Welcome to The Art of Swimming. Your new relationship with the water begins here! We’re excited to work with you. Our mission is to help you discover, step by step, how to swim with more ease and less effort.

At the moment, you may not feel confident and relaxed in the water. You may not like getting your face wet and may worry about getting water up your nose. We understand this, and these are very common concerns. Wherever you are on your swimming journey, we are here to guide you and work with you at your level.

In our groups, people have different strengths and work at different levels. For some, progress is steady; for others, it comes in leaps and bounds. There is no judgment or competition in our classes, and we will never compare you to others in the group. If and when you need additional support, we will happily make arrangements.

What to Expect

An Art of Swimming lesson includes some theory, groundwork exercises (at the poolside), and plenty of time in the water. With us, you’ll rebuild your swimming stroke from its fundamentals. We’ll guide you through each position and movement and show you how they join together. In isolation, we’ll look at all the individual elements of each stroke, such as arm and leg actions, head movements, rotations, undulations, and the breathing pattern.

You’ll explore your natural buoyancy and learn when to apply effort and when to relax to allow the water to do the work.

We want swimming to be good for your muscles, joints, and posture. We will always ensure you practice good ‘use of the self.’ We will pay particular attention to your head-neck-back alignment.

How We Teach

Forget the swimming lessons you had as a child! Our classes take place in water that is warm and shallow, and our teachers are in the water with you to guide, support, and encourage. With our origins in The Alexander Technique, we are ‘hands-on.’ Sensitively, we will guide and direct you. With our support, you will be able to feel how and where you can adjust and correct your position and movements in the water.

For each new exercise, we will guide you with our EDGE approach:

EXPLAIN what to do and why it is important in the stroke.
DEMONSTRATE how to do the exercise correctly.
GUIDE you as you have a go.
Allow you time and space to EXPLORE the movement yourself.

What Not to Expect

• A polo-shirted teacher blowing a whistle and barking instructions down at you from the side of the pool.
• An hour of non-stop full-stroke swimming.
  Pressure from us to do something that doesn’t feel right.
• Negativity from us – remember we are here to support you. If something doesn’t feel right, please reach out and let us know.

What We Expect of You

• Arrive on time to get changed.
• Be ready to begin at the class start time.
• Have a good pair of goggles and a swimming top.
• Even when the water is warm, our bodies can get chilly.
• Be prepared for our pace of work: patient, methodical, and exploratory.
• Talk to us! We want to know how you’re getting on, where your challenges are, and what you’re discovering.
• We’re here to connect with you and respond to you
• Bring your curiosity, your open mind, and your sense of fun.

Homework

It is essential that you practice between lessons to get the most out of the course. Make a plan to practice every day, either on land or in the water.
Short daily practices of the groundwork exercises will bring huge improvements. Try to make regular visits to the pool too, so that you can practice the aquatic exercises. Other swimmers will be curious about what you are doing!
Time in class is short, but the time in between is long. Use it! The more homework you do, the more progress you will make.

Enjoy the journey!