Supporting every swimmer

Encouragement and consistency make the biggest difference.

If you visit the pool outside of lessons, keep things positive and let your child show you what they’ve learned. Avoid over-correcting—confidence is key to progress.

If you’d like guidance, I’m always happy to suggest simple ways to support your swimmer.

This is very common, especially in younger swimmers.

Rather than expecting perect attention, I often adapt in the moment. If a swimmer is distracted or eager to show me something, I'll pivot and channel that energy into learning. This keeps lessons engaging and productive.

My lessons are adapted to each individual swimmer's readiness, focus and engagement.

Because I follow the swimmer's energy and learning style, skills may not always be taught in a traditional or predictable order. For example, a swimmer might begin learning breastork before freestyle or backstroke (sometimes called front crawl or back crawl) if they show a particular desire or affinity in the water.

This approach keeps swimmers motivated and leads to stronger, more natural skill development over time.

In most cases, this is intentional.

When introducing or refining a new skill, I simplify other parts of the task so the swimmer can focus all of their energy where it matters most. This is based on the concept of cognitive load-we learn more effectively when we're not overwhelmed by too many things at ones.

You may also see familiar skills practiced in different ways to build true mastery, not just surface-level ability.

The lap pool is often quiter and less croded, allowing for more space and fewer distractions.

It also helps swimmers build confidence by appying their skills in a different environment. Learning that their abilities transfer across settings is an important step in becoming a strong, independent swimmer.