Why Do Some Swim Squads Swim More Distance Than Others? A Parent’s Guide
A Parent and Swimmer Guide to Different Coaching Philosophies
If you have been around competitive swimming for a while, you may have noticed that not every swim squad trains in the same way.
Some squads seem to swim large distances every session, with long sets, repeated lengths and a big focus on endurance. Other squads spend more time on drills, turns, starts, streamlining, breakouts and technical skills.
This can leave parents wondering:
- Is one approach better than the other?
- Should young swimmers be swimming more distance?
- Are drills really as important as fitness?
- Why do some squads focus so much on technique?
- Could too much distance too early cause problems?
The truth is that there is no single perfect way to coach swimming. Different clubs, coaches and squads may use different approaches depending on the age, ability, goals and stage of development of their swimmers.
However, understanding the benefits and potential pitfalls of each approach can help parents appreciate why good coaching is about much more than simply counting metres.
Why Training Programmes Look Different
Swimming clubs often structure training around the needs of their swimmers.
Some squads may focus heavily on:
- Aerobic endurance
- Distance swimming
- Long repeats
- Fitness development
- Race pacing
- Training volume
Other squads may place more emphasis on:
- Stroke technique
- Streamlining
- Starts
- Turns
- Breakouts
- Underwater work
- Drills and skills
Both approaches can have value.
A distance-based squad may be excellent for developing stamina, aerobic fitness and mental toughness. A technique-focused squad may be excellent for developing efficiency, skill quality and long-term race performance.
The best coaching programmes usually understand when each approach is needed.
There Is No Right or Wrong Way
It is important to say straight away: there is no single right or wrong way to train swimmers.
Successful swimmers have come from many different types of programmes, including:
- High-volume programmes
- Technique-led programmes
- Sprint-focused programmes
- Distance-focused programmes
- Individual medley-based programmes
- Skills-first development programmes
A good coach will usually consider:
- Swimmer age
- Training history
- Technical ability
- Physical development
- Competition level
- Event focus
- Long-term goals
What works well for a 17-year-old distance swimmer may not be the right approach for a 10-year-old still learning efficient stroke mechanics.
This is why context matters.
The Benefits of Distance-Based Training
Distance-based training can be very effective when used appropriately.
It can help swimmers develop:
✅ Aerobic fitness
✅ Stamina
✅ Mental resilience
✅ Pacing awareness
✅ Training discipline
✅ Event-specific endurance
For swimmers competing in events such as 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle, or longer individual medley events, endurance is clearly important.
Distance training also teaches swimmers how to hold technique under fatigue, which is valuable in all events.
However, the key phrase is: hold technique under fatigue.
If technique breaks down badly during longer sets, swimmers may simply be practising poor movement over and over again.
The Pitfall of Too Much Distance Too Early
One of the biggest risks with high-volume training, especially for younger swimmers, is that poor technique can become ingrained.
A useful coaching phrase is:
Practice does not make perfect. Practice makes permanent.
If a swimmer repeats an inefficient stroke thousands of times, that swimmer may become very good at swimming inefficiently.
For example, a young swimmer may complete a high-volume freestyle set while:
- Breathing too late
- Crossing over with the hands
- Dropping the elbow
- Lifting the head
- Losing body position
- Rushing turns
- Missing streamline positions
The swimmer may become fitter, but the swimmer may also reinforce habits that become difficult to change later.
This is why many coaches are cautious about increasing distance before technical foundations are strong.
Why Technique Matters So Much
Swimming is not just about working hard. It is about moving efficiently through water.
Water creates far more resistance than air, so small technical errors can have a large impact on speed.
Technique affects:
- Body position
- Drag
- Stroke length
- Stroke rate
- Breathing rhythm
- Turns
- Push-offs
- Breakouts
- Energy efficiency
A swimmer with excellent technique may use less energy to travel at the same speed as a less efficient swimmer.
