bbdswimming

BBD Technique Tuesday - Sign Up Now!

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 15:58:25 GMT

Introducing – BBD Technique Tuesday!

Birmingham Blue Dolphins will be offering Technique Tuesday throughout the summer beginning June 16. These practices will focus on a specific stroke or skill. There will be 2 sessions; 10 & Under/11 & Older. Space will be limited to 40 swimmers per session.

BBD coaches and swimmers will be on hand to direct the swimmers in the latest techniques and skills to improve speed and performance. These practices are open to everyone and included for members of our summer program. BBD Members receive a discount.

Cost: $20 for BBD Members $25 for non-members

All 6 sessions for $100/$120

TImes: 10 & Under 5:30-6:30pm, 11 & Older 6:30-7:30pm

Location: Cranbrook Natatoirum

Session Dates

June 16 Freestyle
June 23 Backstroke
June 30 Breaststroke
July 7 Butterfly
July 14 Turns
July 21 Starts

Sign up below!
https://docs.google.com/forms/u/0/d/10qVh6i0_zrP_M8nZKJDlz6_WZC5n-EQ31TrQxdG1uGc/viewform?ts=6a1da7ba&edit_requested=true

Summer Program Begins Today

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 07:53:10 GMT

This is a friendly reminder that our Summer Program begins today. The full summer practice schedule is below. This week, we will not have Friday evening or Saturday practices due to the PCC Meet. If you still need to register your swimmer for the Summer Program, information on this and links are at the bottom of this email.

Summer Practice Schedule

13&Up Group

Phase 1 – May 26th – June 13th

PM Practices: Monday – Friday, 6:00 to 8:00 PM @ Cranbrook (SCY)

AM Practices: Tuesday, Friday (Sprint focus) – 6-7:30 AM @ Woodside, Saturday- 6:00 to 8:00 AM @ Woodside (SCM)

Phase 2 – June 15th – July 31st

AM Practice: Monday – Friday, 6:00 to 8:00 AM @ Botsford, Livonia (Long Course),

Saturday, 6:00 – 8:00 AM @ Woodside (SCM)

PM Practice: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, 6:00 to 8:00 PM @ Cranbrook, Friday, 4:00 to 6:00 PM @ Cranbrook (SCY), Technique Tuesday included

9-12 Group

Phase 1 – May 26th – June 12th

Monday – Friday – 4:30 to 6:00 PM @ Cranbrook (SCY)

Phase 2 – June 15th – July 31st

Monday, Wednesday, Thursday – 6:00 to 7:30 PM, Friday, 4:00 to 5:30 @ Cranbrook (SCY), Technique Tuesday included

Summer Program Registration Information

IMPORTANT: The pricing information below is accurate, $600 for the 13&Up Group and $450 for the 9-12 Group. At check-out in Active you will be given the option to pay in full, or pay a $300 deposit at the time of registration with another payment to be billed on June 15th at the beginning of Phase 2. The number shown on the main registration page is the program cost minus the $300 deposit, not the total program cost.

13&Up Group – $600 REGISTER BELOW

https://www.active.com/birmingham-mi/water-sports/swimming-registrations/bbd-summer-program-13-and-up-group-2026

9-12 Group – $450 REGISTER BELOW

https://www.active.com/birmingham-mi/water-sports/swimming-registrations/bbd-summer-program-9-12-group-2026

The current summer meet schedule can be found under the ‘Practice Info’ section of our website. Please note that practice days and times are subject to change, including cancellations due to holidays, weather, facility closures, and meet schedule.

“Technique Tuesdays” – Beginning June 16th

Finally, we are excited to announce a new BBD Summer Program called “Technique Tuesdays”! Beginning June 16th, we will offer weekly technique clinics on Tuesday evenings at Cranbrook with a focus on a specific stroke or skill. These will be open to both members and non-members and will be complimentary for Summer Program participants. Technique Tuesdays will be a great opportunity for swimmers of all ages to improve their skills whether they are competing with BBD over the summer, or looking to perform at their best for summer club meets. Look for more information and a separate registration email coming soon!

Progression of the Athlete: STAC SwimFit

thos@oneelevendigital.com (Thomas Conner) — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 13:17:10 GMT

How to Evaluate a Swim Race at a Non-Focus Meet

When asking a swimmer how they thought a swim went or how they would rate their performance, coaches often hear some variation of the response “I added time, so it was a failure”. It is important for swimmers and parents to get out of that routine of black and white evaluation, especially as swimmers transition into senior swimming.

It would be great if swimmers could always drop time in 5 second chunks like they do when they first start competing. However, as swimmers get faster and the time gets lower, time drops get smaller. That makes it very important for everyone to have realistic expectations going into a meet based on the time of year and what they have been doing in practice. They must realize that there are many ways to evaluate a race besides having the final time on the scoreboard. Keeping everything in perspective for the long term can help swimmers appreciate the journey and path they are on.

The first thing swimmers should avoid is comparing end of season times from the previous year to mid-season times during their current season. For most senior swimmers we are focused on swimming fast 5 times a year (4 for Middle Schoolers): Music City, High School State Championships, Southern Premier, Summer Sizzler, and Southeastern Championships. Taking your time from October Open, after 7 weeks of practice, and comparing it to the Southern Premier, after 7 months of practice, is not a way to feel good about your swimming. It is important to mark points in time and compare them to the previous year or even 2 years prior.

Swimmers must also consider what they have been working on in practice during these mid-season meets. If time isn’t the evaluator, what can we learn? Plenty. Finishing with 4 underwater kicks off your last wall versus 2 or none the last time, having cleaner breakouts, taking less strokes, setting up the 200 pacing correctly are all things we look at as coaches for marks of improvement. Every swim is a dress rehearsal and a practice for the next time. We want swimmers to be focused on these things in practice every day, and then mark their improvement when they get more focused at meet time. This skill development and acquisition is not going to happen instantly. That is why we have 2 or 3 meets before the focus meet, and why there is 3 months of practice between the focus meets. Things worth doing and changing take time.

The next time your swimmer is down and out after a performance, we as coaches and parents can help reshape and reframe the conversation. A perceived bad swim does not define them as swimmers, but the attitude they have after and the focus on improvement and growth can be much more beneficial.

We want NAC swimmers to be smarter, happier, and faster for having been a part of the team and we think this can help in that pursuit.

“That Swim Stunk”

thos@oneelevendigital.com (Thomas Conner) — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 13:15:14 GMT

How to Evaluate a Swim Race at a Non-Focus Meet

We want NAC swimmers to be smarter, happier, and faster for having been a part of the team and we think this can help in that pursuit.