- Swim 50 yards of freestyle
- Swim 50 yards of backstroke
- Swim 50 yards of breaststroke
- Swim 50 yards of fly
- Able to jump into water.
- Feel comfortable and secure in the water
Barracuda Group practice is offered four days a week. It is recommended to come to at least two-three for regular improvement.
Practice duration is 45 minutes.
Barracuda Group is still highly focused on having fun with a bit more attention to the fine details of the strokes and learning the rules of swimming legally. Swimmers in this group are encouraged to learn the meet entry process and begin to compete in meets with coach approval. More complicated stroke drills are introduced and starts, turns, and finishes are a focal point.
There is no attendance requirement for this group, but athletes will improve more quickly, and make more friends , the more often they attend workout.
Goals for the Barracuda group:
- Learn to swim all four strokes legally
- Learn competitive starts, turns, and finishes
- Compete in at least 1-2 meets a season
- Acquire strong kick for all four strokes
- Efficient streamlines
Bronze Group (Ages 8 & up)
From the Barracuda group, athletes move into this group. Swimmers must be able to complete the ’Goals of the Barracuda Group’ to move into the Bronze group.
The focus in the Bronze Group is on keeping the sessions fun so that kids will want to stay in the water year-round and develop a good feel for the water. We stress fundamental swimming skills: sculling, turns, pacing, efficiency and “underwater works”. There is no specialized training in one or two events. Participation in other sports and activities is encouraged to enable a well-rounded athletic education. All swimmers are encouraged to compete in the IM and middle-distance Freestyle events. It is important to remind the parents and swimmers of the long-term benefits of developing good form. Athletes are also encouraged to compete in meets assigned by the coaching staff.
Workouts are offered five days a week.
Practice duration is one hour.
There is no attendance requirement for this group, but athletes will improve more quickly, the more often they attend workout.
Goals of Bronze Group:
- Swim 3x200 IM legally
- Perform all turns and push-offs efficiently
- Perform race start and backstroke start effectively
- Begin to understand Pacific Swimming time standards
- Athlete is motivated to listen to coaches and try to improve
- Courteous to other swimmers in pool
- Athletes know their attitude affects how they swim and how others around them swim
- Develop consistent practice attendance and meet attendance
Silver Group (Ages 9 & up)
From the Bronze group, athletes move into this group. Swimmers entering the Silver Group level are usually at least 9 years old and must complete the ’Goals of the Bronze Group’ highlighted above (or equivalent), plus three of the following five:
- 10x50@ 1:00
- 8x25 @ :40 IM order
- Swim under 1:30 in 100YD freestyle
- Swim under 1:50 in 100YD IM
- Kick 1x50 with fins under :50
Swimmers are competent in all four strokes and are continuously improving on the technique. Training sessions are revolved around the individual medley and the introduction of race techniques. Swimmers are expected to know and keep track of their individual times. The “finer details” to stroke techniques are made on a more individual basis. Athletes in the Silver group begin to set goals and understand commitment.
Workouts are offered six days a week.
There is no practice attendance requirement for this group, but the recommended attendance is 4 days a week to see improvement in stroke technique, comfort and feel of the water, and a bond with their teammates.
Practice duration is one hour and thirty minutes.
Goals of Silver Group:
- Swim 400IM legally
- Race in every distance, every stroke available over duration of season
- Understand and begin to achieve Pacific Swimming time standards
- Improve fluidity in turns and push-offs
- Improve dive and backstroke entry into water
- Begin learning how to manage effort and intensity through practice
- Learn and improve goal setting skills
- Improve on controlling attitude and focus within workout and understand that they affect teammates
- Create a core group of ’training friends’
- Sit with friends and teammates at swim meets
- Listen to coaches!
Competing at swim meets is highly encouraged at a rate of about once per month.
Gold Group (Ages 11–Up)
From the Silver group, athletes move into this group. The Gold group is for the advanced age group swimmers. The minimum age is 11 years old. Swimmers are able to swim all four strokes well and maintain good technique on low intensity interval sets. Transition to race training along with technical training is made. This group is designed to “launch” off of the technique base that has been laid down in the previous years. A more equal emphasis is place on physiological training and technique work. It is important that the technique learned in previous years not be permitted to deteriorate under increased training loads. Swimmers are encouraged to meet higher attendance expectations, and are educated in time-management and goal setting. Still, a great emphasis is placed on kicking; drills, starts and turns; we learn that hard work can be fun!
Minimum age for entry into this group is 11 years old. Requirements to enter the Gold Group, candidates should complete 6 of the following 8:
- Display intention of adhering to attendance requirement before moving into group
- Have knowledge and obtain Pacific and USA Swimming time Standards (A, AA, JO, AAA)
- Racing history in every event available
- Show willingness to learn
- 8x100 @ 1:30
- Under 2:30 in 200yd freestyle
- Kick 1x50 under :40 with fins
Workouts are offered six days a week. Four workouts a week is recommended as the minimum attendance.
Workout duration is two hours.
Competing at swim meets is highly encouraged at a rate of about 1-2 per month.
