8 R Great, Bronze, Silver, Yellow Squads
How to read the pace clock
This is a very important skill to learn! please take the time to read this ASC parent, thank you.
Hello parents,
Welcome to the winter season and one of the main skills young swimmers need to learn is how to read the pace clock in swimming sets so that the coaches can then focus more on the swimmer’s stroke development other than on managing the young swimmers in order to keep the session moving smoothly.
As young swimmers develop through the program they will become more and more required to become autonomous in the sets provided by the coaching staff and this requires the swimmers to understand when they are to leave the wall streamlined correctly without the coach sending them off.
The best way to achieve this is not at the pool but at home with mum and dad and siblings and anyone who is invested in their athletic development.
Click the link below to get a start on what it’s about.
Now to learn you will need –
0ne dice
A clock with a second hand or draw a clock face on a piece of paper
One pencil or pen
Using the example set below we will use a 5’ interval between each swimmer leaving the wall.
Use the dice to choose what row the swimmer will leave the clock from. 1 means they start on the TOP, 2 = 5’ later 3 = 10’ later than the top 4 = 15’ later than the top 5 = 20’ later than the top 6 = 25’ later than the top
Every set starts at the 0’ which is either RED or WHITE depending on what the coaches call to begin with.
Coaches generally call the 0’ mark the TOP which can be RED TOP or WHITE TOP at Arena because our pace clock has RED and WHITE tips.
This is because the hand that moves around the pace clock has a RED and WHITE point at each end.
Our swimming set is –
6X25FS~.40’
4X25BRS~.45’
6X25BK~.40’
4X25FLY~.45’
Now the front row will start on the TOP and each row leaves 5’ after. Swimmers have to do the whole set of FS-BRS-BK-FLY all linked together
Roll the dice to see what row you will be on and see how you go following your time cycle on your clock or piece of paper
Swimmers need to know this and making mistakes is all ok. Everyone started this way and it’s needed or else you’ll just copy and follow the swimmer beside you or in front of you and if they get it wrong then down the gurgler you go.
Don’t be afraid of getting this wrong and keep playing and practicing with it. This is probably the first step in being independent in the pool.
Train yourself to be independent that’s where leaders come from.
Cheers ASC coaching