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.
The 3 Skills That Matter More Than Strokes
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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. I hope you've had a good week. Most beginners try to learn a stroke too early. They think the answer is breaststroke or front crawl. Usually, the answer is something simpler: get comfortable, learn to breathe, and learn to glide. One insightSwimming gets easier when you stop trying to “swim” straight away. The real foundations are much less glamorous: putting your face in the water without panicking, breathing out calmly, floating, and pushing off in a long shape. Once those basics click, strokes stop feeling chaotic and start feeling logical. Check out the basic steps right here. One mini storyI’ve seen plenty of beginners assume they’re “bad at swimming” when really they’re just skipping steps. They try front crawl before they can exhale underwater. Or they try breaststroke before they can glide. That’s a bit like trying to run before you can stand comfortably. One practical stepIn your next swim, forget the full stroke for five minutes. Just practise these three things:
Those three skills do more for beginners than most people realise. For more practical tips, click here. One questionWhich of those basics feels least comfortable to you right now: breathing, floating, or gliding?
Until next time - hang in there and keep swimming! Mark ps - forward this onto anyone you know that needs some swimming help. |
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 all is well. If learning to swim this year is part of your plans, the most important thing to remember is this: confidence comes before technique. The swimmers who make the best progress aren’t the ones who push hardest — they’re the ones who take time to understand the water and themselves. Here are a few key foundations worth focusing on as you begin (or continue) your swimming journey: Get comfortable in the water first Before strokes and lengths, spend time simply...
Hi Mark here, I hope all is well. Whether you’re just starting out or many years into teaching, the most effective lessons tend to share the same foundations: clarity, variety, patience, and purpose. With that in mind, here are a few simple reminders worth carrying into your teaching this term. Know who you’re teaching It sounds obvious, but it’s easy to overlook. Adults and children learn very differently - with different fears, motivations, and confidence levels. Taking time to understand...
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 insight Good swimming teaching is rarely about inventing completely new content every week. It’s about taking a sound exercise and...