r/SwimInstructors

Hi, I am a learn to swim instructor in Sydney Australia.
I’ve come down with the shingles and I’ve had it for roughly 7/8 days now.

I have work again in about 48 hours and again 48 hours after that.
Both 6 hour shifts in the water with children as young as 2

I am thinking about taking another 4/5 days off.
I have no fever today for the first time in days but am still very exhausted.

Can I have some opinions on if I should have more time off or go back?

I know singing isn't everyone's favorite tool, but I enjoy it enough and love to expand my toolbox. I know everyone use ABCs and twinkle twinkle, but I'm curious what less common songs y'all incorporate into your classes, what skills you pair them with, and how you change the lyrics (if you do).

My current favorite backfloat song is "And the green grass grows all around," and I'll let the kiddo pick what to put on the tree. I've been doing "Down by the bay" with my slightly older (5-7) kids who understand what a rhyme is, and I really like that since it distracts them without them feeling infantilized. Heard an aquatic PT doing "The ants go marching" recently, though not sure what skill they were doing/if it could be altered for swim class.

Hi all. I am a swim teacher in England. I have many years experience with teaching babies right up to adults how to swim. I have a new child starting a 1-1 class with me who happens to be blind.
I was wondering if anyone had any helpful tips with where to start and what could be helpful? This child is 3. Fairly new to the water.

Thanks!

I have a newly 3 year old who I want to have lots of confidence in the water. We’ve done swim lessons at Little Flippers, our local YMCA and now a trial at Big Blue.

I felt the YMCA instruction was the least efficient and she sort of ran the lesson herself. Eg. telling the instructor what she did and didn’t want to do with no push back or support to try.

I noticed Big Blue uses floating devices where Little Flippers did not. I’m curious anyone with swim lesson experience if they have tried these locations and what they think works best?

My 10-year old has been swimming in a 10-week summer community league for 5 years. Our team has had a rotating cast of coaches and he his times have not improved for about two years. We did group lessons in the “off season” once a week with a year-round club and it did not seem to help. I think he could use stroke refinement and tips on diving and turns. What is the best way for him to learn? Private coaching? If yes, how do I find someone that specializes in racing? And how do we reinforce those lessons so they stick?

I'm on day 6 of learning to swim as an adult. I've made progress with floating and can now free-float from around the middle of the pool to the front.

My problem is getting back up from the front float.

I understand what I'm supposed to do: lift my head, bend/bring my knees underneath me, bring my arms back, get my feet underneath me, and stand up. But I can't seem to coordinate the movements together. I can bring my knees in, but when I try to bring my arms back at the same time, I lose the position or can't find the floor.

My coach has been breaking the free float/recovery into steps because I'm still a little scared of the water. Until recently he couldn't get into the pool because of an ear infection, so most of the instruction was verbal. He's now able to get into the water and help me practise.

The frustrating part is that I understand exactly what I'm supposed to do, but my body isn't doing it yet.

Is this just a normal coordination/motor-learning issue?

Has anybody had their nose pierced while they were teaching swim lessons? Advice is to stay out of the water for 3 months 😭

Hi guys!! Ive recently gotten a substitute instructor job that doesn't allow anything in a pool. You basically have to only teach verbally and physically but nothing like bouys or kickboards. This is my first swimming instructor job that does this. How would you go about teaching a class like that? It's private lessons only so thankfully would only be teaching one student at a time.

Hiya!

I am newly wearing flip flops on the deck to keep my feet clean, so I don’t get warts basically. But, I am getting a little in my head about how to bring them home in a way that isn’t then contaminating the rest of my swim stuff.

How do you keep everything sanitary? Is it okay if I just chuck them into my mesh back with my swimsuit and swim gear? Do you give them a rinse in fresh water first? Should I be carrying them in a separate bag?

Let me know how you all get your shoes home after using them. :)

Thanks!

The exam is online and you have to scan the entire room to prove that you do not have the book, notes, your phone or any means of cheating when completing it. I’m so nervous about what could come up and thus what it is I should focus on learning. I’m happy to read the book but I’ll retain 0% of it 🤣 Help! X

Hello guys,

I started swimming about a month ago. Today was my first time swimming in the sea in Croatia. Unfortunately, after just a few breathes I was unable to continue because the roof of my mouth started burning so much that I couldn't take it anymore. It is not like I swallowed a lot of the water. Just the splashes here and there and the water that is around my lips that I inhaled was enough that the roof of my mouth started to burn. I also tried swimming with the snorkel and after 5 minutes of my head constantly under water, my nosetrills started burning also.

