Last Updated on October 25, 2022 by admin
In this article will provide advice, hacks and tips on the benefits of keeping a swimming logbook.
- Many competitive swimmers keep a swimming logbook.
- To help them record, monitor and evaluate information that is important to a swimmer’s development and progression towards achieving their swimming goals.
The benefits of keeping a swimming logbook
A swimming logbook can provide a swimmer with many benefits, these include,
- Self-motivating: By reviewing their swimming logbook regularly and seeing the progress they have achieved, can build a swimmer’s self-confidence and can be hugely motivational.
- Helping the coach to help the swimmer: By reviewing their swimming logbook, the coach can monitor how they’re responding to the training and competitive programmes.
- Making the swimmer more responsible and accountable: By maintaining a swimming logbook, sometimes motivates swimmers to train at the optimum level.
- A swimming logbook provides a dossier to keep important swimming-related documentation and information in one place, such as:
Goal setting sheets
Swimming goals establish clear targets, priorities and expectations, helping the swimmer to improve training and competitive performance.
- In many cases, the coach will provide the swimmer with a standardised goal-setting sheet.
Related article on the benefits of setting swimming goals
We have produced a related article providing advice, hacks, tips and examples, on the benefits of setting swimming goals. You can view it by clicking this link: swimming goals.
Stroke count and stroke rate recording sheets
Many swimmers include their separate stroke counts and stroke rates monitoring sheets in their swimming logbooks.
- These can be a useful monitors for charting the progress ad the consistency of a swimmer’s stroke length and stroke rate
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Training evaluation sheets
Training evaluation sheets are used to monitor how the swimmer is progressing toward their goals.
- Some swimmers may wish to record each training session in fine detail and in some cases, swimmers may prefer to make only rough notes.
- Some swimmers also record specific endurance test sets such as a step test.
- In some cases, the coach may provide the swimmer with a standardised training evaluation sheet.
Competition evaluation sheets
Competition evaluation sheets are also used to monitor how the swimmer is progressing toward their goals.
- Swimmers may wish to record their competitive performance in their preferred style.
- In some cases, the coach may provide the swimmer with a standardised competition evaluation sheet.
Personal best recording sheets
An important method of monitoring a swimmer’s competitive performance is a personal best recording sheet.
- These should be included in any swimming logbook.
- Swimmers may wish to record their personal best time in their preferred style.
- In some cases, the coach may provide the swimmer with a standardised personal best recording sheet.
County, Regional/State and National qualifying times
A copy of championship qualifying times is an important document for any swimming logbook.
- This is a key point of reference during the evaluation of a swimmer’s personal best times and can usually be found on the relevant association website.
Club competition calendar
The club competition calendar is an important reference document for any swimming log, detailing forthcoming events, gala/meets and championships.
Time Management Plan
As a swimmer develops, so does the pressure on your child’s time.
- They will be training and competing more often and there will be an increase in the amount of school homework.
- There will also be school activities, social activities, and family commitments to attend.
- There will also be the increased pressure of school examinations.
- When swimmers start to come under time pressure, they (and often their parents) sometimes start to panic and believe there is not enough time in the day to complete all of these activities.
- What is required is a focused planned approach, such as formulating a time management plan in the form of a weekly schedule.
- This can be as simple as a grid of A4 paper. At the top of the paper put the days of the week at the header of the first seven columns.
- Along the side of the paper list the times you are awake during the day, one row per half hour of time. So, if you train in the mornings, you may need to start your grid at 5 am (when you wake up) in half-hourly segments until you go to bed at 10 pm.
- Now shade the boxes indicating the days and times you are at school, including any after-school activities, the days and times you do homework, the days and times you train etc.
- You may be surprised that if managed correctly you do find enough time to do all the things that are important to you, it can be just a case of being disciplined and prioritising.
Related article on swimming time management
We have produced a related article providing advice, hacks, tips and examples, on swimming time management. You can view it by clicking this link: swimming time management
Nutritional and hydration
Some swimmers like to include nutrition and hydration information.
- This helps to ensure they are receiving the correct levels of the correct fuel, at the correct time, to aid optimum training and competitive performance.
Related articles on swimming nutrition and hydration
We have produced related articles, providing advice, hacks, tips and examples, on both swimming nutrition and hydration. You can view it by clicking these links: swimming nutrition | swimming hydration.
