We can't believe that one of our best loved teachers Peter Brierley is about to turn 60 as he really doesn't look it. We think it is all the swimming and, of course, the influence of the Alexander Technique. To celebrate his birthday here's the story of his journey from London commuter to Shaw Method teacher.Just over ten years ago Peter was working as an IT manager in the City of London. Like many desk bound office workers he was plagued by chronic back pain, and like many who are similarly aff...

If you enjoy swimming, and enjoy a post-swim nibble, the title of this article may cause you to worry. After all, if you want to lose weight, the Government’s advice is simple – “eat less and do more”. For most people, this makes absolute sense. After all, we have had the message drummed into us for the last 30 years. In addition, everyone knows that body weight is simply a matter of balance of calories in versus calories out. Eat too many calories, and you will put on weight. Do a few more leng...

  According to the British Pain Society almost 10 million Britons suffer pain almost daily, that’s a huge percentage of the population. If you are included in that number you may feel that pain, especially if it is chronic (long-term pain of more than 12 weeks or after the time that healing would be expected to occur after trauma or surgery), is gradually shutting down your options in life. You may not be able to work, exercise may seem impossible, and even simple tasks such as cooking a meal m...

1996 was a big year for swimming. In that year Terry Laughlin published Total Immersion and Steven Shaw The Art of Swimming. Both men were former competitive swimmers who had come to the conclusion that there must be a better, more efficient way to swim and to teach swimming. Both Terry and Steven were influenced by inspirational swimming coach Bill Boomer. Bill Boomer had a great record in working with competitive swimmers since the 1960s, becoming coach to the US Olympic team in 2000. He looke...

So you’ve learned to swim, congratulations! But how do you feel about swimming out of your depth? With so many pools pegged at a level depth of 1.2metres or thereabouts, it can seem like a giant step from the familiar shallows to swimming in deep water. Even those who have been swimming since they were a child can feel uncomfortable in the deep end, and choose a pool accordingly. However, getting confident out of your depth is an important skill. So to set you on your way, here are my top 5 tips...

How many of you can say that you do backstroke regularly? Honestly? I’m willing to bet it’s not too many of you. Fears of swimming into the wall or other pool users tend to prevent practice of this most graceful and relaxing stroke.  Actually swimming Shaw Method backstroke can minimise the chance of collision, but more of that later. First a little backstroke history ... Origins of the stroke It is thought that backstroke has been swum since ancient times. In the early 20th century it was the...

I once described breaststroke as the Cinderella stroke: it’s a bit everyday dowdy, and never quite gets to scrub up and go to the ball. Breaststroke tends to get a bit forgotten when we pick up other more seemingly stylish and status-enhancing strokes like front crawl and butterfly. I think it’s a shame, because when done well it is every bit as graceful and front crawl and every bit as dynamic as butterfly. In fact, although it is the slowest competitive stroke, breaststroke is actually one of ...

For over 20 years Steven Shaw and his Shaw Method teachers have been getting great results teaching swimmers and non-swimmers to achieve an efficient and almost effortless front crawl. But did you know that the stroke taught now is radically different not only from traditional front crawl, but from how it was taught to Shaw Method pupils in the early days? Jane-Ann Purdy tells the story of Shaw Method front crawl …Front crawl is as old as swimming itself, though it was not until 1844 that it fir...

What do you think of when you think of butterfly? Chances are you will visualise a competitive swimmer like Olympic Gold Medallist Michael Phelps, with his unnaturally wide wing span, powering through the water. And if you search for “swimming butterfly” online no doubt you’ll find lots of evidence to back up the idea that the stroke is not for you.  I found quotes such as, “Butterfly is a difficult stroke to swim as it needs both stamina and style” (BBC Sport Academy), “The butterfly is most di...

Hands up if you do backstroke. Mmm, that’s not many of you. The stroke is greatly overlooked because of problems of navigation, and the fact that it is often frowned upon when swimming in lanes. But with good Shaw Method direction you can learn to love this relaxing and rhythmic stroke …General observations:As with Shaw Method front crawl, the backstroke, also known as back crawl, relies on the power of the rotation.  The body should not remain flat in the water throughout, but rather rotate smo...

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...

Bridget Malarkey has been learning the Shaw Method with Huseyin Dermis since September 2012. Here Bridget discusses her experience and development of techniques with the Art of Swimming and how Huseyin has helped in her progression. Why did you sign up for swimming lessons – were you a beginner or improver?I learnt to swim a bit as a child, but hadn't at all in recent years, so not quite a beginner but I wouldn't say I could actually swim. As a cyclist, I thought swimming would be good cro...

Janet Davies travelled to Iceland last summer with Art of Swimming. It was Janet's second AoS holiday, the first was in the Maltese island of Gozo in 2007. These were two quite different trips as Janet remembers ... Why did you go to Gozo in 2007? I went on the swimming holiday to learn to swim. I was terrified of water following an incident when someone pushed me in as a teenager. Then in my 50s I started going on holiday with friends, to places with pools and thought swimming would be great e...

