Two quotes from Olympic swimming legends Aleksander Popov and Ian Thorpe sum up our approach: "The water is your friend...treat it kindly and it will help you move." (Popov) "I intend to swim for the rest of my life. I swim when I'm stressed, and that is quite frequently! I swim to relax, not to train - it washes my worries away."(Thorpe)
The aim of Swimming Without Stress is to improve our relationship with the water and the co-ordination of ourselves. We work in the pool with you, going back to basics, helping you to release unnecessary tension, guiding you through new movements and teaching you to swim with ease.
We have been helping adults and children learn to swim or improve technique, through one to one lessons, since 1996. Author of Swimming without StressIan and Cheryl Cross run residential courses throughout the year in North Pembrokeshire. Chie takes single, weekly lessons in Oxford. Read testimonials of people we've helped.
The harder you try to compensate for your difficulties in water, the less enjoyable and beneficial swimming becomes. Swimming without Stress helps you learn to trust the water so it helps you move. Following the principles of The Alexander Technique and The Shaw Method, our lessons focus on relaxing your neck, breathing easily and letting the water support you.
We have taught hundreds of non-swimmers to enjoy swimming. If you are afraid of water, your relationship with it is likely to change from the first lesson.
We have helped an equal number of practising swimmers become more at home and efficient in water, happier about the process of breathing and able to swim for fitness. If you want to swim in triathlons and swimming is your weakest discipline, we can show you how to swim without exhausting yourself for the rest of the race.
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You can learn with Ian and Cheryl Cross through individual intensive swimming courses in Cardigan Bay, or with Chie Cross through weekly individual lessons in Oxfordshire. Oxford | Pembrokeshire | Rest of the U.K | Outside UK |
When learning weekly, momentum can be lost. With individual, intensive swimming lessons, you can make a lot of progress in a short space of time. Individual attention enables you to go at your own pace. Groups are inevitably made up of people with different abilities, which may be intimidating or frustrating. read more...
Our lessons are for individuals or two sharing. Courses run throughout the year term time only.
The intensive, residential course is from Monday lunchtime to Friday morning and includes eight 45 minute swimming lessons. Less intensive courses of one lesson a day are also available. read more...
Come on the Swimming Without Stress Secret Spots Tour
"If there's magic in this planet, it is contained in the water." Loren Eiseley, 1957
We'll collect you from your cottage and take you to one or more of our favourite, secret swimming spots, all a short journey away.
We'll bring lifejackets and wetsuits and, weather permitting, you'll be able to try a bit of wild swimming, river or sea, paddle with us in our safe and stable Canadian canoe or have a go in our very easy to handle sit-on-top kayak. In the sea if conditions are right, we may swim or paddle into spectacular caves. We often see seals and sometimes dolphins.
Before heading back, we'll warm up with tea or coffee and reward ourselves with biscuits, Cheryl's home-made cakes or even a tipple from our hip-flask.
" I already feel my swimming improving, making it more relaxed - less of an exertion, more of a relaxation session! Great book, well worth buying." - Comment Posted on Amazon.co.uk
" ...It’s difficult to get into words what it actually means to me to be able to swim, but suffice to say at one point I was literally crying into my goggles. I was so happy, the frustration disappeared and all of a sudden I was swimming. I never imagined I could swim with so much relaxation and grace....I owe nearly all of this to Chie.. Please pass on to her my thanks and appreciation for her knowledge and endless patience with me." - Joe, Bucks, May 2007
The Frostfire Moonbag is a multi functional bag designed for easy changing from wet and dry clothes. Suitable for adults and children. Visit shop to see how it works and to check out more innovative swimming products. Our Price: 15.99
More and more people in UK are swimming outdoors and there are lots of events to choose from or clubs you can attend to enjoy the camaraderie of swimming with other people. But what about if you don’t like being with other people or joining clubs; if being the slowest in the group makes you anxious or if you can’t swim in a straight line? Don’t despair.
Are you looking for the holy grail of swimming goggles?..... If there were such a thing, Swimming without Stress would just sell that and get rid of all the goggles we currently have in stock! We endeavour never to sell any rubbish but what works for one person won’t for another. And all goggles fog up, whatever it says on the blurb. read more...
In this interesting programme on BBC Radio 4, October 2nd 2009, Matt Blaize explores this commonly held belief. As the programme is no longer available on BBCi player, these notes, made by Ian Cross, of Swimming without Stress, may be useful for anyone who’s interested. read more...
I attended a stephen shaw breaststroke workshop sometime ago. I swim regularly breastroke and back crawl but, despite studying his video, I still cannot do the crawl. I simply cannot get any propulsion using my legs. Any advice would be appreciated. read more...
I can swim for miles with the breast stroke but only a single length front crawl. When I practice the leg stroke with a float I do not seem to move very fast at all. Can you give me some advice on how to improve on this stroke? read more...
My neck hurts when swimming racing breast stroke - what am I doing wrong? read more...
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