Practice Group Breakdowns
8&Under:
The 8&Under group will consist of all swimmers ages 8 or younger by the end of the season. The main focus of this group is to instill a love for the sport while teaching the importance of being a team. Swimmers will learn the fundamentals of the sport and how to work together in practices and at meets.
Practice Recommendation: We “recommend” swimmers make two (2) to three (3) practices a week in order to see improvement. There are no practice requirements.
9/10 Group:
The 9/10 group will consist of all swimmers ages 9 or 10 years old by the end of the season. Practices will consist of mainly technique work while slowly adding a little endurance work. Swimmers will learn the love of racing and cheering for their teammates.
Practice Recommendation: We “recommend” swimmers make at least three (3) practices a week to see improvement. There are no practice requirements.
11/12 Group:
The 11/12 group will consist of all swimmers ages 11 or 12 years old by the end of the season. Practices consist of proper stroke mechanics balanced with building a base for endurance training for competition racing in meets. Swimmers will learn the proper breath techniques for all four strokes and the beginning of race strategies.
Practice Recommendation: We “recommend” swimmers make three (3) to four (4) swim practices and one (1) dryland practice a week to see improvement. There are no practice requirements.
13/14 Group:
The 13/14 group will consist of all swimmers ages 13 or 14 years old by the end of the season, and have not met the National group requirements (requirements for the National group are listed below). Swimmers will continue to grow their endurance base and discover new training thresholds. Goal setting will be introduced but more importantly, a season plan will be put into effect on how to reach that goal. Swimmers will continue to work on their breath technique and will start working on expanding their lung capacity.
Practice Recommendation: We “recommend” swimmers make four (4) to five (5) swim practices and one (1) to two (2) dryland practices a week to achieve the most from the season. There are no practice requirements.
Senior Group:
The Senior group will consist of all swimmers 15 years old or older by the end of the season, and have not met the National group requirements (requirements for the National group are listed below). The focus is on continued development of proper technique, advanced race strategy and goal setting. This group has an intense dryland program to promote increase strength and body awareness and balance.
Practice Recommendation: We “recommend” swimmers make four (4) to five (5) swim practices and one (1) to two (2) dryland practices a week to achieve the most from the season. There are no practice requirements.
Senior Conditioning Group:
The Senior Conditioning group is for Senior swimmers who are participating in a high school sport, either during the fall or winter that is just looking to stay in shape. This group offers only three (3) practices a week with the focus on technique and conditioning.
Practice Recommendation: Swimmers are welcome to come to as many or as few of the offered practices for the group as they desire.
National Group:
The National group will consist of all swimmers who are in high school or will be in the fall or older and have met the criteria below. This group will consist of advanced training in the water and out with aggressive goal setting. The bar is set high, and participants are expected to have the desire and commitment to train diligently with a positive and team attitude. This group is expected to set the example for the entire team.
Practice Recommendation: We recommend swimmers make five (5) to six (6) swim practices and two (2) to three (3) dryland practices a week to achieve the most from the season.
Group Requirements to start off:
- 14 years of age or older by the end of the season
- High school student, or going into high school in the fall
- 2 or more 14&U Age Group State qualifying times
- 1 or more Senior State qualifying times
** New National group requirements may be placed into effect once the season starts; such as test sets, where a swimmer will need to complete a set or a number of sets to move up into the national group. We want the focus to be on training more than a result at RISE
