City of Birmingham Swimming Club - Synchronised Swimming Section

Training

Members attend up to six training sessions each week depending upon the skill level that they have reached. A number of different activities take place at these sessions.

To progress in the sport, and through the club it will be necessary to take various skills or recreational grades from 1-5. Part of some of the training sessions are devoted to learning and practising these skills.

At some of the sessions we work on routines either in teams or duets and as we approach a competition the amount of time devoted to practising routines increases.

Synchronised swimmers need to be good swimmers and possess a high level of stamina. Part of the training at all sessions is oriented to developing this strength and stamina and one session each week is specifically dedicated to this.

Muscle stretching is important to develop the flexibility required to perform the various moves involved in synchro and to help avoid injuries. We normally hold a stretch class before our Sunday training session to teach the various stretches which should be practised at home as often as possible.

A typical 1.5 hour training session might involve 30 minutes of intensive laned swimming using a variety of strokes and techniques. This would typically be followed by 30 minutes practising skills and 30 minutes working on routines.

Our Chief Coach Allison is assisted by some of the senior swimmers who now hold the coaching qualification at Level 1 and sometimes by parents who have a poolside qualification.