Squads

Squads

At Maxwell and our partner clubs our aim is to enable every swimmer to reach their full potential so we closely follow the ASA recommendations on the quality and quantity of training for all our squads. In particular Maxwell follows the guidelines and recommendation of the ASA Long Term Athlete Development program.

LTAD is about achieving optimal training, competition and recovery throughout an athlete’s career, particularly in relation to the important growth and development of young people. As its name implies, it’s a long term approach and if not adopted a swimmer is unlikely to ever reach their full potential. To find out more click the link to read the ASA short guide to LTAD.

The Maxwell Training Programme Structure

Below illustrates the full structure of the squads of Maxwell, Maxwell Buckingham and our partners Tring SC & Buckingham Swans Swim Clubs. All the cells COLOURED BLUE are “Maxwell Swim Club” controlled which means all the swimmers are full Maxwell members. All the cells COLOURED YELLOW are squads controlled by Tring SC and BLACK Buckingham Swans SC and the swimmers are all dual registered to Maxwell. (Please note that the Maxwell Head Coach is also the ‘Head of Coaching’ at Tring Swim Club).

These squads train at varying venues such as the Aqua Vale, Brackley, Green Park, Halton, Swan Pool, Stoke Mandeville Stadium, The Grammar School Pool & Tring Sports Centre Pool. A swimmer moves between squads that best suit each swimmer’ current level, aspirations and is in line with the specific squad qualification level set within each squad/club.

Maxwell training squads

To cater for both age and ability Maxwell operate through a number of training squads catering for swimmers in all stages of development. The flowchart below shows how swimmers move between squads.

maxwellsquadflowv3

Use the menu to learn more about a specific Squad, training times and fees. Please note that Maxwell offer discounts for additional family members (second and subsequent swimmers 25%) please contact the Club for further details.

Select your Squad

Squad movement/reassessment will take place annually at the start of the swimming season in September. There will then be a “window of opportunity” between the months of December, January, February, March, April & May where any swimmer has the potential to be moved between squads; at a time suitable for them. This gives greater flexibility based on current performance and commitment levels (at the time).

Squad’s are based on qualification levels at Counties, Regional’s, Nationals and International events whilst recognising commitment, training skills, training performance, motivation & log book use.

Swimmers will be considered for movement based on the following combination of criteria. All criteria will be taken into account and the Head Coach’s decision is final

Attendance

¨ Regular attendance at sessions is absolutely vital if you wish to make progress. In certain groups you will have a minimum number of hours training per week to attend. If you have to miss a session explain to your coach so that he or she is fully in the picture.

Age

¨ The age of swimmers is an important factor. Whether or not the swimmer is ready for a squad can be based on their physical and mental age.

¨ If a swimmer has fulfilled the criteria times but is younger than required, it will be the joint decision of the Chief Coach and the coaches concerned whether the swimmer should be moved.

Attitude

¨ Swimmers will continually be assessed on their enthusiasm and approach to training and competition.

¨ Good behaviour in training is also of the utmost importance. Self-discipline, commitment and concentration are all attributes that are needed in ever increasing amounts as the swimmer progresses.

Ability

¨ The ability of the swimmer in competition will be a significant factor in squad movement, as a swimmer develops they are benchmarked against both Regional and National qualifying times

¨ In some cases swimmers must be able to achieve pre-set training sets to check their ability to cope with certain types of training.