Swimming has many health benefits – improving cardiovascular health, strength, mobility, motor control and providing a sense of well-being with high adherence. Those who swim are eight times¹ more likely to meet physical activity guidelines! However, it is also true that these benefits are highly dependent on skill, technique and stroke type².

Only 1 in 3 adults in the UK can swim more than 25m– a statistic which doesn’t provide any information about swimmer confidence, technique or enjoyment³. In addition, traditional swim strokes have been developed for competitive swimmers and elite athletes with speed as the goal, which has resulted in compromises to posture, alignment and healthy joint movements. Consequently, both competitive and recreational swimming may aggravate back/neck injuries⁴, cause shoulder pain⁵ or feel inaccessible to certain populations.

Swimming is a complex skill, requiring  coordination of balance, breath control and movement, similar to Pilates, yoga or martial arts. Steven Shaw, an ex-competitive swimmer, has used the principles of the Alexander Technique to redesign each stroke creating a mindful and nurturing swimming technique. Shaw Method swimming focuses on reducing inappropriate strain to joints and soft tissue, particularly the back, neck and knees while improving efficiency and creating a joyful experience.

Shaw Method swimming teachers are specialists in adult swimming tuition. Teaching in the water, they provide hands-on guidance to improve skill acquisition. Each part of the stroke is broken down into manageable bite-sized chunks practised in and out of the water and are gradually layered. The result is a stroke which the swimmer is in complete control of and can modify confidently according to the need of the day. As part of our teaching team, our Shaw Method trained in-house Physiotherapist, Hollie Hazon-Dodd, can provide extra support where required.