This is why coaches often spend so much time on drills and skills, even when swimmers or parents might expect every session to be physically exhausting.
The Importance of Drills and Skills
Drills are not “easy swimming” or wasted time.
They are designed to isolate and improve specific parts of a stroke.
Examples include:
- Catch drills
- Sculling drills
- Single-arm drills
- Kick drills
- Body position drills
- Streamline drills
- Turn progressions
- Breakout work
USA Swimming’s athlete development resources include progressions for skills such as prone streamline position, underwater push-offs, breakouts, legal turns, stroke technique and racing starts, showing how technical skills can be deliberately developed as part of swimmer progression. [usaswimming.org]
The aim is to help swimmers move better, not just work harder.
Build the Swimmer Before Building the Engine
A helpful way to think about development is:
Build the swimmer first, then build the engine.
Fitness is the engine.
Technique is how effectively that engine transfers power into speed.
If a swimmer has a big engine but poor technique, a lot of effort gets wasted. If a swimmer has strong technique but no fitness, performance will also be limited.
The best swimmers usually develop both.
However, in younger swimmers, many coaches prefer to build strong technical foundations before increasing training volume too aggressively.
This is because habits learned early can shape a swimmer’s future performance for years.
Why Some Federations Emphasise Skills Early
In countries with strong swimming cultures, there is often significant emphasis on skill development from a young age.
USA Swimming provides dedicated training and technique resources for swimmers and parents, with athlete development material covering areas such as training, technique, starts, turns, underwater skills and performance habits. [usaswimming.org]
Many successful swimming programmes place early emphasis on:
- Streamlining
- Turns
- Starts
- Breakouts
- Underwater work
- Body position
- Stroke efficiency
This does not mean distance is ignored.
It means technical competence is treated as a major part of long-term performance development.
What We See at Olympic Level
At Olympic level, races are often won and lost by fractions of a second.
Parents watching elite swimming may notice the obvious things first:
- Powerful strokes
- Fast arms
- Strong kicking
- Impressive fitness
But coaches often look closely at the details:
- Reaction time
- Start distance
- Entry angle
- Underwater speed
- Breakout timing
- Turn speed
- Wall contact
- Streamline quality
- Finish timing
These technical details can decide races.
A swimmer who is excellent off every wall may gain small advantages many times across a race. In a 200m event, those advantages can add up quickly.
This is one reason starts, turns and breakouts are such an important part of long-term swimmer development.
Why Breakouts Matter
A breakout is the moment a swimmer transitions from underwater work into surface swimming.
A poor breakout can waste the speed created from the start or turn.
A good breakout helps the swimmer:
✅ Maintain momentum
✅ Stay balanced
✅ Begin the stroke efficiently
✅ Avoid losing speed
✅ Connect underwater work to surface swimming
Breakouts are often overlooked by parents because they happen so quickly.
But at higher levels, they are a major race skill.
Why Turns Matter in Every Event
Turns are not just something swimmers do at the wall. They are a key part of racing.
In a 25m pool:
- 100m races include 3 turns
- 200m races include 7 turns
- 400m races include 15 turns
- 1500m races include 59 turns
Every turn is a chance to gain or lose time.
A swimmer who turns well can gain an advantage even if their surface swimming speed is similar to competitors.
This is why a coach may spend a large part of the session working on turns instead of adding more distance.
When Distance Can Help
It would be wrong to suggest distance swimming is bad.
It is not.
Distance and volume have an important place in swimming.
Well-planned distance work can help swimmers:
- Improve aerobic capacity
- Build mental strength
- Develop pacing skills
- Prepare for longer events
- Improve repeatability
- Learn to maintain technique under pressure
The issue is not distance itself.
The issue is distance without quality.
Swimming more metres is only helpful if the swimmer is also maintaining good movement patterns.
Quality Before Quantity
A balanced coaching philosophy often comes back to one idea:
Quality before quantity.
