Club InformationClub Information
Assembled here is a collection of information about Reading Swimming Club. There are useful articles circulated to squad members, and club recognition, history and past members.
The club has been awarded Swim 21 accreditation - an excellent kitemark of quality.
The various competitive Leagues we participate in.
The club's Mailling list - subscriptions is highly recommended, as it's a way of pushing information around quickly when necessary. Usage is not high.
A short history of Reading Swimming Club. There are also some links to swimming in Reading. This is a useful google search for historians.
In this section is a collection of articles gleaned from various sources, publications and web sites. Roughly split into two areas: One for Swimmers, and one for Parents.
The parents may of course want to read the swimmers articles. Oh - swimmers: you should read the Parent's ones too, so you know what they've been asked to do for you!
| FOR NEW SWIMMERS AND PARENTS | |
| Swimmer's Parents' Guide | For new swimmers and their parents wondering what this is all about. |
| How to get DQed | Oh dear. Now you're swimming competitions, you've gone and got disqualified. Here's the reasons why - a "What NOT to do" list! A quick guide to stroke law mishaps. |
| Drugs in Sport | A guide - or rather, how not to guide - to getting caught in the accidental trap. |
| MUSCLES AND STRETCHING | |
| The BBC's Virtual Body | Interactive "game", which identifies the muscles in the body, and the exercise to stretch them |
| STROKE VIDEOS from the BBC's swimming Sports Academy | |
| Backstroke | Sarah Prices highlights improvements for Backstroke |
| Breaststroke | James Gibson gets to grip with a Breaststroke masterclass |
| Butterfly | Steve Parry shows mail drills and tips and tricks for Butterfly |
| HYDRATION or the Importance of Drink | |
| Don't be so wet, | |
| Water, Food and Rest | |
| Fluid Facts | Did you know? |
| Should Swimmers Drink?. | Swimmers don't sweat... do they? |
| NUTRITION - eat you way to top performance (Help here please Mum!) | |
| Nutrition at Swim Meets | |
| Sport and Nutrition | |
| The Good Carb Guide | |
| Fueling your Stroke | |
| Practical Guide to Eating More Carbohydrate. | |
| Disordered Eating | Eating problems are a fact of life within the swimming community. Read true stories of swimmers who have struggles with the problem... |
| IMPROVEMENT | |
| Elements of Speed. | What are the keys to becoming better? See what a champion has to say, and see if his comments work for you. |
| Yes You Can | |
| Training Checklist | |
| Winning Starts with Today | |
| ATTITUDE - Parent and Swimmers | |
| How to be a Happy Swimmer | How to stay in touch with reality, and avoid burnout, all with a smile on your face. |
| Improvement's Tortuous Path. | Ride the roller-coaster to winning. |
| Before the Big Time | Some Olympians, it seems were talent spotted whilst still in nappies. But many were late bloomers. Read about some of these... |
| Going for Goal | You're ready to take on the world: but getting the 'flu 3 days before the big meet is life laughing at you... Or a faster swimmer moves into town... |
| Head Game | Does your head get in the way when you race? Some tips on how to handle the mental side of racing. |
| Sprinters | Are they like blondes: Do they really have more fun like they seem to? |
| Inside a Sprinter's Mind | Race over in 30 seconds! How do you prepare for something that's over so fast? How do the best sprinters prepare mentally? |
| It Hurts so Good | Distance Swimmers need certain abilities. Always first in and last out of the water. Not everyone can hack this stuff... |
| Recipe for Greatness | What ingredients do you need to make champion? |
| CoachesInfo | Website also has some interesting articles under swimming. |
| Meet Etiquette | Can you think of good swim manners? A lot of "do"s rather than "don't"s. |
| TIME MANAGEMENT - fitting it all in - and having a life | |
| Rise and Shine | The Early A.M. Workouts: Love 'em? hate 'em? What are the benefits and drawbacks? |
| Time to Swim | Only a small percentage of swimmers are minorities: Why? |
| The Student Athlete | What can you learn from successful scholastic athletes? |
| The Long Goodbye | Even if you have a career outside swimming, "What am I going to do now?" |
| Swimming Smart | Rather American, but what does it take to be a scolastic swimmer? |
| HEALTH | |
| Avoiding Winter Illness | Colds and 'flu, and how long to take off training, and ease back into it. |
| Oh What a Pain | Don't ignore those niggles and twinges. It won't go away .. it might just resurface - an injury that is here to stay. |
| MASTERS | |
| Swimming after School | What if you're not forging ahead, beating all comers? Swimming over, right? Wrong Masters Swimming is the next step. Maybe your parents should even start swimming! |
| WATER POLO | |
| Critical Mass | Mixing Swimming and Water Polo: Is it possible without conflicts? |
| GENERAL - collections of articles, some light hearted | |
| Parents and the athletes | Yes: they are your children: Buy what do they need from you? |
| Parents and the coaches | Forming the correct relationship with your child's coach can pay dividends. |
| Parents and the club | The club would not exist with out parents: If you'd like to get involved... |
| Ideal parent | But who wants to be one of those? |
| Parent's Ten Commandments | Common pitfalls to be aware of. |
| The Hardest Things in Swimming | Does your top peeve make the list? |
| Retaining and Recruiting Swimmers | Another US Swimming article - this time a Survey |
| Butterfly | How the Butterfly stroke was developed |
| Open Water Swimming | No black stripe to follow. Visibility less than 2 feet. Unseen creatures in the deep. Want to try Open Water Swimming? |
| Swim Suits | Better than Skin? Do body suits make a difference? |
| The More Things Change | A look at Swimming |
| Land of Opportunity | Americans getting excited about themselves, but interesting none-the-less. |
Alumni - Ex-members of Reading Swimming Club who have moved on and want to stay in touch.