Welcome to SwimEd: Education for coaches, athletes and parents. Join Matthew Grant and Jennifer Bowers as they examine the top swimming and sporting topics from three perspectives: the coaches, the athletes and the parents. In each episode, our listeners hear the conversations, stories, insights and advice we’ve been sharing for years on and off the pool deck that help coaches improve their coaching, athletes increase their performances and parents boost their support. Combined with interviews of experts in various field of study and even coaches from other sports, listeners get the latest information and new ways of thinking about swimming and sports. Episode 7 - Sampling vs Early Specialization Today we focus on early specialization and what we see as the opposite and better solution: the sampling stage of athlete development. Whether you’re a parent, athlete or coach, knowing the differences between these key concepts will help you be more effective with younger athletes or realize what you should have experienced in your first years in sports. In this episode, we will define both early specialization and the sampling stage, compare and contrast these concepts in order to help coaches, athletes and parents make decisions that help lead their athletes toward healthier choices for future athletic development. Connect with Us: Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates, and join our Facebook Group to get behind-the-scenes content and more information about topics on the podcast. Contact Us: Have a topic suggestion or want to share your thoughts? Email us at [email protected]. Subscribe and Rate/Review: You'll help others find our podcast and make sure you don't miss an episode. Then leave a review to let us know what you think! Join us on weekly on SwimEd: Education for coaches, athletes and parents.