A Parent Guide for early Swimmers Aged 9–12 Swimming development is not linear. Periods where progress appears to slow or feel inconsistent are a normal part of long-term development in a technically complex sport. Swimming is trained in a uniquely demanding environment Competitive training squads do not operate like swimming lessons — there are no tick boxes or fixed completion stages.

Goal setting becomes increasingly important as swimmers move into the Age Group Performance stage. Training volume increases, competition standards rise, and swimmers begin to experience the pressure of expectations — both internal and external. At this stage, goals are no longer just about what swimmers want to achieve, but how they approach their training, racing, and daily habits. This guide explains how Outcome, Performance, and Process Goals work together

There are three ingredients you need to be a great swimmer: water, skill, and a pace clock. You’ll find one at the end of every Bluefins pool — the large white clock with a half-red, half-black hand that never stops. It’s more than just a timer. It’s the heartbeat of the training session. Swimmers and coaches use the pace clock to control when to start, measure how fast each repeat is swum, and manage recovery between efforts. It’s what turns lengths into structured, measur

County Development is the first step on the County Pathway, where swimmers aged 9–14 learn to handle tougher sessions, race more often, and measure themselves against County standards.

Swim England and Aquatics GB encourage a balanced approach to competition.Young swimmers should experience a range of strokes and distances, including 400 m, 800 m and 1500 m freestyle, to build a strong foundation for future success in the sport. Early distance exposure isn’t about specialising — it develops complete swimmers with the fitness, pacing control and resilience needed to progress confidently through the sport.