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...

Susanna Patel had anxieties attached to the water since she was a child, and then she tried lessons with Art of Swimming. Here's her story ... Tell me about your attitude to the water before you had lessons with Art of Swimming.I've had a life long fear of water including not being able to put my head under the shower! Even though I loved the sound of it, loved being away on island holidays and the whole idea of being in the water when it actually came down to it I couldn't actually enjoy it be...

This is a poem by Shaw Method teacher Daphne Wood. If you've read Steven Shaw's The Art of Swimming, you may have seen it published there. can water be a friend? she went into the waterlike going to meet a friendthe water received heras she wasdemanded nothingbut was not unresponsiveallowed her to be tensereflected that back to herencouraged her to let some of her holdingbe let goresponded when she didseemed to become softerand gentlersurrounding herholding heras she learned more about the wat...

David Wright’s early memories of swimming are of standing around on a poolside shivering whilst his school PE teacher barked “encouragement”. He also remembers a near-drowning incident as a toddler, so it was no surprise that as an adult he experienced a profound fear of water. He could swim, with his head up, but in a constant state of tension and worry that he might get water on his face. All that changed, however, when he discovered Shaw Method at his local pool.So why did you decide to seek ...

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...

Jane Watkinson didn’t enjoy her swimming lessons at school: having to be in the pool without her glasses was very disorientating and the teacher was unsympathetic. Consequently she did everything to avoid lessons, didn’t learn to swim, and felt very embarrassed about it as an adult. Then she discovered Shaw Method …Why swimming? As part of my role at work, I facilitate performance mindset programmes where we help people to understand how their mind works and how that affects the way they behave ...

We asked you, our lovely readers, to tell us about your swimming achievements from the past year, and what an inspirational mailbag we received. Without further ado here are our favourites. Prepared to be inspired …Rescue fly …“As a water rescue technician with the London fire brigade I am trained to enter moving and static water to rescue and assist casualties. For this I wear a dry suit and a PFD (similar to a life jacket). I am also tethered to another rescuer on the river bank, by means of a...

“Swimming saved my life,” says Thelma Koorland. And this is pretty much the first thing she says when I speak to her about her experiences of Shaw Method, writes Jane-Ann Purdy. Thelma is 74 and swims for an hour every day without, as she puts it, “Getting out of breath or tired.”Perhaps surprisingly, Thelma only started to swim ten years ago. She had no experience of swimming until then and was taught by Steven Shaw from scratch. I think it is true to say that Thelma is in love with swimming, “...

If you are new to swimming it can be really daunting when your teacher suggests that you put in some practice in between classes. Even if all they suggest is going and getting used to walking around the pool or having a go at some breathing exercises, it can be step too far.For Gerri Kirkwood and Jean Samuel, two Shaw Method pupils taking lessons to overcome long-standing anxieties in the water, the idea of solo practice was just not an option. “I was scared even to be on my own in the pool,” sa...

If you are new to Shaw Method or swimming, the fundamentals are the only place to start. And if you are an experienced SM swimmer these simple practices will refresh the foundations of all your strokes. Follow our guide below and make fundamentals part of your regular pool routine  …Go for a walkYou know how to walk, you don’t even think about it. But can you walk in the water? Try it, and see if you can feel the difference between moving in water and moving in air. And make sure that you are cr...

Like many people Anita found that school swimming lessons did nothing to help a nervous beginner. In a large class of 30 children she didn’t get the specialist attention she needed and left school a non swimmer. In 2008, she decided to do something about her lack of aquatic skills and took some individual lessons in Shaw Method. 18 months later she’s working on her bilateral breathing for front crawl and perfecting her breaststroke. The next challenge will be butterfly …Why swimming? I wanted an...

January is traditionally the busiest time for swimming pools as lapsed lane lovers dust off their goggles and get back to their aquatic routine. But what if going to the pool has never been on your agenda?  What if you never learned to swim in the first place?The first thing I should mention here is that you are not alone. British Swimming estimates that one in five adults cannot swim.So if your new year’s resolution is to get down to the pool and learn, naturally I would recommend a Shaw Method...