The club swimming question is a tough one to deal with. There are so many different opinions on the matter, but there is no "right answer". Each child/scenario is completely different, and must be treated as such. For example, if your oldest child begins club swimming at age 8, do not automatically assume that this is when your youngest should begin also.

I personally think that 8 years old is a bit early to begin year-round swimming. I understand that there are plenty of cases in which a kid starts year-round at 8 and turns into a fabulous swimmer, but I have seen so many kids lose "the fire" because they started too early. "The fire," as I like to call it, involves the swimmers desire to train, compete, succeed, and still have fun doing it. Once a kid loses "the fire," it becomes extremely difficult to continue or to be successful. For this reason I think it is best to wait until the child is 10 or so to begin club swimming. On the other hand, if your son or daughter comes running home from summer league practice at age 8, and wants to swim every day during the year and not just the summer, then that is a different matter.

It is also important to consider what else your child is involved in. I would not drop every other sport or activity right away just to focus on swimming. I think it is important to keep a child involved in as many activities as possible while they are young, so long as these things make them happy. I do not like the idea of forcing a kid to play sports they are not interested in simply because their parents feel like their child should be doing something, or because they want their kid to be good at something.

As for what to look for in a program, I would say it depends on the kid’s interests. If they want to get some more training in aside from the summer, so that they can become a faster summer league swimmer, I would start off looking for some sort of "head start" program. These are programs designed for summer league swimmers who want to get a little extra help before the summer starts. Most USA-S clubs offer these programs, so contact your local club, which can be located on the USA-S website.

If you are looking to compete and train all year, there are a few things to look for. Coaching at an early age is very important. An 8 year old in year round swimming is most likely going to need help with their technique. Yes, the training is important, but at such a young age the swimmer is going to see more improvement from constructive changes to their strokes than cranking out the yardage. On the training side, it is important that the club doesn’t just kill the kids with meaningless yardage. It will most likely take some time for the swimmer to adjust to the dramatic increase in training, so finding a program that can match the kid's abilities is important. It is hard to say the best way to judge this, but observing practices, watching the other kids in the water and comparing their times at meets is a good start. Even an inexperienced swim parent should be able to eyeball a difference between a swimmer with good technique and one without.

It is also imperative that you not forget about the fun aspect of swimming. This often gets lost in the hoopla of training and competing, and the constant desire for success. At a young age, it will be important to see if the program or group that you watch is going to be a place where your kid can have fun at practice. Maybe he has some friends who also swim for the club, or maybe when you went to a practice the kids seemed to be having a good time around the training, such as before and after workout on the deck and in between sets. Are the kids laughing and talking and joking around? Or are they silent? This can also tie in with the coaches’ personalities. What kind of atmosphere are they creating for their swimmers? Is the coach encouraging the kids? Or is it a drill sergeant, all work, no play atmosphere? All of these things are important to observe when first introducing your child to a year-round program.

Once you have chosen a suitable program, you will want to monitor your child’s progress. A program that is a great fit for them in their first years of year round swimming might not be as ideal later on, depending on how the kid adapts or improves. His desires or needs might change. If he starts to improve, and needs or wants more work and training or more stroke help, then it might be time to move up, whether it be to a higher group within the same club, or by choosing a new club all together. Once again, that will all depend on the circumstance.

It is a very tough call to balance the fun aspect and the level of training desired/required. I tend to think the fun aspect and stroke emphasis are more important at a younger age, until say, age 13 or so, while still maintaining a decent level of training. The older the child gets, the more important the training becomes. I like the fun aspect when younger, because I think it helps prevent “burnout" later on. (editors note: burnout is a term used in the swimming world to describe when a swimmer just completely loses all interest and desire to swim. Burnout will often explain why a kid stops improving, or even adds time when it seems like he should be dropping time. There really isn’t a cure for burnout, and once it hits, a chance successful swimming career is usually over. I don't like the idea of overwhelming a kid with workouts and yardage at such a young age. Yes, increases in training are necessary, but I think there is a limit, especially when it takes the fun out of swimming.