Junior Competitive

Brown Bears 

Appropriate Athlete Development: Learn to Train / Train to Train
Age Range: 10–13
Roster Group: Junior Competitive
Season Format: Two sessions per season 

The Brown Bears group is designed for developing swimmers in the Learn to Train stage of the Appropriate Athlete Development Model. This group focuses on refining technique, building aerobic capacity, and preparing athletes for higher-level competition. It is ideal for swimmers who are learning to train with purpose and intent, while still developing the foundational skills of competitive swimming.

Brown Bears offers two training sessions per season, and swimmers can choose to commit to one or both depending on their goals and availability.

Physical Development

• Maintains streamlined body position and performs underwater dolphin kicks for 20 meters

• Practices consistent, proper technique every session

• Can swim one length of each stroke at consistent or improved times, using fewer strokes than in previous levels

• Builds strength and speed in stroke breakouts (first 15 meters)

• Maintains consistent technique, stroke rate, and split times in training sets

Aerobic Endurance

• Can comfortably complete a 90-minute practice

• Can swim or kick continuously for 20 minutes

• Capable of legally completing a 400m Individual Medley (IM), including all turns and transitions

Target Racing Standards

• Aware of, if not achieving, North & Interior Divisional and BC Provincial time standards

• Developing toward age-appropriate benchmarks for competitive meets

Target Training Sets

• 6 x 200 IM @ 4:15

• 8 x 100 Kick @ 2:15

• 16 x 100 Free @ 1:50

Cognitive and Tactical Development

• Understands the basic differences between sprint and distance energy systems

• Learns how distance per stroke, stroke rate, and speed are connected

• Demonstrates basic awareness of drag and how to reduce resistance in the water

• Understands the importance of a balanced diet and the types of fuel needed for training and racing

• Uses heart rate to track training intensity and recovery

• Begins to learn race pace training and practices swimming at goal paces

• Develops and follows a prescribed race strategy

The Brown Bears program builds strong, versatile athletes by laying a solid foundation of technique, fitness, and racing awareness, setting swimmers up for success in their future training and competitions.