For some time, we had wanted to improve pre-pool preparation across our development and age group squads. The issue was not finding exercises. Plenty of good information already existed. The challenge was getting young swimmers to engage with pre-pool consistently and understand that preparation was part of training rather than something separate from swimming. For the most part, effective pre-pool simply was not happening on poolside.

In Performance swimming, knowing a time is only the starting point. Swimmers need to understand whether it matched the task and how their pace changed across the set. This guide builds on the clock-reading and lane habits covered in Using the Pace Clock: The Skill Every Swimmer Needs to Master. Know Your Times and Know Why Three pieces of information matter: Target pace: The time you are aiming to hold. Cycle time: The time from one start to the next, including s

Bluefins Finish 7th Overall in the South East Region The South East Region is widely regarded as one of the strongest swimming regions in the country, making the Regional Championships an important benchmark for club performance. At the 2026 South East Regional Championships, Basingstoke Bluefins finished 7th overall in the regional club rankings, placing the club amongst the leading programmes in the South East. Representing the club across the Championships were 34 swimm

Swimming for Fitness, Confidence and Wellbeing At Bluefins, not every swimmer is working towards competition and that’s an important part of who we are as a club. Many swimmers simply want to stay active, improve their fitness and enjoy being in the water. Our Club Fitness squads provide a structured, coached environment for swimmers who want exactly that, without the expectations that come with racing. This pathway continues to grow, with over 60 swimmers now training reg

As swimmers gain more racing experience, parents often see them competing across a range of strokes and events. A swimmer who performs well in freestyle may also race backstroke or butterfly. Others may appear in the 200IM or longer events that stretch their skills. This can naturally prompt the question: If a swimmer has a strongest event, why not focus on that race? Age-group swimming is designed to build complete swimmers, not early specialists.