Hi all,

I am an ok swimmer, but I would like to get better and work on my stroke technique (which I believe is far from optimal). I am looking for a good swim squad to join in the eastern suburbs of Sydney.

I tried a squad at the pool close to where I work, I was very disappointed. I turned up and told the coach what I wanted. He told me to follow the sets written on the board. And he just spent the whole hour chatting with his colleagues without even looking at what we were doing.

Can anybody recommend something?

Thanks.

Bump...

Can anyone help?

Will try Bondifit. That is Spot Anderson who was/is a triathlete. He is in his early 40's now but still wins his age group in the ocean swims easily. He is a member of the Brat Club as well which is the Bondi road and tri club.

i am also looking for a squad in the eastern suburbs after a bad experience with spots group,i was thinking about the uni,is this the one will had the poor coaching with?i was also going to find out what the tamarama group does in the winter-briz

No, Brizza, my squad was at the Heffron Park swimming pool.

I'm interested in whatever you can find. I'm really keen on getting faster at this swimming thing...

Hi

I've just joined a squad to try and get faster and so far so good. It's with the Wett Ones at the Sydney University Pool on Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights plus Saturday afternoons. Lots of people in this squad - takes up three lanes and the coaches have been great. Wett Ones allows you to try out their squad for about three sessions and then after that they like you to join. Wednesday nights they do dinner and drinks at the pub just a block down from the pool.

Cheers!

thanks nihao,i'm going to look into the wett ones for saturday or monday and report back

nihao,i completely misread your entry and thought you said NSW uni thanks anyway

i went to the squad at the nsw uni last night,it would have been good if i was a fitness swimmer as they did butterfly,breasr stroke and technique stuff,in fact i am a crap swimmer who does freestyle well,their regular coach is away and i'll give it another go next week.btw there was a guy with an accent which sounded like french-Will?i didn't get a chance to talk.

Wett Ones at Syd Uni include a bit of breastroke and butterfly but the majority of the swimming is freestyle and fast! This squad cracks a fast pace! Every few Sunday's they also do long distance swims at the pool and you get timed etc. They have three different coaches and they are all excellent!
Syd Uni pool is not very far from the Eastern Suburbs, it's very close to Redfern.

No Brizza, it wasn't me.

So would you recommend this squad? I guess not if I want to get my freestyle stroke right for triathlons.

i will keep going to this squad until i am a bit fitter as i have had about six weeks off and will do my own stroke work at the back,i don't do three to four k's on my own but would find myself doing that in a squad so thats fine in the meantime,i'm going to the wett ones when i work out the logistics,i want to do the longer races next season and improve again in the ocean swims,i got lots of top three age group places and think i can go better so squads for better or worse have to be done,in october i'm going to queensland for two weeks and will do about 100k's in that time,ooooh i'm getting excited!!!!

come and train with me and we'll do some real hard stroke/speed/strength stuff

i didthe swim squad at nsw uni with a guy called jonathon,all strong stuff,good coaching,a bit of technique stuff,a few drills,not to much(i hate drills).state of origin next week thereafter i will be a regular.nihao i left a message with the wett ones,they are a gay and lesbian squad,i dont know if i will get in as i don't know anyone aready in the squad-their ad said gay,lesbian and friends.

Hi Brizza, I didn't know anyone in the squad and I got in. Friendly bunch with great coaches. I'm not gay or lesbian. This squad has very good swimmers - quite inspiring!

i'm from bondi and swim in the ocean as first preference,as soon as the sea is swimmable i'm out there with the sharks and can't commit to 10 visits or join for a year or anything like that.the wett ones are stilla possibility tho

nehao,i did 4 ks in the ocean yesterday,on one my laps of bondi bay i met the tossers(tamarama ocean swim etc)a great day if it keeps up i may not see an indoor pool until next winter

guys,i'm feeling quite chuffed with myself as i did13.10 for a kilometer last night on basic mileage and a once per week swim squad,i normally do my first time trial after the c2s weekend and i'm usually a minute slower.the coach has been changing my stroke subtely(s) over the weeks and i now have the most enormously long reach and smoothhydrodynamics due to the slight alterations to body roll, head position and so on,all contributing to streamlining,same effort/power output more speed.My son won his heat in the NSW state surfing champs with the highest combined score of the day,i just thought i would throw that in-briz

Congratulations! Good work - keep it up Brizza!

Well done Brizza and to your son as well!

So where is your squad finally?

thanks guys,my son won his heat today as well,another round tomorrow then semis and finals on sunday.the squad is in nsw uni,i go wednesday nights

sorry guys,i couldn't stop myself,my son is in the semi finals of the aussie championships tomorrow,surfing,not running or swimming,yeeeha

Well done to him Mate! Let us know how he goes.

BTW, I am going to the squad at NSW uni now on wednesday mornings.

i was beaten by three minutes over two ks by a 54 year old man,so i'm doing hell sessions at the moment,by january i will be doing forty 100s on the 90 secs with efforts on the 80secs,new territory for me,a bit scary

Well done Brizza - sounds like you have made excellent progress.Will - how do you find the Uni Crew? I do my alternate swims there on the weekendsIf anyone is on the hunt for somewhere to start swimming, my better half and I have been doing the stroke correction thing for about 4months now - At Souths Juniors Gym Pool (heated 25m)(yearly m'ship to Souths $11(??) - cas. gym visit $6 - swim class $8) Monday nights 7-8pmCraig is a swim champ himself and takes the better swimmers, while Sasha - who is just as good - takes the learn-to-swimmers. Usual evening consists of drills and various strokes, though mostly freestyle (I did attemp Butterfly in a set of 10 x 50m and ended up with a gob-full o' water )My stroke has improved heaps and am now pulling 400m <8mins (small working goal for newbie swimmer).They also have adult squads on friday evenings i think...whoops! sorry to yell... (checks font size)

I finished the Bondi to Bronte in 42mn, not very fast but still a 20mn improvement compared to last year.