Our approach to teaching children

Five year old learner

With a five-year old child our aim in a course of 6 x 30 minute- lessons is for him/ her to be

ü      happy and independent in the water

ü      able to swim with the face in and get the head out to breathe

ü      able to swim on the back without strain by allowing the water to support the head.

Using the principles of the Alexander Technique, we use a hands-on teaching method and remain in the water throughout the lesson.

The emphasis from the first lesson is on making friends with the water by learning to breathe naturally into it and to experience the buoyancy of the head.

If your child isn’t ready to swim independently, this doesn’t mean we won’t be able to help establish his/ her enjoyment of being in the water.

Sometimes it is appropriate for parents to get in the water so that we can show you how to work with your child, without using buoyancy aids, to continue the work when you go home.

"Robyn (5) wanted you to know that she managed to jump in without holding onto someone and also swam under water well today. She is now an expert and likes to tell everyone else where they are going wrong. We both very much appreciated your calm teaching even when faced with cries of' 'NO, NO!' on day one...............I felt quite emotional when I saw how she managed to float and swim so elegantly on her back so soon"  Dr Alice Findlay

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Seven years upwards

Children of 7 and above are usually ready to learn correct technique.

They tend to be excited by being in water, especially by playing underwater. But when it comes to moving from A – B, their movements are often frantic and instinctive, producing strain. Their breathing may be erratic, with lots of gasping and holding the breath.

Our aim is to harness their enthusiasm for swimming and channel their energy into moving through water more smoothly by letting go of unnecessary tension. We teach them to glide and breathe freely in all the strokes. They are often surprised that half as many strokes will get them to the end of the pool more quickly.

Our approach is the same for competitive swimmers:

“Laura feels completely brilliant now, like she's been given some special swimming 'secret recipe' that no-one else has!”  Mrs Lacey