Skills Academy

The Swim Wales Skills Academy is designed to increase both the quality and quantity of swimmers entering the Performance Pathway across the country. By providing a comprehensive development programme for swimmers, coaches, and parents, the academy creates opportunities to nurture talent and support progression during the transition from Development to Performance.

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Our Vision

The primary goal of the Skills Academy is to provide swimmers aged 11–14 (11–15 for para-swimmers) with a holistic education and technical focus that will prepare them for success in the sport. This academy also serves as a platform for connecting Development and Performance clubs within local areas, facilitating the exchange of ideas, resources, and support.

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Key Programme Components

We are excited to be delivering new components to Skills Academy for 2025/2026 season.

Based off feedback from the first year of Skills Academy, we will be demonstrating our commitment to delivering key components truly reflective of the needs of clubs across Wales.

For 2025/2026 season, Skills Academy key components include the following:

1. Introduction to shoulder health and Pre-pool.
2. Technical pool focus around Drill Progression framework for Butterfly and Freestyle.
3. An introduction to basic nutrition for the young developing athlete.
4. An opportunity to learn from elite athletes, ask questions and gain experience directly from some of our most successful Welsh swimmers.

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How It Works

The Skills Academy will be delivered through a flexible, roadshow-style format across various counties in Wales. Each session will include:

• Team-building activities for swimmers.
• Technical focus pool sessions, covering starts, turns, and underwater techniques.
• Workshops introducing key educational topics such as Winning Behaviours and pathway education.

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Who is Involved?

Swimmers

• Swimmers aged 11–14 (11–15 for para-swimmers) at the end of the 2026
• Clubs can nominate swimmers based on:
  • Aspiration: A desire to progress and improve.
  • Attitude: Consistently delivering the best version of themselves.
  • Attendance: Regular commitment to training as agreed by their coach.
  • 200m Individual Medley: A registered 200m IM time on rankings (LC or SC).
  • Not currently part of the Wales National Squad: i.e. Performance Foundations

Coaches

• Performance and development coaches will have opportunities attend alongside their swimmers to learn and develop through the workshops and practical sessions on offer.
• The Skills Academy will provide the opportunity to build relationships and network within the County Hub sessions.

Parents & Guardians

• Pathway Education and Winning Behaviours workshops will also be open for parents to attend.

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County Hub Networks

Our programme is delivered across Wales through our County Hub Networks:

• West, Southwest, South, East, Northeast & Northwest
• To find out more, please click the link at the bottom of the page for More Information

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A Progressive Pathway

The Skills Academy is a long-term initiative that will evolve over the years to meet the changing needs of the athletes, coaches, and clubs. Each year, new components, such as lifestyle education, advanced drill progression frameworks, and targeted education, will be introduced to further develop the programme.

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Launch and Future Plans

The skills Academy officially launched with a soft pilot as part of the Swim Wales National conference in 2024. In the first year of delivery, Skills Academy has engaged with over 400 people, from 40 clubs across Wales. As we look to the future, we aim to continue to grow the initiative to reach more Clubs, Coaches, Swimmers and Parents across Wales.

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