Goals of the Gold Group:
- Achieve Pacific Swimming and USA Swimming time standards
- Qualify for championship meets with trials and finals (JO, Far Westerns, All Stars)
- Compete and place in relays at championship meets
- Achieve minimum “A” standard in every stroke
- Continue to develop goal setting skills
- Improve proficiency in turns
- Use underwater fly kicking as a tool in racing
- Continue becoming more fluid in swimming (no splashing)
- Kick 50yd with fins under :30
- Begin to actively improve distance per stroke
- Learn leadership skills
Senior Group (14-up)
Senior Group is focused training athletes. Swimmers in the Senior Group are expected to have all 4 strokes down. While there still will be and emphasis on stroke perfection, the main emphasis will be geared towards aerobic training. The Senior Group is designed to fine tune swimmers at the high school level and set them on track to obtain their goals. Swimmers in the Senior Group program are still working on translating dry- land power into aquatic speed. Technique is the primary focus with speed, power and explosiveness playing large roles.
Practice is offered 8 times a week. Swimmers are strongly encouraged to attend all practices as skills and progressions build from one practice session to another. An 80% attendance is strongly encouraged. Practices missed due to other sports are means for consideration.
Swimmers entering the Senior Group program must be at least 14 years old and complete four of the following six:
- 10x100@ 1:20
- 8x50@ 50 kick
- Swim under 1:00 in 100YD freestyle for girls/ :55 for boys
- Swim at the JO or Far Western level in at least one event
- Kick 1x50 under :30 with fins
- 30 pushups in 1:00
Goals and Expectations for the Senior Group:
- Continue becoming more fluid in swimming (no splashing)
- Actively improve distance per stroke
- Translate power and athleticism developed in dry land training to speed in the water
- Learn leadership skills
- Provide an effective training program to swimmers who may have not come up through the BAC system
- Swimmers will learn to actively monitor and improve their stroke technique
- Swimmer understands and takes responsibility for attendance and performance, work habits in practice and how these three relate to meet performance
- Strive to be in the Senior Elite Group
- Competition at swim meets is expected in this group.
Senior Elite Group (14-up)
The Senior Elite group is BAC’s highest level of age group swimming. In this group, swimmers are expected to train seriously. Proper stroke and turn techniques have become habitually consistent, allowing more emphasis to be placed on physiological training. The Senior Elite group represents the highest level of training for athletes who have the appropriate dedication, experience, and desire to compete at the regional and national level. The training is aerobic, threshold, and anaerobic oriented and can be very demanding. Swimmers learn how to train the various energy systems and are encouraged to train for and compete in a wide variety of events to best prepare them for success in their collegiate years. The commitment level of this group is very high, with swimmers expected to attend 90-100% of the practices year-round. Strength training is a standard part of the program. Traveling to competitions out of the area is a requirement. All Senior-level swimmers are expected to be good role models for younger swimmers.
Senior Elite practice is offered eight times per week.
Senior Elite swimmers are expected to attend 90% of workouts and communicate with the senior coach about their training schedule. If the attendance requirement is not met, swimmers will be asked to swim in a more appropriate group
Note on training: Once swimmers are fully grown and are promoted as far as the senior programs, they must train harder and smarter than they did when they were younger to continue to improve (swim faster).
Practice duration is approximately two to three hours.
Practices will consist of both dry-land and swimming workouts.
Swimmers entering the Senior programs must be at least 14 years old and complete five of the following six:
- 10x100@ 1:20
- 8x50@ 50 kick
- Swim under 1:00 in 100YD freestyle for girls/ :55 for boys
- Swim at the JO or Far Western level in at least one event
- Kick 1x50 under :30 with fins
- 30 pushups in 1:00
Goals and Expectations of the Senior Elite Group:
- Strive to be competitive with any other Senior group in Pacific Swimming
- Prepare athletes mentally and physically for “big” competitions
- To consistently improve commitment level and training/racing ability from season to season
- Continue becoming more fluid in swimming (no splashing)
- Actively improve distance per stroke
- Learn leadership skills
- Attendance should improve, not decline as the athlete matures
- Training attitudes should be more productive and supportive as the athlete gets older
- Athletes must conduct themselves in a manner appropriate to actions needed to promote and support the goals of the team
- Attend all meets prescribed by coaching staff unless Senior coach agrees to absence
- Active in the development of the younger club swimmers
- Display ability to train appropriately for the athlete's experience and stated goals
- Athlete takes full responsibility for their athletic future
- National Competition is a goal
Other areas of swimmer Accountability:
- Swimmer learns to accept the responsibility for his/her performance
- Swimmer learns coping strategies to deal with peer pressure
- Swimmer learns coping strategies to deal with parent pressure
- Swimmer understands and performs personal race strategies
- Swimmer demonstrates an ability to balance school, social, swimming and family
- Swimmer can effectively communicate her/his commitment to her/his parent, coach and teammates
- Swimmer knows the team goals and will take an active part in developing specific and attainable practice group goals
- Swimmer understands the relationship between his/her personal commitment level and results
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