About Bulldog Swim Club
Bulldog Swim Club offers competitive and recreational swim teams and programs for ages 5-18. Emphasis is placed on stroke technique and developing children and teens who wish to improve their swimming and racing skills. Our developmental, non-competitive programs are designed to foster a love for the water while learning the necessary skills to move up to the next level.
We offer several intrasquad meets throughout the year to introduce our athletes to swim meets and provide a safe environment for them to race. Our competitive athletes swim year-round and regularly attend USA sanctioned swim meets. In these levels, we continue to focus on technique while developing a commitment to swimming and their team.
We conduct practices in the rain or shine. We will pull athletes from the pool in the event of lightning.
Competitive Groups
These are our competitive swim groups, consisting of Bronze, Silver, Silver Advanced, and Gold training groups. Participation requires an annual USA Swimming membership, which will be paid separately.
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Bronze
Coaches will rely on drill exercises to refine athletes’ strokes and will provide feedback during practice. Coaches will introduce the underwater dolphin kick and breaststroke pulldown and will teach athletes how to dive from the blocks. Athletes will use interval training to build endurance in all four strokes. Flipturns will be used for freestyle and backstroke unless otherwise noted.
The aim is for athletes to be able to compete in a 50-yard race in each stroke while being able to maintain correct (legal) form.
Athletes will be expected to compete in all Intrasquad Meets and at least one USA Swimming meet every three months.
Prerequisites: Successful completion of the following tryout set.
Endurance: 200 continuous freestyle with side breathing, no breaks, and streamline push off every wall
Strokes: 100 IM… 100% LEGAL strokes and turns
Kick: 4 x 25 streamline flutter kick @ 1:00 on front or back, can’t break streamline arms!
Skills: Freestyle flip turn, and racing dive from the side of the pool
Equipment: Fins, kick board
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Silver
Coaches will rely on drill exercises to refine athletes’ strokes and will provide feedback during practice. Coaches will introduce the concepts of “distance per stroke”, “reducing drag,” and breathing patterns to improve athletes’ efficiency. Athletes will use interval training and will swim more laps per practice than Bronze, to build endurance in all four strokes. Flipturns, underwater dolphin kick, and pulldowns will always be used unless otherwise specified by the coaches.
The aim is for athletes to be able to compete in a 100-yard race in each stroke, 200-yard freestyle and 200 IM, while being able to maintain correct (legal) form.
Athletes will be expected to compete in all Intrasquad Meets and at least one USA Swimming meet every three months. Athletes will begin tracking their best times from practice and swim meets to follow their progress.
Prerequisites: Successful completion of the following tryout set.
Endurance: 8 x 50 FR @ 1:00 holding :50 or faster. Flipturns on all 50’s
Strokes: 100 IM (legal!) from a racing dive. Finish in 1:45 or faster
Kick: 8 x 25 streamline flutter kick @ :40 on front or back, can’t break streamline arms!
Skills: Underwater dolphin kick in streamline off the walls, pulldown for breaststroke
Equipment: Fins, kick board, snorkel
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Silver Advanced
Coaches will dedicate one practice per week to teaching drills and providing feedback on stroke technique. Athletes will take responsibility for using drills and applying coaches’ advice to improve their strokes.
The aim is for athletes to be able to compete in a 200-yard race in each stroke, 500-yard freestyle and 400 IM, while being able to maintain correct (legal) form.
Athletes will be expected to compete in all Intrasquad Meets and one USA Swimming meet every month. Athletes will track their pace from practice, track their best times from swim meets, and set goals for the season.
Prerequisites: Successful completion of the following tryout set.
Endurance: 8 x 100 FR @ 1:40. Holding 1:30 or faster
Strokes: 4 x 100 IM @ 1:50. Holding faster than 1:40
Kick: 6 x 50 streamline flutter kick @ 1:10. Holding faster than 1:00
Dive: Race Dive from block
Equipment: Fins, kick board, snorkel, pull buoy, paddles
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Gold
Coaches will provide stroke technique feedback on a case by case basis and introduce advanced drills to improve swimmers’ propulsion. Athletes are responsible for
applying drills and advice, and asking for feedback on stroke technique. Coaches will lead dryland exercises and utilize resistance training equipment during dryland and pool workouts.Athletes will track their pace from practice, track their best times from swim meets, and set goals for the season.
Prerequisites: Successful completion of the following tryout set.
Endurance: 16 x 100 FR @ 1:30. Holding faster than 1:20
Strokes: 8 x 100 IM @ 1:40. Holding faster than 1:30
Kick: 8 x 50 streamline flutter kick @ :55
Equipment: Fins, kick board, snorkel, pull buoy, paddles
Developmental Groups
These are our preparatory classes, consisting Blue 2 and SwimFit. The intention of this series of classes is to prepare students for participation on a swim team and to develop in students a love for swimming that will last a lifetime.
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Blue 2
Students will practice in the big pool. Instructors of this group will focus on preparing students for participation on the swim team by teaching the racing dive progression, the basics of flip turns and open turns, circle swimming, and how to use the pace clock for interval training. Instructors will also introduce conditioning to strengthen students’ legs and core, and will teach the Individual Medley.
Prerequisites:
Completion of Blue 1 OR
- Somersault – smooth motion, knees tucked tight
- Underwater streamline glide, from the ready position
- 50 yd freestyle with side breathing from a correct seated dive
- 50 yd backstroke from underwater streamline push-off
- 25 yd breaststroke from a seated dive
- 25 yd butterfly from a seated dive
- All strokes must be competition-ready, according to USA Swimming rules, for the entire 25 yards. An underwater streamline must follow the seated dive.
Equipment: Fins, kick board
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SwimFit
The goal of this group is to cultivate a love and appreciation for swimming while increasing endurance, health and general physical fitness levels. This is the ideal place to develop great training habits for life or to prepare for upcoming high school swim or water polo seasons. Stroke technique and endurance work will be accomplished through both fun and challenging sets.
This level will refine stroke mechanics for all four of the competitive swim strokes. Endurance will be a key focus of this class and students will also be taught about the competitive world of swimming including competitive starts, turns, and specific stroke techniques.
Prerequisite:
- Successful completion of the following tryout set
- Graduate of Blue 1/2
- Age 10-17
Endurance: 200 continuous freestyle with side breathing, no breaks, and streamline push off every wall.
Strokes: 100 IM… 100% LEGAL strokes and turns
Kick: 4 x 25 streamline flutter kick @ 1:00 on front or back, can’t break streamline arms!
Skills: Freestyle flip turn, and racing dive from the side of the pool
Equipment: Fins, kick board
Apply Today!
Welcome Packet & Registration Forms
The welcome packet details swim levels, pricing, scheduling, policies, procedures, and frequently asked questions. Please fill out the registration forms at the back of the welcome packet completely before emailing to Head Coach Igor Marchenko at marchenkoi@smccd.edu.
Download the Welcome Packet
Pricing
Contact Us
For questions or more information on Bulldogs Swim Club, please contact Head Coach Igor Marchenko at marchenkoi@smccd.edu or Operations Manager of Aquatics Nina Pineda at pinedan@smccd.edu.