How to Judge Talent in Swimming

Swimming comes naturally to most mammals, including humans. A newborn baby placed in water will instinctively start to perform a dog paddle-style swimming motion. Humans, however, usually need to take lessons to become better swimmers, although some are blessed with natural ability and can swim well without any guidance or training. Talent in the swimming pool is determined by physical prowess, willingness to learn and how well a swimmer does compared to an average swimmer.

Instructions

    • 1

      Review the swimmer's physical attributes, such as size, strength, power and flexibility; the best swimmers are tall and lanky, but ones who are shorter and stockier can make up for their lack of size with strength and good form.

    • 2

      Look out for swimmers with natural technique. Watch how the swimmers make their strokes and turns in the water and whether or not they are able to use all of parts of their body in concert with each other. For example, see how well they kick with their feet, keep their arms close to their body when making their strokes and how far they reach when they are making their strokes.

    • 3

      Find swimmers who are eager to learn and develop better technique, speed and stamina. Find swimmers who have the ability to learn quickly and apply what they have learned immediately, as well as do the necessary work outside of the pool, such as exercise, to improve in the pool.

    • 4

      Compare the swimmer's times against the normal times for their age group and skill level. Use specific distances, such as the 400-meter freestyle to gauge how close the swimmers are performing to normal, who is underachieving and who is showing potential to exceed. Age group times are broken down by skill levels, which are rated from "B" to "AAAA." For example, a 12-year-old boy who swims the 400 freestyle in more than six and a half minutes might not be a talented swimmer, but a 12-year-old girl who swims the same distance in just over 5 minutes likely has the necessary skill set in place to be a successful meet swimmer.