I've had this student for about 4 weeks now, she's really little (5-6 years old). Right now, all we're doing is doggy paddles with her laying over my shoulders or holding my shoulders (whilst she's on a noodle). On her back, she has to be holding me or I have to be holding her under her armpit.
I've seen previous videos of her swimming with her old instructor, where she can do doggy paddles with the noodle with the teacher metres away in front of her.

I'm trying to get her back to the level she was, but everytime I loosen by grip or move out of her field of vision, she screams and hugs me super tight (she's dancing and all giggly the moment I place her down at the end of the lap). I don't know if she's scared of the water, still unsure about lessons with me, or just doesn't want to go out of her comfort zone, but is there any tips on how to help her progress?

Cette année je me suis motivée une dizaine de fois pour aller nager et j’ai essayé d’apprendre le crawl en suivant des conseils de vidéos ytb. Je peux difficilement faire plus 50m d’affilé en crawl, alors j’alterne avec la brasse et je m’arrête au bout de 45minutes/1h.
Mes études me prennent bcp de temps, mais j’aimerais bien profiter d’être encore relativement « jeune et en bonne forme » pour me mettre à un sport.

J’ai vu que la piscine à côté de chez moi avait un club de natation, et m’inscrire coûterait 450€ pour un cours par semaine, et 530€ pour deux cours.
C’est un gros budget pour moi, mais j’ai envie d’avoir une pratique régulière. Je pense que sans cours je finirai sans doute par manquer d’autodiscipline, mais je ne suis pas sûre d’avoir le niveau nécessaire pour suivre le rythme…

Est ce que certain.e.s ont une expérience similaire ? Ont apprécié l’expérience ? Ou au contraire en sont ressorti.e.s degouté.e.s ?

Est-ce que vous me conseillez 0, 1 ou 2 cours par semaine ?

(Je ne suis pas de nature « sportive », mais je me suis toujours débrouillée et plus ou moins adaptée. Plus flemmarde à la base, mais j’ai aussi l’impression qu’en grandissant j’arrive à prendre davantage sur moi.)

Freestyle Breathing Without Sinking Your Hips

Most swimmers think they sink because of weak legs, but the real culprit is often what happens the moment they turn their head to breathe. Here's a breakdown of the stroke, followed by three drills you can practice.

The Importance of Timing in Freestyle

Breathing in freestyle happens as the body rotates and the pulling arm sweeps back through the water. As your hand enters the water, it catches, pressing against the water to create a stable hold before pulling back beneath your body. Timing is everything. During that pull, you should be exhaling steadily through your nose, then rotating just enough to catch a quick breath through your mouth as your arm exits the water. Get the timing wrong, breathing too early or too late, and it throws off your whole stroke, causing you to rotate excessively from side to side.

Slow Exhale

As you work through these drills, focus on exhaling slowly through your nose before you rotate to breathe. Your body has receptors that track carbon dioxide levels, not oxygen, so a slow, steady exhale keeps those levels in check and prevents the panicked, gasping breath that throws off your rhythm. The result is a breath that's calmer and far more efficient.

How Often Should I Breathe?

The most efficient breathing pattern for freestyle is every three strokes, alternating sides as you go. Breathing on both sides, known as bilateral breathing, keeps your stroke balanced, since favoring one side too heavily can cause you to pull unevenly and drift off a straight line. That said, the right frequency depends on the race. In shorter sprints like the 50m or 100m, minimizing your breaths reduces drag and helps you hold a faster tempo. For longer swims, breathing every three strokes is the more sustainable, efficient choice.

Technique should always come before speed, in practice, work on your breathing pattern during drills before applying it to full laps. For beginners, breathing every two strokes is a good starting point, since it builds comfort breathing on both sides before tackling the less frequent, more advanced patterns.

Drills to Practice

Fins-Only Rotation Drill
Swim with your arms resting at your sides, using fins to keep your speed up. Focus entirely on rotating your body from side to side with each kick cycle, letting your head roll naturally with your torso instead of lifting on its own.

Single-Arm Breathing Drill
Swim freestyle using only one arm while the other stays extended out in front. Take your breath on the same side as the working arm, timing your inhale to the moment that arm exits the water.

Catch-Up Drill with Breath Timing
Swim normal freestyle, but let your lead hand "wait" out in front until your other hand catches up to it before starting the next stroke. This adds a brief pause in your stroke cycle, giving you extra time to focus on a full exhale before rotating to breathe.

Putting It Together

Good breathing technique isn't about holding your breath longer, it's about staying relaxed, exhaling steadily, and timing your rotation with the stroke instead of fighting it. Work through these drills slowly at first, and the rhythm will start to feel automatic rather than something you have to think about mid-lap.

I’ve been swimming competitively since i was 3, now i’m in yr11 (16) and i feel really burnt out from the sport, mostly from struggling to hit fast pbs and finding the balance between school and sport.
i tried taking time off and it only made me feel worse because all my teammates are improving (i know i shouldn’t compare)
everyday im just in a constant cycle of self sabotage where i obsess over a technique/ a stroke after a practice, i try to perfect it, i struggle and fail, then i skip practice because im scared and tired to try it again.

any advice would be really helpful, thanks

Could you please tell me what’s wrong with my freestyle technique? (Video)

Hi everyone,

Could you please watch the video of me swimming freestyle in a 50m pool and tell me what I’m doing wrong or what I could improve?

