I've been teaching swimming for over 30 years and I built Swim Teach so that I can share all my knowledge, wisdom and experience from the thousands of swimming lessons I have had the pleasure of teaching. Take a look back through my previous newsletters and see what you missed.
One small teaching shift that changes everything
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Your weekly insight, one mini story, one practical step to try today and one question to consider - all in a five minute read. Hey, Mark here. Hope you've had a good week. This week, we are keeping lessons fresh! Lessons get stale when the teacher repeats the same drill in the same way. The problem usually isn’t the drill. It’s the lack of variation around it. One insightGood swimming teaching is rarely about inventing completely new content every week. It’s about taking a sound exercise and changing the angle: the equipment, the pace, the challenge, the imagination, the goal. That keeps pupils engaged without losing structure. One mini storyA child who resists a kicking drill will often do the exact same movement happily if the kickboard becomes a boat, the noodle becomes a horse, or the task becomes a game. The skill hasn’t changed. The experience has. One practical stepIn your next lesson, take one exercise you already use and vary just one thing:
Small variations are often enough to unlock better focus and faster progress. Check out more tips like these here. One questionAre your pupils bored with the skill itself - or just with the way it’s being presented?
Until next time - enjoy your teaching! Mark ps - Want more structured ideas? My book Teach Your Child To Swim Using Games and Play is packed with lesson‑ready activities. |
Hi! I'm Mark, creator of Swim Teach
I've been teaching swimming for over 30 years and I built Swim Teach so that I can share all my knowledge, wisdom and experience from the thousands of swimming lessons I have had the pleasure of teaching. Take a look back through my previous newsletters and see what you missed.
Hi, Mark here. I hope you’ve had a great week. If your legs are working hard but you still feel like you’re going nowhere, your front crawl kick probably needs refining - not more effort. A good kick should help you stay balanced, streamlined and relaxed in the water. It should support the rest of your stroke, not leave you exhausted after one length. This week’s guide breaks down how to kick front crawl with more control, better body position and less wasted energy. 👉 Read the full front...
Are you looking to enhance your teaching toolkit and make a bigger splash in your lessons? Hi, Mark here. Hope all is well with you. Everyone needs tools that make their job easier and raise the quality of their work, and we swimming teachers are no exception. I’ve gathered my best teaching tools into one easy-to-use page just for you. It’s packed with practical, printable swimming teacher resources to help you teach more confidently, save prep time, and deliver high-quality lessons your...
Many swimmers pull too hard and still don’t move far. Here’s why - and a simple drill that fixes it. Hi, Mark here. Hope your week’s been a good one! Let’s talk breaststroke arms. As swimming teachers, we know it’s the leg kick that delivers the real power. But many swimmers still rely too much on their arms to pull themselves through the water, and that’s where things go wrong. Quick Breakdown of the Arm Pull Technique The breaststroke arm movement can be split into three simple phases:...