Eve Margrett could "kind of swim" before she came to lessons with Art of Swimming but she was out of breath after about half a length. A bad back led her to the Alexander Technique and from there she discovered Shaw Method, a way of helping her back and teaching her to swim at the same time ... Why do you think you were having a problem swimming?I felt fearful especially in deep water and I didn't know why. However, when I started lessons with Art of Swimming I decided to use my experience as a...

Angela Davies remembers being stuck in the non-swimmers group at school and being given no encouragement to progress. 23 years ago she swam her first and only length at the age of 30. The experience was so stressful she vowed never to get in a pool again. Then she met Shaw Method teacher Peter Brierley of Art of Swimming. So what prompted your return to the pool?I chose to get into swimming as an adult as I have had recurrent back problems since the age of 20. This resulted in minor spinal surg...

Barnet resident, Steven Fogel, currently touring coastal Australia from Perth in the west, via Tasmania in the south, to Port Arthur in the north east, yesterday completed a seven minute dash across a wildtidal creek on the edge of the Daintree Rain Forest. Fogel, who last summer made the first recorded human crossing of Lake Lugano using the Shaw Method 'fly technique, had since been planning this daring escapade despite several stern warnings from his mother. When interviewed immediately af...

Outdoor swimming has never been so popular, and in this Olympic year it’s sure to get yet another boost as more of us get inspired by the open water events at London 2012. It’s probably too late to secure entry to Team GB for this year’s Serpentine races, but there’s lots more going on. Here’s our guide to the best events of 2012 …The Big SwimSunday 29 January 2012Get in quick for this Aussie swim – Palm Beach to Whale Beach in Sydney – as it takes place in just over a week (online entries close...

Angela Alexander loves Iceland. She loves it so much that she has been going every year for the past 15 years. Here she tells us why …There are two things I love about Iceland: the swimming and the bookshops. People think this strange, but Iceland has some great places to swim, and fantastic bookshops.Swimming is perhaps not the first thing that springs to mind when you think of Iceland, but I can assure you that it is a wonderful place to take the plunge. Everyone in Iceland swims, it seems to ...

Strictly speaking the pool at the Liquidrom isn’t for swimming in, but since I was lucky enough to visit it last week I thought you might like to know about this unique facility.Located in central Berlin, a short walk from Potsdamer Platz, the Liquidrom is an upmarket spa offering several saunas, an outdoor hot tub, and a most intriguing thermal pool. I visited with my bemused boyfriend, who had never set foot in a spa before. In the event his presence proved to be a good thing because one of th...

I took up open water swimming only last year as a way to get fit and do something cheap yet beneficial, writes Maureen Londra. Little did I know what I was letting myself in for.The challenges, both physical and psychological, have been enormous, but have not turned me off the idea of getting in the cold, dark waters of the Firth of Forth in Fife, Scotland.Whether my mood is low or I am elated, I love to swim at Pettycur beach near Kinghorn in Fife. There is often not a soul around, but sometime...

Open water swimming could not be more different from pool swimming, writes Pauline Squire. The pool: solid, straight sided, lined, bottomed, laned, and always filled with chlorine. Lakes, rivers and oceans: no lanes, colours ranging from yellow through to black, weed, fish, differing temperatures. Often you cannot even see your hand in the water let alone the bottom or sides, couple this with wind, rain and sunshine and its easy to see why so many are drawn to its attractions. However, all of th...

Thanks very much to our in house tester Phil Tibenham who has put the new mask from Aqua Sphere through its paces. Here is his report ... I've tried these goggles a few times now, and although at first I was longing for my usual pair of bashed up Aqua Sphere Vistas I'm starting to warm to them. In summary I'd say the plus points are that they are extremely light, and have a super strong frame. The comfortable seal or skirt is smaller and actually better than that on the Vista. They take up les...

Thanks to guest blogger Steven Fogel for his review of the new Finis Swimp3 ... To ward off the terrifying loneliness that encompasses the swimmer who explores the subaqueous depths of the Laboratory swimming pool in Hendon, I have long been comforted by the sounds of a device known as the "SwimP3". As loyal readers will know, various iterations of this gizmo have dangled from my goggles and lain on my cheeks for several years. From here they transmit recorded sound through my bones and shiftle...

I have used Aqua Sphere goggles for many years and have been recently using the Aqua Sphere Vista, a much larger goggle than these new ones. When I took the K180 for a test swim I found them to have excellent peripheral vision, which you really notice when you turn to breathe and they stay on well even with a strong push off the wall. As you would expect from Aqua Sphere they are also very easily adjusted. I found them to be a big departure from the Vista which has a large soft skirt around th...