Other information
Some swimmers include other information, such as height and weight recording sheets, a heart rate recording sheet, land training routines, a land training recording sheet, information on recovery, rest and relaxation and their warm-up and cool-down routines.
A swimming journal
- Many top competitive swimmers also keep a swimming journal.
- To help them organise, record and monitor the value-added information such as their thoughts and feelings
Related article on a swimming journal: the benefits of keeping one
We have produced a related article providing advice, hacks, tips and examples, a swimming journal: the benefits of keeping one. You can view it by clicking this link: a swimming journal: the benefits of keeping one
Swimming logbook formats
- Coaches or clubs sometimes issue their own swimming logbooks, which have the advantage of providing information in a standardised fashion.
- Swimmers sometimes use a professionally published swimming logbook. This has the advantage of providing information in a standardised fashion but has the disadvantage of not making the swimming log as personal and/or as relevant to the swimmer.
- Some swimmers prefer to track their progress on a spreadsheet and/or a word processor.
- Swimmers sometimes prefer a hand-written journal
- Other swimmers prefer a ringer binder with separate hole-punched pages.
Swimmers record their swimming log information in different ways
- Some swimmers like to record everything in fine detail.
- Other swimmers like to record just the briefest of notes.
- For most swimmers, it’s somewhere in between these two methods.
- Whichever format and level of detail a swimmer chooses to keep a swimming log up to date.
- The important thing to remember is, to consistently record information.
- That will allow their progress to be easily monitored and reviewed.
Transferring information from the poolside/deck to your swimming logbook
Sometimes, finding a method that allows the successful transfer of the information whilst keeping the information dry can be problematic.
- Using notepaper: Some swimmers prefer taking notes immediately after training or competition. Then transferring the information into their swimming logbook away from the poolside/deck.
- Waterproof writing paper: There is a growing range of waterproof writing paper available.
- It’s not cheap, but it may be ideal for the swimmer to take poolside/deck notes of the information required for their swimming log.
- Chinagraph pencil and waterproof memo board: A chinagraph pencil and a waterproof memo board, is used by many coaches.
- It’s a tried and tested method of keeping poolside/deck notes waterproof.
- Plastic folders: The use of clear plastic folders may provide sufficient protection from the water on the poolside/deck.
- Shammy Towel: Just like a larger version of the ‘chamois’ leather that is used to wash a car, only this is a larger size. It’s very light, useful and smaller than a normal towel, allowing the swimmer to quickly dry off before attempting to transfer any swimming log information.
- Training schedules – receiving printed copies: Some coaches produce their training schedules on a pc and bring a printout to the training session. They may be persuaded to let you have the schedule or a copy after the session has finished.
- Competition results – via the club’s or hosts website: Some clubs make a member’s competitive results available on their website. Some hosts clubs also make the results of their event available on their website, as do most county, regional/state or national championships.
Takeaways
A swimming logbook can provide a swimmer with many benefits, these include,
- Self-motivating: By reviewing their swimming logbook regularly and seeing the progress they have achieved, can build a swimmer’s self-confidence and can be hugely motivational.
- Helping the coach to help the swimmer: By reviewing their swimming log, the coach can monitor how they’re responding to the training and competitive programmes.
- Making the swimmer more responsible and accountable: By maintaining a swimming log, sometimes motivates swimmers to train at the optimum level.
- A swimming log provides a dossier to keep important swimming-related documentation and information in one place.
Related publication: My Swimming Logbook
We have published a related publication: My Swimming Logbook is a set of tried and tested customised swimming logbook templates that enables you to customise your swimming logbook. For further details and ordering information please use the following link: My Swimming Logbook
Swimming resource library
We have provided a swimming resource library, containing links to all of our publications and blog articles. To access any article simply click on the attached page link: Swimming resource library
The Competitive Swimming Exchange – Facebook Group
The Competitive Swimming Exchange is a Facebook group to help exchange ideas and information to collectively improve the sport we love.
- It’s an international group for all swimmers, coaches, teachers, masters, triathletes and swimming parents.
- It’s for all those who are interested in competitive swimming, either in the pool or in open water.
For more information about joining this group please use the following link: The Competitive Swimming Exchange