Many adult swimmers head to the pool with good intentions: swim a few laps, get a workout in, and maybe try to go a little farther than last time. While this routine builds general fitness, it doesn’t always lead to measurable improvement. Without structured swim workouts, it’s easy to plateau…
Your baby’s first swim lesson is an exciting milestone — and a big step toward a lifelong love of the water. At Chicago Blue Dolphins, we make sure every child’s first experience is joyful, safe, and stress-free. With just a little preparation, you and your little one can dive right…
When it comes to swim lessons, class size matters. Many parents assume that all swim programs are the same—but the number of kids in the water with each instructor can make or break your child’s experience. If you are looking for small class size swim lessons in Chicago, look no…
You’re not “behind.” You’re not alone. And yes—you absolutely can learn to feel calm, safe, and even joyful in the water. Why fear of water is normal (and fixable) Most adult water anxiety comes from one or more of these: Loss of control (“What if I can’t stand up?”) Facial…
On Social Media last week, I opened up the floor to friends and followers to ask any swimming question. I did my best job to answer each one, but there were some answers that were beyond the scope of a comment. One friend posted the following question: When I swim,…
Who among us loved report card day in school and woke up early in anticipation of all the A’s that were soon to come? OK, maybe not so many of us. But when it comes to swim lessons for you or your children, we want you to understand that it’s…
I came across an article through Facebook on the learning mindset that helps children be successful learners. I don’t usually like to publish articles about parenting. I recall bristling at the advice I would get from total strangers in elevators about how to help my baby daughter stop crying. However, Carol…
My office manager forwarded an article from the Sunday April 20th edition of Salon called “Ditch the 10,000 Hour Rule.” It takes the position that improving your skills is not just about grinding out the 10,000 hours of practice that Malcolm Gladwell allegedly depicts in his books. Whether it’s an…
One of the best ways to improve your freestyle is to incorporate “fist” swimming into your practices. Of course, you would never know this because all of my swimmers groan or mutter profanities under their breath whenever I assign it at swim practice. If you read most triathlon books or…
We had a great turnout for the Big Shoulders 2.5 and 5K open water swim this past Saturday September 12th. In the 5K division, we had 12 swimmers compete and we had 4 swimmers place in the top 50 overall — Tim Carlson (13, 1:01.02), Justin Chiles (18, 1:02.03), Rob…
