Topics about learning to swim from scratch
We periodically get questions about whether we teach “survival swimming” to infants and toddlers. The interest is usually driven from watching that viral video of the unattended infant falling into a pool with clothes on rolling to the back, swimming to the wall, and hanging on crying. We don’t teach…
My office manager forwarded on an article from “Chicago Parent” on the use of swim noodles in swim classes. I was about to write a blog post that swim tools don’t teach, teachers do. I was going to take a triathlete angle and pick on my favorite enemies, the hand paddle…
So what do you think about when you are doing your swim training or lap swimming? If it’s not about how you are actually moving through the water and the quality of your movement, you are missing out on a tremendous opportunity to improve and to enjoy your swimming. Total…
Want to become a faster swimmer and enjoy swimming more? Start by figuring out how to swim effectively in the water rather than immediately trying to build up your training volume. The reason that it’s more important to focus on how you swim rather than how far or how hard you swim…
Our students and parents always ask us where they can swim and practice outside of classes. While joining a health club is always an option, Chicago is a super cool city because the Chicago Park District has indoor and outdoor pools in nearly every neighborhood that have family, open, and…
I was working with a client this morning and we were talking about swimming on the back. New swimmers have some discomfort with swimming on the back because (a) they can’t see where they are going and don’t want to hit the wall, and (b) they can’t swim straight and…
I’ve been getting a lot of questions recently about newspaper and magazine articles and a Today Show spot about the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) easing their past stance that aquatic programs for children under the age of four would not reduce drowing or teach swimming. Now they cite benefits…
Many parents have asked me about water safety for their child and “survival swimming.” It shouldn’t be suprising since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that drowning remains the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages 1 to 14 years, despite a steady decline in drowning rates…
While I don’t like to promote baby swimming as a way to create a master race of super-children, this article in Sunday May 2nd issue of the Chicago Tribune is one of many that say that children really benefit from baby swim classes. I’m also not a big fan of the…
When I tell a mom or dad that we teach baby swimming classes at the Chicago Blue Dolphins Swim Studio, I often get a puzzled look on his or her face followed by the question: “They aren’t really swimming, are they?” When people think of swimming, they think of competitive…
