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Coaching for Junior Swimmers
Herts Swim Coach provides 1-to-1 coaching for junior competitive swimmers aged 8–18 at The Venue, Borehamwood and Bushey Grove — DBS-checked, Swim England-qualified coaches working alongside your child's club programme. Technical foundations, age-group development and the individual attention that builds long-term performance.
What we
develop
Our junior coaching addresses the full technical picture — from foundational stroke work to race-specific skills for age-group competition.
Technical foundations
Correct stroke mechanics built early and drilled consistently. The habits formed now determine the ceiling of a swimmer's long-term development.
Stroke-specific refinement
All four strokes worked individually. Identifying the specific technique issues in each swimmer's stroke and correcting them with precision.
Starts, turns & underwater
The phases that junior swimmers often neglect. Properly coached starts and turns can take seconds off a race time and become a significant competitive advantage.
Race craft & competition preparation
Pacing strategy, warming up well, managing pre-race nerves and executing a race plan. Skills that develop with experience — accelerated with coaching.
County & national preparation
Structured preparation blocks for swimmers targeting qualifying times or championships, with coaching timed to peak for key events.
Athlete development & confidence
Long-term athlete development principles. Building a positive relationship with performance, resilience and the habits that sustain improvement over years.
Individual attention
changes everything
Junior club sessions develop fitness and race conditioning — but in groups of 10 to 20 swimmers, individual technique rarely gets the sustained attention it needs. Technical habits formed early are hard to correct later. The right coaching at the right age is an investment that pays off across a swimmer's entire competitive career.
Our junior coaching works alongside your child's existing club programme. 1:1 and small group sessions focused specifically on their stroke, their events and their development pathway — without disrupting their squad schedule.
Enquire for your swimmer →
Who junior
coaching is for
Club squad swimmers aged 8–18
Junior swimmers already competing with a club who want additional technical coaching to accelerate their development.
Swimmers targeting county or regional times
Athletes chasing qualifying standards who need specific technical improvements to close the gap to the times they're targeting.
Age-group swimmers on a plateau
Junior swimmers whose times have stalled despite consistent training. Technical coaching often identifies a small number of high-impact changes.
Swimmers preparing for key championships
Structured pre-competition coaching blocks for juniors preparing for county, regional or national championships.
Development swimmers building the right habits
Earlier-stage competitive swimmers who want technically correct foundations established before bad habits become ingrained.
Swimmers returning after injury or a break
Junior athletes getting back into competition shape after time away. Rebuilding with correct technique rather than rushing back to volume.
Safeguarding: All sessions involving swimmers under 18 require a parent or guardian to be present on-site or in the immediate vicinity as agreed with your coach before sessions begin. All Herts Swim Coach coaches hold current DBS clearance and relevant safeguarding certifications.
From first session
to county times
Enquire
Tell us about your swimmer — their age, events, current times, club and what you want to achieve. Takes two minutes. We'll respond within 24 hours.
Assessment & introduction
The first session is a full technical assessment. The coach gets to know your swimmer, watches their stroke across events and identifies the highest-impact areas to work on.
Development programme
A coaching plan tailored to your swimmer's age, events and competition calendar. Clear goals, regular progress reviews and communication with parents throughout.
Race preparation & review
Coaching peaks ahead of key galas and championships. Post-competition review to assess what transferred from training and update the programme accordingly.
Common
questions
No — our coaching is designed to complement your child's club programme. Sessions are scheduled around their squad timetable, and our coaches work with their existing training load so the additional work supports their club conditioning rather than conflicting with it. We're happy to share session notes with club coaches if that's useful.
We work with junior swimmers from age 8 upwards, through to 18. The coaching approach is adapted for the swimmer's age and developmental stage — technical coaching for an 8-year-old looks very different to preparation for a 16-year-old targeting national times. Enquire and we'll confirm whether the programme is a good fit for your child's current stage.
Sessions run at The Venue Leisure Centre in Borehamwood and Bushey Grove Leisure Centre in Bushey. Families travel to us from across Hertfordshire and North London — including Radlett, Watford, St Albans, Barnet and Potters Bar — with both pools a short drive from the M1, A1(M) and M25.
For under-18s, a parent or guardian needs to be present on-site or in the immediate vicinity throughout sessions. This is agreed with your coach before sessions begin. Many parents find it useful to watch — especially early sessions — so they can reinforce technical cues at home or in club training.
Not at all — in fact, earlier is often better. Technique is much easier to build correctly than to correct later. If your child is swimming competitively and has the attention span and commitment for 1:1 coaching, the technical work done at development stage often has the biggest long-term impact. Enquire and we'll advise honestly on whether it's the right time.
Club swimmers
For adult competitive swimmers looking for specialist coaching alongside their existing club programme — technique, race craft and starts & turns.
Coaching for Club Swimmers
Stroke technique, race craft and individual attention for adult competitive club swimmers. Runs alongside — not instead of — club training.
Find out more →New to competitive
swimming?
Enquire about
junior coaching
Tell us about your swimmer — their age, events, current level and what you'd like to achieve. We'll be in touch within 24 hours.