• Encourage your swimmer to find the fun in practice.

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• Don't criticize the coach. Like everything swimming changes through the generations. New rules, new techniques, & new ideas make even those who grew up swimming out of the loop. If you have issues you want to address- take them directly to the coach. They are there to help your swimmer. Remember you picked your program for a reason. Trust your decision.​

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• Allow your swimmer to fail & then teach them to how to learn from it. Resilience is important, not just in athletics but life. If we shelter & protect our kids from failure, they will never feel they earned their success.​

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• Don't reward success with bribery. Extrinsic motivation is short term. Motivation that comes from within helps athletes develop healthy habits and teaches them the skills they need to achieve their goals.

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• Do not make your swimmer's teammates the enemy. Friendships in sports are important motivators for participation & personal success. Swimmers will already have natural competition with each other. Encouraging rivalries takes the focus off of what they are doing in the pool and creates unnecessary resentment.