resist the temptation to coach your kid. He'll figure it out in that environment. If you have concerns, talk to the coach, but don't be "that parent". Let the coaches coach.

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I believe he's talking about giving his son some instruction outside of practice. I don't see any issue with that as long as he's not contradicting something the coach has told the kid.

It is really laid back and the coaching is light. I dont really see any difference in giving him a little help on swimming and having a catch with him, or pitching baseballs to him. there is a way to provide additional instruction to your child, or an child, without being over the top. That said, is giving a 10 year old a pull buoy and letting him use it for 20 minutes and never again so that he gets a better feel a good idea or a bad idea.

I was thinking more along the lines of a typical club environment. Sure, go ahead, I don't think it can hurt anything, and might help, but it might not. t will depend a lot on how coordinated he is in general.

I would imagine that the breathing will be an issue, so if you have a snorkel he can use, even better.

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Speedo sells a "Jr." version https://www.speedousa.com/...l-buoy-style-7753025

A little side instruction outside of practice, if you know what you are doing, is OK. But keep in mind that the knowledge needed to passably do adult triathlon is quite a bit different than what is required to successfully teach and train 10 yr olds to race 25 or 50 meter races. Your playing catch analogy is a good one and works two ways. Basic skill work is good but, there is a big difference between playing catch and playing baseball. ;-)

Thanks. I will say that pitching balls to him helped his hitting and his confidence enormously. It did nothing for his base running skills, so i understand the other concerns discussed here.

The prescription would all depend on the issue. Why do you feel he isn't getting much propulsion from his arms? Is it because he's not coordinated through the stroke? Is his back end low in the water and if yes, why? Is he crossing over at the top of the stroke and pulling wide to correct for it? Is it a combination of all of those or some of those reasons? Those are just some of the things that come to mind off the top of my head for a 10 year old. For a 10 year old there might be one of those reasons above where a pull buoy would be the best approach to getting him better.

Hope this helps.

Tim

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