We all make mistakes. I’ve done this before too, and I know there’ll be equally as avoidable mistakes I’ll make in the future. But hopefully we learn from those errors. I watch swim lessons every day, or I am coaching. It is rare that I’m not around a pool. It is what I do. Today, […]
How I messed up today doing a dunk. Today is a short podcast about how I failed when taking a child underwater. I went to the beach with my friend and his family and while swimming with their 3 year old, I did the motorboat game, and dunked her to disastrous results. Find […]
We want to make swimmers better. I had so much fun talking to Dominic Latella from SwimBox. He said multiple times that making swimmers better is his primary goal. He wants to help people and work with others that share that goal. You can see it shine through everything he says in our conversation. Dive […]
Really. I do. I love it. It makes my job as a swim lesson manager easier. It does, and I have a story today to illustrate just one reason why it is so powerful and exciting. The online management suite is one of the tools you get when you join the Complete Swimming Program for […]
Summer is here with seasonal staff. Are you ready to train them well? The summer is almost upon us and you’re going to start running training classes for your summer and seasonal staff. Slap on the sunscreen, wear a floppy hat, and get those kids moving! This is our guide to running effective training […]
An interview with Teresa Stewart of Safe Splashes Swim School in Arizona Safe Splashes Swim School in Arizona with Teresa Stewart safesplashesswim@gmail.com Teresa has been teaching swim lessons most of her life. She uniquely finished her lesson program while young and they made her a co-teacher to give her something to do while at lessons. […]
How to be a better coach or instructor Episode 057 with Meighan Julbert: “Focus on the 2-3 things totally essential for swimmer’s success.” Episode 055 with Karis Mount: “My coaches focused on the one thing that would make me improve. We were focused.” Episode 054 with Jennifer Butler: “When giving feedback, focus on the […]
An interview with Meighan Julbert, MS from The MindSide Meighan Julbert is a Mental Skills Consultant for The MindSide who brings a passion for understanding how to gain competitive advantages as part of early athletic experiences, through proper structure and coaching of athletes. As a former competitive athlete, Meighan understands the need for proper mental […]
How to increase learning and interest in your classes Are you in a rut? Have you taught the same lessons over and over for years? They work, they’re great, and they’re interesting for the kids, but how can you amuse yourself and your students without disrupting the flow of your tried and true lesson plans? […]
How to give your swimmers the “illusion of choice” I’ll begin with a story, because people like stories, and the substance of this article will generally be about what we do in our program and how that can serve as a model for others to use. If you didn’t know, I’m the Head Developmental […]
About 40 minutes ago I got out of the water and gave ‘hi-fives’ to the kids from my class, and said, “Well done today, come back next week.” It was not the easiest class. They were all the same “level” in what we call level 2, but they were very new to swimming, and reluctant […]
We had swim lessons yesterday and I wanted to give you an opportunity to learn from good ideas and some mistakes. In reading this you will learn about how we set up a weekday swim lesson that is open to 5-year-olds and older that can go underwater. The goal of this class is to introduce […]
Everyone has a unique story to tell about their time teaching or participating in swimming. There are lessons to learn from both participants talking about what they went through as swimmers, and stories to remember from people talking about their time teaching. We all have useful and shareable tidbits that others may benefit from. You […]
Swim instruction is teaching Jennifer Butler of Roots Aquatics is awesome. She is an experienced preschool teacher, swimming veteran, and expert swim instructor. Jenn is the Aquatic Coordinator at Roots Aquatics and Fitness Center where she trains lifeguards and swim instructors, teaches lessons, does the schedule, and writes a staff only blog. This summer she’ll […]
Listening to your comments There is a survey that you can fill out that I check regularly to gauge what you want to know about and give you better material. You can fill it out here: https://goo.gl/forms/wMlN2znt1MBKRhGo2 One of the comments was, “I tried ’11, Y, Eat, and Reach’ in Australia, but it didn’t work. It […]
Are you ready to share your story? You can join the podcast as a guest by submitting a form here: https://goo.gl/forms/1rE1r173RYX6GVgo1 Qualifications: Swimming experience Currently teaching or running swim lessons Swim Coach Involved in swim lesson management or administration We want to hear your story. What unique things do you do in your […]
Do you offer make-up classes? Whether you do or not, I’m certain that you’ve heard about them. It is a relatively controversial thing in the swim lesson community. Some people hate them, others tolerate them, and some embrace the concept. Where do you fall? Let us know on twitter: Make-ups are not good for anyone […]
You have taught swim lessons to young kids before, and you’ve likely tried to teach your new swim instructor staff how to strike a balance between fun and learning. But how much time have you spent thinking about how to balance the two in your own classes? Have you considered teaching someone else to instinctively […]
The most popular swim lesson program is the American Red Cross Learn-to-Swim. I grew up teaching them, and was even certified as a Water Safety Instructor, ARC’s version for advanced swim instructor training. I remember feeling so official, so empowered and enthusiastic about finally being able to “sign the cards.” And then I filled out […]
Swimming Ideas: Level 4 Distance, Competitive, IM Minimum Ages: 3 years old, though typically 5-8 At this point, in level 4, participants need to be comfortable moving in the water independently. They should be able to swim front crawl with breathing to the side for at least five to ten body lengths without stopping. Generally, it […]
