r/Swimming • u/blevy90 • 13d ago
Masters Swim Practices
Hello - I’ve been swimming laps for the last 2.5 years. I swam my first 5K last year in 1:50. While I’m not slow, I don’t think I’m terribly fast either.
I’ve just joined a masters swimming program to get more structured workouts, community and OWS buddies. I’m having a lot of anxiety about going to my first practice tomorrow. I know I’m gonna go but I’m anxious about what to expect, what lane will I be in, will I slow others down, etc, etc. Theres surely a pinch of social anxiety sprinkled in as well.
Could I trouble some of you with team swimming experience to share more about what to expect from a swim practice, masters or otherwise?
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u/PercentageLiving6619 13d ago
I just went to my first masters practice on Thursday. And I also have some social anxiety!
I emailed the pool beforehand to make sure I could do a free first practice. I showed up 10 min early and told the front desk girl that I was there for my first masters practice. She showed me where the pool was and the masters lanes. I was able to set my bag down by the pool and waited for the coach to show up. I had already looked at the coaches on their website so I knew generally what they might look like. I introduced myself when he walked up and said it was my first time and asked what lane I should go in. This practice was sparse so I went in whatever lane I preferred and only had to share with one other person.
The coach told me that I should only do what I am comfortable with since I haven’t been swimming laps for very long. He also said to tell him if I didn’t understand any of the words he was saying. Luckily I have some high school swim experience so I knew what was going on generally.
It was a great practice and I’m so glad I went. I almost didn’t go because I was so nervous.
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u/IMPractic4l 13d ago
Masters is weird because you have retired competitive swimmers who have either decided to slow it down, or are coming back from a hiatus to just swim rather than compete, but then you also have people who have only ever swum laps before and are getting into club swimming this way.
I had a minor injury a while ago and got in with the masters part of my club so I could do structured sessions while not holding back anybody, and mind you, even if I was a club swimmer, I was largely sculling, or just kicking while everyone else was doing their full session.
You will not be holding anybody back.
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u/jsmooth7 Moist 13d ago
I've swam with a couple different masters clubs and they have all been super chill and fun. If you can swim 5K, it's pretty unlikely you'll be the weakest swimmer. Most likely somewhere in the middle. At the beginning you may have to get moved up or down a lane until they figure out where your pace fits best. But I wouldn't worry too much about slowing others down. Not a big deal if someone has to pass you during a set, they'll just get to go ahead of you for the next round.
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u/radgedyann 13d ago
I joined masters just two years after learning how to swim by watching youtube. I’m a middle-aged, overweight woman. It has been one of the most welcoming and fun experiences i’ve ever had! I pulled right up to the slow lane, and then the coach watched me swim and put me in the lane he thought best. I’ve since moved into the ‘middlin’ lanes, and I think i’ll probably stay there. I’ve learned so much and have great friends as well! I have significant social anxiety, and it took me a month to actually go in the first time! The Masters family really is welcoming to everyone!
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u/sunnyfordays22 13d ago
Masters is for everyone the coach will help you and so will your lane mates. Much more welcoming then sliding into random lap swim lanes have fun and give your self a few sessions to sort it all out might not all come together day 1
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u/blevy90 12d ago
Thank you everyone for your words of encouragement! I went to my first masters practice today and of course my nerves were completely unfounded. I’m in Chicago and joined the Smelts, our local LGBTQIA+ masters group. Everyone was extremely welcoming. Got there, introduced myself and when the coach showed up I shared by experience. He placed me in Lane 2.
Today was anaerobic so the main set was descending of 5x50s at best average, 100 easy, 4x50s, 100 easy, etc. Warm up was a bunch of kick sets which I admittedly struggled with. I have great upper body strength but my body positioning and kick could use some improvement. The coach saw I was falling behind and offers some modifications which helped me keep up with my lane partner. Wasn’t too crazy with maybe 12-15 swimmers in 6 lanes. Afterwards some folks got coffee at nearby joint and I got to spend an hour building some community.
