Bronze Group (10&Under competitive; 5 practices per week; 60-75 minutes; introduction to dryland)
The Bronze Group is for swimmers ages 10 and under. The focus is on refining technique in all four competitive strokes (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly) and developing fundamental racing skills, including proper starts, turns, and finishes.
Bronze swimmers are introduced to basic training sets while maintaining a strong emphasis on technique and body position. Swimmers in this group are learning meet procedures and working toward achieving their first Divisional qualifying times.
Season Goals
- Understanding of higher levels within the sport (Divisionals, State).
- Development of starts, turns, and underwater swimming as appropriate for age, size, and degree of coordination.
- Development of fundamental skills required for future stroke development including proper streamlines, head/body position, breathing patterns, kick timing, age-appropriate drills and proper use of equipment (fins, kickboard, pull buoy).
- Time awareness as demonstrated by the ability to read simple practice intervals (:00, :15, :30, :45) and report times in practice and competition.
- Swim meet basics including ability to read heat sheets, understanding starter commands, communicating with timers, the role of officials and meaning behind disqualifications, and appropriate warm-up and lane etiquette.
Skill Focus Areas
- Foundational Skills – Balance/body awareness, breathing and timing, starts, turns
- Freestyle Skills – Breathing technique, rotation, kicking patterns, arm recovery
- Backstroke Skills – Kicking patterns, rotation, arm entry/recovery, body balance
- Breaststroke Skills – Kicking pattern, pull development, timing, undulation
Butterfly Skills – Kicking pattern, breathing, undulation, arm recovery
