Saxon Crown Masters Squad

About Masters Squad

The Masters Squads proudly have swimmers covering a wide range of abilities and ages, from the fitness swimmer and those seeking to improve their technique by training with a coach in a competitive environment, to those competing at regional and national level, or even competing in open water, long distance, marathon, and other swimming events.

If you are interested in swimming to improve your general fitness, technique or just to swim in a more motivational session, then this club could be what you are looking for.  You don’t have to be swimming competitively to join us!

The Masters Squads have a number of training sessions per week that swimmers can attend, each allocated to either Fitness or Competitive sections (Timetable).  The sessions are organised into lanes and the Coach provides a tailored training programme for each lane. The lanes are generally organised by ability, so even if you haven’t swum for years, there will be a level to suit you. 

Masters Entry Criteria

Our Masters Squads have minimum requirements:-

• Fitness Squad: that you can
  • Swim 100 meters in three of the four strokes, i.e. breaststroke, backstroke, front crawl, and butterfly;
  • Maintain swimming for the whole session (lasting an hour - usually about 2-2.5K, depending on the session);
  • Maintain 100m freestyle turnaround times of between 1:45 – 2:15 (minutes: seconds).

• Competitive Squad: that you can
  • Swim 100 meters all the four strokes;
  • Swim continuous 200m's in front crawl, backstroke and IM;
  • Maintain swimming for the whole session (lasting 1-1.5 hours - usually about 3-4K);
  • Maintain 100m freestyle turnaround times of between 1:25 – 1:50.

And in both cases, swimmers should be familiar with lane etiquette, following coaches’ instructions and using a pace clock.

Equipment

On joining, swimmers will be expected to bring the following kit to each session:

• Swimming hat (if required)
• Swimming goggles
• Water bottle
• Kick board
• Pull buoy
• Short fins
• Paddles

Competitions

The Competitive section has an annual calendar of events that individuals will be preparing for.  For those interested in competing, the club attends competitions around London and Kent, and has individuals who also compete further afield in regional, national and international events. Masters competitions are swum in a relaxed, fun and friendly atmosphere. They are usually based on ability and not age, so no matter what standard you’ve reached, you will be racing against people of a similar ability.  For those in the Fitness Squad, there is no expectation for swimmers to compete, but that doesn’t mean they don’t or can’t!

Other Information

We pride ourselves on being a friendly, inclusive club and enjoy social activities outside of the pool too!  We have an informal group who regularly explore new destinations to swim in London and further afield, and an open water group for those who want to try open water as well as the seasoned event pros (fresh water and open sea!).  We hold a monthly drinks event after a training session, usually the third Wednesday in a month. 

How to Join

If you are interested in joining Masters, come along for a free taster session!  Contact us using the enquiry form or drop a line to [email protected] for more details.