We've just launched a whole new term of 6-week courses in our London pools to get you ready for the summer. If you've never considered a weekly course before, stand by, because we've got 6 reasons why you should ... 1 You'll get the chance to pick up the practices slowly Over a 6-week period you'll get a real chance to focus on our progressive practices. These form the building blocks for our Shaw Method strokes – front crawl, butterfly, breaststroke and backstroke – and the fundamental s...

We get lots of great feedback from you, so we know you enjoy our lessons and get a lot from them. Most of you feel the benefit after just one lesson, course or workshop with us and use what you have learned to form the basis of some great practice in the water going forward. In many ways swimming Shaw Method is like having a car with a new engine: you feel the difference from the greater efficiency and enhanced power it brings. However, to maintain those benefits every new engine needs a serv...

During a recent front crawl workshop a swimmer asked Art of Swimming teacher Huseyin Dermis whether bilateral breathing was really necessary. He explained that while most swimmers have one favourite side they breath to, it would be useful to learn to breathe to either side. Here’s Huseyin’s top five reasons to adopt bilateral breathing … First of all is helps equal rotation and the stroke has a better chance of being more balanced. Another good reason that applies to open water is that when ...

Art of Swimming runs holidays at Champneys resorts all year round. They are a great way to get intensive swimming tuition from the architect of Shaw Method Steven Shaw, but there are many other benefits  too …1 ) It’s a holiday in the UK that cannot be spoilt by the weatherYou’ll spend much of your time in the heat controlled environment of the spa, maintained at all times at a comfortable temperature. If it throws it down with rain, it’s no problem as all you have to do is relax, enjoy the faci...

Art of Swimming, the home of Shaw Method, has been offering pupils swimming holidays for 14 years. Following the success of the recent annual holiday in Marrakech in November 2010, the company is offering two Moroccan adventures this year, one in May and one in November. The holidays are always led by Steven Shaw, the founder of Shaw Method, and are probably the best way to advance your swimming. There are so many ways you could benefit from a week’s holiday that includes at least five days of i...

I think that when most people go to the pool for a swim they focus on how many lengths they’re going to complete or what strokes they’re going to work on, and forget that being in water is a great way to relax after a hard day’s work. In January it’s usually worse as pools are filled with people aiming to work off their Christmas turkey. It can lead to some joyless pounding up the lanes. I say, count laps if you must, but don’t forget to cool down after your swim. To help out, here are my top 5 ...

As temperatures around the UK look set to stay around freezing and below, and cold water events such as the Outdoor Swimming Society’s annual December dip and the UK Cold Water Swimming Championships are coming up, I thought a little information about swimming in cold water would be in order. Here are our five top tips.1) Cold water swimmer Sue Harrod says, “If you would like to get into cold water swimming check with your doctor first to see if it’s okay. I started in the summer and just walked...

If you are considering signing up to a private health club to use a pool regularly I think it pays to shop around. Over the years I’ve visited a lot of pools, private and public, for work and fun, so I thought I’d share my top five tips for deciding which is worth a monthly fee …1) Consider when you would like to use the pool and schedule a trial session for that time. There’s no use popping in for a look mid-afternoon if you are an early morning swimmer. And make sure you get the chance to try ...