January 19, 2021

We know it is frustrating and disappointing to have started 2021 without swimming pools, our sports effectively stopped for the foreseeable future. But we also know that this will end, and that all members can emerge renewed with the right support.

Since the turn of the year, all our departments have worked hard together to set up that support, and below is our menu of initiatives now available for all our clubs and members to access.

We have separated this out into the following categories, so you can scroll down to find what relates to your needs:

Dryland Training Sessions
Book a Talk for your Club
Read, Watch, Listen
Coach Education

Swim Ireland remain committed to keeping our clubs and members active and engaged throughout 2021.

DRYLAND TRAINING SESSIONS

January 19, 2021

In this section you will find all our dryland training session offerings. We have discipline-specific sessions, structured programmes and on demand online programmes, for all age groups and all types of aquatic athlete, all delivered by top-class coaches.

StrengthLab: Superheroes

Strength Lab: Superheroes is an online resource for athletes aged 12 and under, providing a fun, engaging way for kids to learn fundamental movements.

Clubs who register for this programme will receive a unique login and can monitor each athletes progress. Athletes gain access to a video library with 5 'Superheroes' representing a different movement pattern and they too can track their progress through the different levels.

Coach Webinars: Superheroes Programme

To further support clubs and their coaches implementing the Superheroes programme, Swim Ireland and Performance Lab are offering a 6-week live webinar series (Tuesdays at 19:30).

STARTED ON FEBRUARY 2 - BOOKINGS CLOSED

Water Polo Dryland Training Sessions

Swim Ireland and the National Water Polo committee are providing strength and conditioning sessions for anyone who is a member of a Swim Ireland water polo club.

These online classes will be delivered by Bethany Carson, Assistant Coach at our National Centre (Dublin), and aimed at junior competitive athletes. For further information and to book a class for your club please email waterpolo@swimireland.ie

BOOK A CLASS

Live Workouts on Instagram

Performance Lab will be delivering 2 sessions per week for 6 weeks, live on the Swim Ireland Instagram Channel, from January 26.

Tuesdays - 6:30pm-7.15pm - Conditioning

Thursdays - 6.30pm-7.15pm - Mobility & Movement

Attendance is free, just click the link below to follow us on Instagram and put the dates in your calendar.

6-Week Pilates for Water Polo Course

Ireland Water Polo have teamed up with Denise Walsh from Pilates & More with Denise to offer a tailored 6 week Pilates programme to Water Polo members.

The aim of the programme is to increase fitness, improve fundamental movement and mobility, with a focus on core strengthening and flexibility.

Each session will be recorded so you can repeat the workout or catch up if you missed out

Cost - This programme is subsidised by Ireland Water Polo, costing just €20 for 6 live workouts.

STARTED ON FEBRUARY 2 - BOOKINGS CLOSED

6-Week Strength & Conditioning Course for Masters Swimmers

Swim Ireland Masters have teamed up with Niamh Buffini of Buff Performance to offer a tailored 6-week Strength and Conditioning programme to Masters swimmers.

The aim of the programme is to increase cardio fitness, improve fundamental movement and mobility, with a focus on core strengthening.

The programme is subsidised by Swim Ireland Masters, costing just €30 for 12 live workouts, with 6 additional pre-recorded sessions.

STARTED ON FEBRUARY 2 - BOOKINGS CLOSED

BOOK A TALK FOR YOUR CLUB

January 19, 2021

In this section you will find opportunities for all aquatic athletes to learn more about their sport and discipline. We might not be able to get in the water, but that doesn't mean we cannot improve. Become students of your sport during this lockdown.

Online Coaching Webinars

We are bringing our Athlete Online Coaching Programme Webinars into your clubs!

In a time when active coaching and swimming in the pool is currently not taking place, we want to give all our athletes an opportunity to gain additional coaching support.

Clubs can choose from eight topics, including all the strokes, Individual Medley, Nutrition, Lifestyle, and Lifeskills, Competition Management, and Relays. An experienced Swim Ireland Coach will present for an hour on their chosen topic, which includes time for a Q&A to get some added tips.

Each webinar costs €20, which subsidises the cost of coaching fee, and clubs must be available to host and moderate.

BOOK HERE

Online Athlete Clinics 2.0

We are also bringing back our ‘Online Athlete Clinics’, where our top athletes tell your members their stories through an online forum.

Available athletes: Clare Cryan, Oliver Dingley, Brendan Hyland, Darragh Greene, Ellen Keane, Mona McSharry, Nicholas Quinn, Rory McEvoy, Shane Ryan.

Clubs are then invited to apply for these clinics by emailing trishmayon@swimireland.ie with the following details:

Club Name:

Requested Athletes: (please identify three)

Squad Age Group:

Suitable Days/Time (Must be weekday evenings (6pm-8pm) or Saturday. Please include several options):

Each clinic costs €75, which goes directly to the athlete and clubs must be available to host and moderate.

Swim Ireland will subsidise this programme by €55 through the Sport Ireland Retain and Retrain Programme, leaving the cost to club at €20.

BOOK CLINIC

READ, WATCH, LISTEN

January 19, 2021

In this section you will find loads of resources to help you navigate this time away from pools, including information on Open Water, Nutrition and Mobility, as well as plenty of light entertainment aiming to keep your swimspiration levels high.

Nutrition and Wellness Guides

Open Water Webinars

With the open water most members' only option for swimming, we have loads of information sessions coming up, starting with:

Weather & Waves with the RNLI
Tides & Currents with the RNLI
Route Planning for Open Water Swimmers with Mo McCoy
Dee's Experience - an evening with Antarctica and English Channel Swimmer Dee Newell
Ice Swimming with Tiffiny Quinn, Irish Ice Swimming Association Chair

Each webinar costs €5 to attend, with all proceeds going to support the RNLI's Volunteer Lifeboat Crews, who save lives at sea 365 days a year.

You can also find our Winter Dipping and Open Water Swimming Guides at swimireland.ie/open-water.

#WePlay 2020 On Demand

During Lockdown 1.0, we spoke to so many top athletes about how they were dealing with restrictions. We spoke about how there were training, how they coped mentally and physically, and asked what advice they had for others. We also spoke about their careers and hopes for the future.

Watch or listen to these interviews on Swim Ireland YouTube - you can also listen to them as Podcasts via Soundcloud.

WATCH or LISTEN

COACH EDUCATION

January 19, 2021

In this section Club Coaches will find opportunities for them to learn. We have put together a programme that offers the usual services, but also added some CPD that responds specifically to the situation we currently find ourselves in.

These programmes are subsidised by the Sport Ireland Retain and Retrain Programme.

One Good Coach On Demand Workshop

Swim Ireland, in collaboration with Jigsaw (the National Centre for Youth Mental Health) and UCD, is pleased to provide you with access to a new online workshop aimed at upskilling adults to support young people’s mental health through the delivery of sport.

This 40-minute online workshop is aimed at coaches or teachers of young people in our sport. By taking this course you will:

Have a greater understanding of mental health
Have a greater understanding of the importance of you role as One Good Adult
Have a greater awareness of how to promote and support young people’s mental health in your role as a coach or teacher

All of which is particularly important during such a stressful time as now.

GO TO COURSE

Lockdown Dryland Training CPD

All Swim Ireland coaches, no matter their discipline, are invited to join Paul Talty, Associate Head of Performance Services (Physical) and Bethany Carson, Assistant Coach at National Centre (Dublin) for a 1hr webinar examining dryland training for our aquatic athletes, during the lockdown period and beyond.

We'll look at: