FAQ

According to the CDC, drowning is the number one cause of death for children ages 1 to 4 years. Every year in the United States, an estimated 4,000 die from unintentional drowning. That is an average of 11 drowning deaths per day.

I teach children and adults how to swim because I am passionate about changing this statistic. I also desperately want to share my love for the water with others - it is a fantastic medium for exercise that can be accessed by most everyone, no matter your age or ability level.

There's no universal answer to how long it can take to learn to swim. Everyone learns at a different pace and there are different goals for each stage of development. Furthermore, some may define learning to swim as "water safety" while others envision "stroke development". Here are some general guidelines and developmental notes for children and adult swimmers:

-Infants and toddlers benefit from shorter (no longer than 30 min), more frequent sessions. Infants (between six and twelve months) can learn to hold their breath long enough to buy a parent a few valuable extra seconds in the case of an accidental water entry. By nineteen months, a toddler can learn to swim to the side of the pool or steps at a short distance, and by twenty-four months, swimming longer distances, developmentally, can be executed with ease if you've kept up frequent swim lessons.

-For younger children, at least 2 lessons per week no longer than 45 minutes is recommended. It takes most 3-5-year-old students 20 to 30 lessons to swim well enough to get across a small pool (~15 feet wide) and perform basic safety swimming skills. For a 6-9-year-old, it usually takes anywhere from eight to 20 lessons.

-Adults/stroke development for younger swimmers: Learning to swim formal strokes, such as freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, sidestroke, and elementary backstroke can take longer due to the technicalities of body position, breath control, and hand entry into the water. Formal strokes are complex skills that require more coordination than a paddling stroke or underwater swim with a pop-up or rollover breath often taught to beginner or younger swimmers.

It is never too late to learn to swim and move in the water. Lessons will be focused on your specific goals and often target water safety for increased confidence, general fitness, endurance and stroke development. I am interested in hearing about each and every one of your goals, including those that are competitive and fitness-based (triathlons, racing, improved efficiency) as well as recreational (boating, snorkeling, scuba diving, etc.)

As a Recreational Therapist with 10 years of experience in the field of neurologic rehabilitation, I am passionate about making recreation and sports more accessible for all. Physical or cognitive differences causes by injury or disability can impact the learn to swim process. In adaptive swimming, I work together with students and parents' to establish a customized plan for addressing any present barriers with the use of adaptive equipment and strategies.

Enrolling your child in swim lessons as young as 4-6 months old can help them acclimate to water before fear sets in. This early acclimation will encourage them not to fear swimming as learning to coordinate their body in the water will be a new challenge!

Infant Swimming Resource (ISR) focuses on teaching infants self-rescue techniques through daily, one-on-one sessions lasting about 10 minutes over a 4-6 week period. These lessons emphasize survival skills, such as rolling onto the back to float, often involving repetitive practices that can push infants out of their comfort zones.

In contrast, I offer traditional swim lessons that prioritize a gradual and compassionate approach to water safety and swimming skills. My lessons are designed to be enjoyable and stress-free, fostering a positive association with water. We focus on building foundational skills like safe submersion, back floating, belly to back rolls, blowing bubbles, kicking, and basic strokes, progressing at a pace comfortable for each child. This method not only teaches swimming but also instills a lifelong love for the water.

While ISR aims for rapid skill acquisition, it has faced criticism for its intensive methods and the potential for causing stress or trauma in some infants. Traditional lessons, however, emphasize ongoing skill development, allowing infants to become comfortable and confident in the water over time.

It is important to make sure your baby can tolerate water on their face and hold their breath prior to submerging them under the water. Dunking without conditioning, especially straight down, can cause babies to get water into their nose and mouth. This may lead to a stinging sensation, coughing, and future fears of going under water.

Fear of the water is more common than you may think! The instructor will start by discussing the student or parents' concerns in a calm to gain more insight on their past experiences impacting their current experiences in the water. To demystify the water, the instructor will educate all students on the properties of buoyancy and how they work to help keep a swimmer afloat, especially alongside supervision, equipment and hands-on assistance. The swimmer will always set the pace with new challenges, this sort of thing can't be rushed! Breath control and being able to swim underwater cannot be ignored in learning to swim - at some point, we will need to progress to this step to begin to find appropriate balance in the water. Our body is like a see-saw in how it floats in water - if our head remains raised out of the water while avoiding face entry and underwater swimming, our lower body will sink, making it impossible to swim with ease and efficiency. This will quickly exhaust the body and lead to difficulty with maintaining the ability to swim at a distance.

-A good fitting suit - one pieces or two-pieces designed for swim training are recommended -Swim diaper (infants-toddlers) -Hair tie or clips for bangs -Swim cap: not essential for lessons targeting learn to swim. This will become more important with competitive swimming and stroke development and can also be used as a tool for maintaining moisture and preventing damage to hair. -Goggles: infants and toddlers may not need goggles initially - let's discuss!

Chlorine can remove all of the natural oils from your hair and skin, leaving them dry, rough and damaged. You can prevent damage by showering/rinsing off before and immediately after swimming. Your hair acts as a sponge for chlorine, so it may be a good idea to wet your hair first or look into wearing a swim cap with leave-in conditioner in your hair. Use a wide-toothed comb with detangler to brush your hair after getting out of the pool to avoid further damage. Finally, look into purchasing a clarifying shampoo for your showers. Hyrdration, hydration, hydration for the skin and face! And don't forget your sunscreen.