What Great Swimmers Do in the Summer

As coaches, we're often asked what athletes should do during the summer break. The answer might surprise you: for most swimmers, more structured training isn't necessarily the best thing for their development.

Instead, we encourage our swimmers to:

• Ride bikes with friends

• Play basketball at the park

• Go hiking with family

• Play beach volleyball

• Try pickleball, soccer, tennis, golf, or ultimate frisbee

• Spend time outdoors

• Kayak, canoe, paddleboard, spend time in or on the water (in creative ways)

• Be active through self-directed play and activity rather than coach-led training

These experiences build physical literacy, confidence, creativity, and problem-solving skills. They expose athletes to new movement patterns and challenges that ultimately help them become more complete swimmers when they return to the pool.

Just as importantly, they build connection, independence, and positive experiences around being active.

Summer is an opportunity to develop athleticism, explore new activities, spend time with friends and family, and recharge for the season ahead. There will be plenty of time for focused swimming when training resumes.

The athletes who thrive long-term are often the ones who develop a broad athletic foundation, maintain a love of movement, and arrive in September excited, motivated, and ready to train.

This summer, be active, be social, be adventurous… Try something new! Get outside! Play!

If you're looking for some inspiration, we've attached our Dinos Summer Bucket List. We encourage you to share with your athlete to help spark some creative, active ideas. Feel free to share photos and stories along the way, and let us know about any summer adventures the list inspires. We can't wait to hear about them in September!

Find the PDF of the Bucket List here.