Swimming as TEAM sport

Swimming is usually seen as an individual endeavor. The reality is that most of us swim to gain individual mastery of the sport but also because we enjoy the friends we have on the team and also the team atmospere!

If we don't develop a team identity and build a cohesive team environment, our efforts to improve each swimmer individually will be diminshed. We tend to work harder when we are working as a team than as an individual. Want more proof, look at ANY swimmers individual 50 meter free time and then look at their split when they are in a relay. Why is the relay split always so much faster? Because they don't want to let their teammates down!

Some things I do to foster a team spirit in practice.

1. I celebrate each and every birthday on the team. This has led to memorable stretches where we had 6 parties in a row but it also brought attention and more swimmers to the team!
2. We do team related activities (i.e. relays, group effort exercises) EVERY practice.
3. I require the adoption of team items (swim caps and t shirts) at every meet as well as require every swimmer to cheer for whomever is swimming at any given time.
4. I invite family members to participate in regular team parties and in practices and meets to involve the family in the "swim family".
5. I have a "peer instruction" day once each week at practice. This is a time when swimmers coach each other to improve storke methodology and get to know each other.

These actions have worked to create a tremendous team spirit and team involvment by swimmers and their families. I beleive it works to improve swimmers individually as well as the team as whole.