<p>By Wayne Goldsmith</p><p>Let’s get this right from the start:</p><p><strong>There are NO 7 year old backstrokers.</strong></p><p><strong>There are NO 9 year old freestylers.</strong></p><p><strong>There are NO 10 year old IMers.</strong></p><p>There are just kids who swim — who, at that point in their development, swim one specific stroke a little better than the other strokes.</p><p>Now I know coaches and parents everywhere are reading this and thinking “<em>He’s wrong. Johnny the 8 year old just broke the club record for 50 backstroke. He’s a backstroker.”</em></p><p>WRONG x A MILLION.</p><p>Little Johnny is just an eight year old kid who, for whatever reason, happens to swim backstroke faster than the other eight year old kids.</p><p>Coaches — we need to stop referring to young kids as stroke specialists.</p><p>Why?</p><p>Because parents and swimmers develop the expectation that:</p><p><strong>a. My child / I am a “champion” backstroker or freestyler or breaststroker</strong> — and there are NO 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 year old champions.</p><p><strong>b. My child / I don’t need to do the other strokes or learn the other events</strong> because I’m a “backstroker” or “freestyler.”</p><p>The truth is this.</p><p>A young swimmer could be brilliant at freestyle this year. Then they grow, their limb lengths change, and POW — they can’t swim freestyle very well anymore.</p><p>Happens over and over all around the world. We know this. As coaches we’ve seen it a million times. Yet it keeps happening.</p><p>My friends — here are five practical tips:</p><p>* Do not refer to any swimmer under about 14 as “the butterflyer” or any single stroke specialisation.</p><p>* Take a balanced approach to development — all strokes, all events, speed training, aerobic work, great skills, underwater kicking, dives, starts, turns, finishes. Balanced.</p><p>* Discourage parents from entering their kids only in specialist stroke events at meets. <em>“My 8 year old is a breaststroker so we’re only entering 50 and 100 breaststroke”</em> — no.</p><p>* Build an overall stroke development philosophy in your team. Focus on events like:</p><p>* 50 metres all strokes (develops real speed)</p><p>* 200 IM (develops all strokes, turning skills, endurance)</p><p>* 400 freestyle (develops endurance, sustained speed, discipline)</p><p>* Relays (fun, team spirit, speed development)</p><p>* Educate parents and swimmers. Prepare them for the reality that bodies and minds change year by year — and it’s perfectly normal to change stroke focus right up until mid-teens.</p><p><strong>The bottom line?</strong></p><p>Don’t build a 9 year old backstroker.</p><p>Build a 9 year old who loves swimming, learns everything, and becomes whatever they’re meant to become — when they’re ready.</p><p>That’s how you develop swimmers for the long game.</p><p><strong>Swimming coaches</strong> — if you want to develop swimmers this way but need help making it work in your program, that’s exactly what I do in CoachTED.</p><p>One-on-one mentoring for swimming coaches who want to coach for the long game — not just the next meet.</p><p>Contact me through Swimming Gold or email <a target="_blank" href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a></p><p>Wayne Goldsmith</p><p></p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://swimminggold.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_2">swimminggold.substack.com/subscribe</a>