Carn Brea
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Our squads & training times

Carn Brea Swimming Club’s coaching team have agreed that it was time for a review of the club’s squad structure and it was agreed that although working well, it needed updating and standards needed to be set high for the best interests of the club and its members. The project was led by the coaching team who started by reviewing the present system. It was felt that at present swimmers are sometimes allowed to progress too easily from squad to squad, and often those swimmers do not actually benefit from moving up early.

It has been agreed that if each squad had a more specific criteria, each member would firstly understand what they are working on whilst in this squad, and secondly what they have to do to move up to the next squad. Teachers and coaches will also benefit from understanding what they are required to teach/coach and be able to monitor the individuals’ progression.

The Project Team have been guided by the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) and their National Plan for Teaching Swimming (NPTS), and have also considered Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD). Recommendation for each squad to have an applicable stage linked to it, which needs to be achieved before the member moves on.

Learn to swim SQUADS
Swordfish (pink hats)	NPTS 1-5	LTAD FUNdementals
DEVELOPMENT SQUADS
Dolphin (green hats)	NPTS 6-8	LTAD FUNdementals/Swim Skills
Sharks (blue hats)	NPTS 9-10	LTAD Swim Skills
PERFORMANCE SQUADS
Junior Squad (red hats)		LTAD Training to Train
Senior Squad (white hats)		LTAD Training to Train/Compete
Youth Squad (white hats)		LTAD Training to Compete
CLUB SQUADS
Club Fitness Squad (To be decided)		LTAD Training to Train/Compete

For further information on each squad, please click on the squad name above. For squads' training times as from September, click here.

The club aspires to all swimmers eventually wearing the correct colour hat for the appropriate squad. To this end all swimmers who progress to the next squad will be given a free hat appropriate to the squad they are entering and it must be worn. We do not expect swimmers to purchase new hats now as that would be an unfair cost, but when a new hat is purchased please buy the right colour. For a table of squads and hats click here.

For a guide to Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD> click here or for a guide to the National Plan for Teaching Swimming (NPTS) click here. There is an awards scheme related to the NPTS Squads, click here for information. Information about the awards and badges which can be won by swimmers can be found by clicking on the following links: Competitive Awards, Distance Badges and Water Skills.

The standards set for each squad will need to be met, which will also include commitment to training and maintaining personal records and equipment, before a swimmer can move up a squad. For a table showing the required equipment for each squad, click here. The club understands that there is a cost factor and therefore is targetting September 2010 as a date by which to have equipment in place. Appropriate equipment at a reasonable cost will be able to be obtained from the club shop at the front desk.

Teachers and coaches will monitor the progress and assess the swimmers over a 15 week period. At the end of this period at the coaches meeting, any swimmer that is at the top end of that assessment will then have a final assessment and if all boxes are ticked and the coaches and teachers are in agreement that swimmer will be awarded their certificate and badge and an invite to move squad. The other swimmers will also receive a report allowing them to see the areas that need to be improved if they wish to move squads. All the requirements from the previous squad remain as they move up through the different squads i.e. equipment, record books etc.

At this time it would be unfair to put swimmers into a different squad under the new criteria. Therefore all swimmers will remain in their present squads but will have to meet the new criteria to progress.

It is proposed that the Squad Criteria and Stages are in place by September 2011 and teachers and coaches will work towards these stages, maintain registers, monitor and assess swimmers of the skills required for those squads from then for a 15 week period.

After this assessment the coaches will then recommend which squad it is felt would most benefit them. If you have any questions please talk to one of the coaches or committee members.