TIMER SHIRTS AVAILABLE TO PARENTS!

PFL AQUATIC Timer Shirts will be available to pick up at practice today! They are free t0 any parents who have been timers at meets or plan to be a timer. Mens and women's shirts available (women's have fewer buttons). Only certain sizes remain: 2 X-Large, X-Large, Large, Small.

COACHES CORNER: The Importance of Having ALL the Proper Equipment.

Think of equipment as training wheels for learning to ride a bike. Training wheels help children balance and build confidence until consistent practice turns balance into a habit and the support is no longer needed. They let children experience the correct movement with less effort and fatigue. Because fatigue can interfere with forming lasting habits, our equipment serves the same purpose: it makes proper technique easier to learn and repeat.

• Fins are a must for every group. It provides easy propulsion and allows the kids to focus on other things and still move forward easily. Learning to be patient is tough and fins will allow us to be patient and feel. Building awareness is part of development.
• Kick board-we use it to build our aerobic base, especially when we are in our developmental phase of the season. You can’t swim correctly if you can’t kick. I aways tell our senior swimmers, “It’s your legs that are going to bring you home and finish the race”. 
• Snorkel-breathing in our sport makes all the strokes challenging. The snorkel allows us to feel the stroke without having to worry about taking a breath. They can FEEL how the stroke is supposed to feel, or the flow of the stroke. This is ever so important to reach and maintain top speed. The snorkel also allows our athletes to see where they are pulling (under chest) and how they are pulling (with high elbows). The more senses that we can engage in, the faster change will happen and the more likely it becomes a habit.
• Paddles are different for every group-we use them for head paddles for all groups. If you can turn to breathe and keep the paddle on your head, you’re doing it right. The main purpose is to help the kids learn to hold water and feel the pressure on their hands with our Lighting 1 and above groups.
• Pull Buoy-we use this to learn how to kick breaststroke correctly and it allows the kids to focus on the recovery, entry and catch without having to think about kicking. We use this to also feel what the connection of hips and shoulders is supposed to feel like and learn to control the lower body. 

Why are you making this a Coach’s Corner?

We still have kids that are missing equipment, mostly fins and snorkel. Our athletes that do not have the equipment have to work A LOT harder to feel the same thing as the kids with the proper equipment if they can. The kids without fins struggle to keep up and to do things correctly because they are focused on keeping up. Please ask your athlete to show you all their equipment to make sure they have it. If they’re missing something, please get it as soon as you can. Thank you 

Equipment for each group:

• Rain-Fins (Tritan brand or similar), kickboard, buoy 
• Lighting 1,2 and all Thunder Groups
• Fins(Tritan brand or similar), paddles(stroke maker paddles slightly bigger then hand), kickboard, pull buoy and snorkel

Please take a moment and go through your athletes’ swim bag and see if they have all the necessary equipment to help them build the right habits more easily. Some kids will lose equipment, some equipment will break, and the kids will forget to tell you that they need to replace it. Some kids have the old school fins and have not updated to normal fins. 

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