A swimmer who completes 2,000 metres with excellent technique may gain more long-term benefit than a swimmer who completes 4,000 metres while reinforcing poor habits.
This does not mean every session should be easy.
It means every session should have purpose.
That purpose might be:
- Aerobic development
- Speed
- Technique
- Turns
- Starts
- Underwater work
- Race pacing
- Recovery
- Skill refinement
Good coaching is about knowing which focus the swimmer needs at that stage.
Why Parents Should Be Careful Comparing Squads
Parents naturally compare.
They may hear:
“That club swims 5,000 metres every session.”
or:
“That squad does loads more distance than ours.”
But more distance does not automatically mean better training.
Useful questions include:
- Are swimmers improving technically?
- Are swimmers enjoying the sport?
- Are swimmers staying healthy?
- Are swimmers learning race skills?
- Are swimmers developing confidence?
- Are swimmers progressing over time?
A session can look less impressive from the balcony but still be exactly what the swimmers need.
Twenty minutes on turns may not look as physically demanding as a long endurance set, but it could produce major race improvements later.
The Role of the Coach
Good coaches are constantly making decisions.
They may ask:
- Does this swimmer need more fitness?
- Does this swimmer need better technique?
- Does this swimmer need stronger turns?
- Does this swimmer need more confidence?
- Does this swimmer need more race experience?
- Does this swimmer need less pressure?
- Does this swimmer need more recovery?
This is why parents may not always understand the purpose of a session immediately.
A coach may be developing skills that will not show up on the stopwatch for weeks or months.
This is where trusting the process becomes important.
Signs a Programme Is Developing Swimmers Well
A good training environment is not judged only by metres completed.
Positive signs include:
✅ Swimmers improve technique over time
✅ Coaches explain key skills clearly
✅ Turns and starts are practised regularly
✅ Swimmers understand why they are doing drills
✅ Training has variety and purpose
✅ Swimmers are challenged appropriately
✅ Young swimmers are not rushed too quickly
✅ Long-term development is valued
A good programme may include both distance and technique. The balance may change as swimmers mature.
What Should Parents Focus On?
Rather than asking:
“How far did you swim tonight?”
Parents might ask:
- What skill did you work on today?
- What did your coach ask you to focus on?
- Did you improve your turns?
- What did you learn from the set?
- How did your technique feel when you were tired?
These questions help swimmers understand that training is about more than distance.
They also reinforce the idea that swimming success comes from learning, consistency and quality.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is distance swimming bad for young swimmers?
No. Distance swimming can be useful, but it should be appropriate for the swimmer’s age, ability and technical development.
Should young swimmers focus more on technique?
In many cases, yes. Strong technical foundations make future training more effective.
Why does my swimmer do so many drills?
Drills help swimmers isolate and improve specific skills such as body position, catch, breathing, turns and streamlining.
Does fitness still matter?
Absolutely. Fitness is essential, but it works best when combined with good technique.
Why do some clubs swim more metres than others?
Different coaches and clubs follow different training philosophies. The right approach depends on the swimmers, their goals and their development stage.
What matters most: distance or technique?
Both matter. But for long-term success, distance should not come at the expense of poor technique.
Final Thoughts
Different swim squads train in different ways, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. Some programmes place more emphasis on distance, while others focus heavily on drills, skills, starts, turns and technique.
There is no single perfect coaching method.
However, parents should understand that swimming more metres is not always the same as becoming a better swimmer. If poor technique is repeated over and over again, it can become difficult to change later.
The strongest swimmers are usually those who develop both a good engine and excellent technical skills. Fitness helps swimmers work hard, but technique helps that effort become speed.
So, if your swimmer spends a session working on streamline, turns, breakouts or drills, remember that those details matter. At higher levels of the sport, races are often decided by the smallest margins.
As always, the key is to trust the process.
Great swimming is not built by distance alone. It is built through purposeful training, quality movement, good coaching, patience and long-term development.
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