Has anybody had a simmilar issue?

What can I do to fix this?

Unfortunately, i don't have a nose clip and I am not able to get one, because there is no store that has it on this island.

Thank you for any help.

Hello to whoever’s reading this,I have only had 3 swimming classes and it’s like my first time learning swimming, I want to ask tips for a few things.Today was the first time I dived into the deep end of the pool and almost drowned thrice. The problem was after I dived into couldn’t get momentum and I do not have any idea how to float so I was just flailing around trying to stay on top of the water how do I float are there any tips I have another class tomorrow and im scared if I have to dive I might drown again.Another thing is that when I swim I can’t inhale even if I exhale properly underwater I just end up gulping a ton of water. And another thing is when I sometimes manage to inhale I find myself comepletely submerged with my legs underwater and I have to get up as I cannot inhale causing me to drown in deep water if I cannot get support from the floor.Thanks

Please let me know if this is the wrong place for this. Cross Posted from Phobias:

Long story short. I had a near drowning experience around 9/10 years old, since then I’ve really struggled with getting into water. I tend to have panic attacks in any water where I can’t touch the bottom and or don’t have something stable to hold onto. Lakes and Oceans are a complete no go. I can only manage to get knee deep in the ocean before panic sets in. Even taking a shower where the water is in my face and washing my face can have my pulse racing.

What are some exercises I can do in a pool or at home for exposure therapy?

For context if you feel like reading:

I was a great swimmer as a kid, and swam constantly. One summer I was at the pool at my apartment complex, and was swimming in the deep end. I can’t remember exactly what happened but I guess I had done something to piss off a group of older boys (12-13)that were also there who weren’t supervised. Basically one boy instigated and dragged me to the bottom of the pool (about 6ft deep) and they took turns keeping me under the water until my sister noticed and my mom was able to get them off of me. The police eventually convinced my mom not to press charges but I’ve never gotten over it. Since then I have really struggled with any sort of water activity. My family has always been very water oriented. Always going to the pool, vacations to lakes, beaches, etc. My mom was always a “suck it up and get the hell over it” type of parent and forced me into activities and called my panic attacks being over dramatic. I’ve tried to avoid it as much as possible, but because of that my swimming ability is almost non existent now as a 30 yr old. I can manage pool if it’s not too deep and I have a float, but even that can be tough.

My problem? My kids are avid swimmers, have taken swim lessons, and frankly are far superior to me and want to do more and more activities that I can no longer keep up with. Think swimming in lakes, tubing, skiing, going in the ocean, etc. I don’t want to limit them.

We have a vacation to France to visit my partners family next summer, where there will be a lot of water activities. I want to be able to get in the water with my kids without breaking down into a sobbing mess or feeling like I’m going to die.

Hi all! I was a swim instructor over a few summers before I got a full time job. The last time I worked, there had been a new Aquatics director who uses swim belts for swim instructors. Previously, our lessons had been where kids stand on platforms in the water and stay there until we take them off to do skills.

The new director has a lot of experience in swim instructing and has her own curriculum where she has kids in swim belts instead of platforms. The littlest students get belts that go all the way around their waist and back, and older kids transition to the belts that only have the floating part on their backs. They ultimately stop having them altogether at a certain level.

My coworkers have been giving mixed reviews on whether they like the swim belts vs platforms. I see benefits to both, but what do you all think? This is out of genuine curiosity. Thanks in advance!

I'm hoping to get some advice in a few areas; general, lesson planning, conducting lessons and getting over the shyness of being too loud.

Does anyone know of any websites or anywhere I can get insight into lesson plans, drills, what drills are suitable to what stage etc. also, if you have lesson plans you religiously use, please comment below or DM me.

And any advice on how to spread your focus to have eyes on all students all the time? I feel like I hyper focus on one and panic when I lose sight of the others.

We're gearing up to do our teaching assessments and I'm really scared. I taught a lesson for the first time yesterday and balled my eyes out as soon as it was done. It was mortifying. I've never taught anyone anything, and it's been an awful long time since I was under the instruction of a swimming teacher myself. I feel like I've overestimated my abilities, but this is the route I've chosen, and the route I really want to work, so best believe Im going to make it work 😅

(Will be teaching stages 1 to 7, most nervous about stage 1 and stage 3)

If anyone has any tips or advice please comment below or DM me 🙏🌸

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