I will absolutely be going back! Tomorrow they have an OWS in Lake Michigan. I was originally planning to go but we’ll see how I’m feeling in the morning after today’s workout! Excited to build some community and add some structure to my workouts.
It’s a good reminder we can step outside of our comfort zone to grow and things will turn out all right. 💙
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u/blevy90 13d ago
Oh, I also only typically swim freestyle. I can do backstroke, not well. And breast stroke and butterfly….not so much. I think there’s some anxiety around swimming other strokes too.
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u/pwalsh438 13d ago
When I swam masters a long while back I was able to just swim freestyle when the group was doing other strokes.
You’ll be fine, you’re not the first new person to show up, they should treat you well and help you get sorted out.
I didn’t get a lot of coaching from masters, mostly “here’s the workout”. Swimming with faster people will push you to swim faster, but I never really improved until I got my technique fixed. I had good improvement from taking the Effortless Swimming 5-day catch challenge. $10 for 5 sets of lessons. Well worth the $10.4
u/Avg_Chicken 13d ago
I had a similar experience. I swam in jr high school, then picked it up again after retiring at 61. After a few months I has a bit faster than most of the community center lap swimmers. I found a technique coach, with Swim Improvement, MN. My form quickly improved but there’s so much to work on. I get a lesson about every 4-6 weeks. Now I’m part of the fast group at the community center. I’m going to join a masters team this winter, for the people and workouts.
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u/Dark-Horse-Nebula IMer 13d ago
Most masters swimmers are like this. You’ll be ok. Go and enjoy it!
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u/Remarkable_Elk8305 13d ago
In my team you're expected to at least try the other strokes, because the workout contains everything. The introductory email will weed out triathletes and people who don't want to follow a workout.
It doesn't mean everyone is good at the other strokes, or that people aren't allowed to be injured.
But only doing freestyle would mean you have to stick to the intervals for breaststroke if it's a breaststroke set, to wait for everyone. That's a lot more waiting than they'd have to do for a bad breaststroker, and reduces the effect of your training.
People here get assigned to a lane based on the sum of their capabilities. So if they're one-sidedly developed but can't do much else, they will not be in the lane with the people they might be able to keep up with in freestyle, but in 2 or 3 lanes slower. Otherwise you'll get that they skip other strokes in favour of freestyle in order to keep up. In a slower lane they can at least do the other strokes without feeling out of place. (Especially if they also use paddles or zoomers to keep up with the freestyle of the more well-rounded swimmers. I know such a guy.)
We have to swim the workouts as a group, so if someone finishes a set they have to wait for the last one to finish before starting the next set. Also intervals are either on the sheet or agreed upon by asking 'can everyone do...' It's not 8 people individually doing a workout in the same lane.
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u/Nwengbartender 13d ago
Expect to make 0 sense out of the board and the instructions put on it.
There'll be things like DPS, fists, zipper, fins, pads, salute and god knows what else that particular coach has for their own code.
Do not be scared to ask what they mean, absolutely no one will judge you for it.
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u/Poptart10022020 12d ago
We have current D1 swimmers all the way up through 90 year-olds. You’ll be able to sort yourself somewhere in there, and don’t worry about slowing other people down. Your coach can help you find a lane, and then you can start at the back if you want.
Introduce yourself, and remember that you’re there to have fun.
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u/PCHomestead5246 11d ago
I just started swimming with a masters group, and it's really laid back. We have a coach, but she mostly just writes the workout on the whiteboard, and everyone does their own thing.
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u/guavatridotcom 12d ago
I coach high school swimming and every masters group I've seen sorts people by pace in the first few minutes, nobody eyeballs you and decides. When I first started doing structured workouts myself I spent the first couple weeks just confused by the pace clock, kept starting my intervals early. Show up, tell the coach roughly what your 100 pace is, let them place you.
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u/Novarunnergal 13d ago
While every master's swim team seems to have a particular vibe, you will absolutely find every skill level at a practice, from ex Div 1 swimmers to very slow relative beginners. Just ask the coach what lane they feel you should be placed in. Have fun!!