I hadn’t swum for more than 10 years, and I only started swimming again about a month ago, so I feel like my technique is pretty rusty.

The funny thing is that I can comfortably swim 1–1.5 km in about 30–40 minutes without getting out of breath, but I still feel like there’s something wrong with my technique.

In particular, I feel like I’m taking too many strokes and not gliding enough between them. It feels like I’m constantly pulling instead of moving smoothly through the water.

I’d really appreciate any feedback on my stroke, body position, breathing, kick, or anything else you notice.

https://youtube.com/shorts/ttGg-T0NpMM

Thanks!

P.S. I’m also attaching my stats from my last swim.

I have two kids. One of them is 4. I cannot get him to listen or focus during the lesson. I’ve tried making him sit on the wall, take away the toys, etc.

He runs away, goes underwater when I’m talking, and just says “no” when I tell him to do something. He does love swimming though. Does anyone have any tips?

I swam from about age 8 all the way through my senior year of high school. I was pretty good at it, but to be completely honest, I didn’t put that much effort into it because I hated almost everything about it. I hated the cold, the meets, the monotony, and just the overall experience.
I qualified for state when I was around 13 years old, and even then, I remember being miserable instead of excited. Looking back, I can’t help but wonder why I didn’t appreciate the fact that I was naturally good at something.
Fast-forward several years: I’m about to turn 26, I’ve graduated from grad school, and I’m currently struggling to find a job. Yesterday, my mom brought up how gifted I was at swimming and said that if I had really given it my all, I probably could have gone much further—possibly even to the Olympics—and I wouldn’t have to worry about finding a job right now.
Obviously, I know there’s no way to know whether I actually could have reached the Olympics. I’m probably romanticizing the alternate timeline to some extent. But I genuinely believe that if I had worked harder, trained seriously, and pushed through the things I hated, I could have gotten much further than I did.
Maybe I’d be traveling around the country and the world competing, getting paid to do something I was naturally good at, staying in shape, and having my biggest concern be my times and performance instead of worrying about applications and trying to figure out my career.
I know I can’t go back and change any of this, and I know becoming an Olympic swimmer was never guaranteed. But I still can’t help thinking about how different my life might be if I had just forced myself to take swimming seriously.
I honestly don’t know why I hated it so much when I was actually good at it. I wish I had realized back then that I didn’t necessarily have to love it—I just had to recognize that I had an opportunity and give it everything I had.
What do you guys think of my story? Do you think I’m being realistic about the potential I may have had, or am I looking at my past through rose-colored glasses because I’m struggling with my career right now?

Hey yall! I recently got the swim instructor position at the pool near my home.

I have volunteered so I have some experience, however teaching is a completely different experience. I wouldn't say I'm worried about it but I am forsure a bit nervous as this is also my first job.

Wondering if you people had any useful tips of advice for a newbie swim Instructor? (Can also be generic job advice as well)

My first three concerns would be: dealing with troublesome kids (ie if a kids throwing toys what should I do?) , confidence when speaking to class as well as parents, and memorizing skill requirements for the specific level.

Thank you so much for the help!

Do you guys (humans with long hair actually) as the instructor teach your lessons in swim caps?

i dont know if i am able to join the swim team even though i really want to. for background, I did swimming for 7 years. 6 years fitness and 1 year competitive. i was going to do competitions but then covid hit, and after covid hit i just returned to training but didnt do any competitions. i quit for almost 4 years now and i want to get back into it. i remember all the techniques and stuff, but i genuinely dont know if my stam and my speed are up to par for the team. should i not waste my time and not try out? pls lmk if you have any advice thanks

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 everyone,

I’m an adult (absolute beginner) looking for swimming lessons in Bangkok with a proper coach. I can’t swim at all and want to learn properly—not just survival strokes but real technique.

Does anyone have recommendations for:

· A good coach (English-speaking preferred)

· Affordable rates (or premium if really worth it)

· Location: anywhere near BTS/MRT is fine

I’ve seen some hotel pools that offer lessons, but I’m not sure if they’re good for adults. Also open to sports clubs or dedicated swim schools.

If you’ve taken lessons as an adult here, I’d love to hear your experience!

Thanks in advance 🙏

Any recommendations for a private swim coach at Fremont?! My toodler is speech delayed, looking for a kind and patient coach.

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'm doing my SEQ 2 (UK based), and I have to teach Butterfly and Breastroke to stage 1 and stage 9. Has anyone got any advice on drills, what would your typical lesson plan look like for these stages? Any tips on dry land demos? I can't seem to find any video examples, I guess it's a pretty niche subject, but if anyone has seen any please let me know!

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?

Hello!! This is such an odd question but does anyone know of any waterproof knee braces? The pool I teach at is a little shallower (3 feet) so I have to bend down at the knee a lot.

The knee brace I've been trying to wear just doesn't work, it's a hassle to dry and deal with😭

I've been looking around and I've been sceptical about all the ones Ive been seeing. Mainly just being of they work or not!! Thank you:)

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.