Are We Overtraining Our Kids? The Truth About Endurance vs. Speed in Youth Swimming

As a parent, you stand by the poolside and watch your child's lesson. You see them working hard, and you equate progress with effort. It’s a natural assumption: the more laps they swim, the fitter and better they must be getting. This "more is better" mindset is one of the most common—and in our expert opinion, one of the most damaging—myths in youth sports today.

You might see a 5-year-old being pushed to swim a full 50-meter lap. They look exhausted, their technique collapses, but they make it to the other end. As a parent, you feel a surge of pride at their "endurance." As professional coaches, we feel a sense of concern.

At Dreamers, our entire philosophy is built on a modern, scientific understanding of Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD). We are here to tell you that for young children, this relentless focus on endurance is often the wrong goal, at the wrong time. This guide will explain the science behind our "speed-first, quality-first" approach, and why it's the secret to building a healthier, faster, and happier swimmer for life.

The Problem with "Sloppy Laps": When Endurance Kills Technique

The problem with pushing a 5, 6, or 7-year-old to swim long distances is that their body is not yet ready for it. When a child becomes fatigued—which happens quickly—they revert to "survival mode."

What does this look like?

• Their "high elbow" (a key part of a good freestyle pull) drops.

• Their streamlined body position breaks, and their hips sink.

• Their fast, hip-driven flutter kick turns into a slow, sloppy "bicycle kick."

In that moment, your child is no longer practicing good swimming. They are actively practicing—and ingraining—bad habits. Their brain is building incorrect muscle memory. This is why we so often see kids who have been in other programs for years come to us with flawed techniques that take months to undo. This "endurance" focus, meant to help, has actually hurt their long-term development.

The Science: Why We Train Speed Before Stamina

Our "no sloppy laps" rule isn't just a preference; it's based on proven sports science. The LTAD model identifies "critical windows of trainability"—specific ages when a child's body is primed to develop certain skills.

The "Speed Window" (Ages 6-9) For pre-pubescent children, the body is in a critical window for neuromuscular development. This is the time to hardwire the brain-to-muscle connections that create speed, skill, and coordination. The focus should be on training their fast-twitch muscle fibers—the ones responsible for explosive, powerful movements.

The "Endurance Window" (Begins around Puberty) The window for developing true cardiovascular endurance (the "aerobic engine") opens much later, with the onset of the adolescent growth spurt.

Forcing a 7-year-old to do long endurance sets is like trying to plant a seed in the middle of winter. You are training a system that isn't ready, all while missing the golden, time-sensitive window to develop their speed and skill.

The Dreamers Approach: What We Do Instead (The Tangible Difference)

So, if we're not doing long laps, what are we doing? We are building the athlete from the ground up.

1. Quality Over Quantity (Short, Sharp Bursts) You will see our lessons built around short-distance intervals (10-15 meters). We demand that every single repetition is performed with the best possible technique. A 15-meter sprint with a perfect, high-elbow pull is 100 times more valuable than a 50-meter lap with sloppy form. We are training the nervous system to be perfect, every time.

2. We Build the "Engine" First (Kick & Core) We are obsessed with building a powerful kick. The kick is the "engine" that builds a strong core, promotes a high body position, and drives the entire stroke. We introduce the dolphin kick early, not for butterfly, but because it is the single best drill for teaching a child how to connect their whole body and build functional core strength.

3. We Prioritize "Purposeful Play" (Building Skills in Disguise) For our youngest swimmers (3-7), we are still building speed and motor skills, but we do it through "purposeful play." Every game is a drill in disguise. A "treasure hunt" for sinking toys becomes a lesson in breath control. A "rocket launch" push-off hardwires a streamlined body position. This approach prevents the mental burnout that plagues so many young athletes and builds a genuine love for the process.

Our Promise: A Smarter, More Sustainable Path

Our goal isn't to create the fastest 8-year-old in Singapore by any means necessary. Our goal is to create a happy, healthy, and technically superior 18-year-old who still loves the sport.

By rejecting the "more is better" myth and focusing on a patient, science-backed, and skill-driven approach, we are building a foundation that will last a lifetime. We are building a swimmer who is not only fast, but who is also resilient, confident, and understands the joy of a sport well-practiced.