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Original poster

Swimming lessons - how long until no arm bands?

31 replies

Whatisgoingonheredear · 06/01/2025 13:52

DD started swimming lessons in September. Age 5. The lessons run in line with school terms, missed a couple due to illness, so has had about 13 lessons.
They are still using floatation discs (arm bands) and woggles. I don't know if I'm expecting too much but at this point I'd expect them not to be using so many floatation aids.

The children in her group age from ages 3 - 7. Most are around 5. She is one of the more proficient swimmers and has good co ordination but naturally using floatation discs and a woggle doesn't mean she learns natural positions for her arms and so on. There are a couple of children in her group who have not really progressed since starting (one of them would probably do better with 1:1 lessons and another one is a bit scared of the pool).
DD is very confident in the water too.
So far we have spent around £200 on lessons and I can't afford to keep at it for months and months...I'm not sure if the teacher is waiting for them all to be at the same stage before reducing the use of swimming aids.
7 children to a group.

There are only two swim schools here and the one we are with is the only one who actually replies to emails. Most people teach their own children but I work opposite schedules to DH so it would be hard.

Should swimming aids be reduced by now or are my expections too much?

Posting in AIBU for traffic.

OP posts:
butterfliesandbee · 06/01/2025 13:59

Arm bands shouldn't be used by any one. They can be dangerous by creating a false sense of security, aren't a flotation device.
If they are the inflatable ones they also teach a poor swimming stroke as arms can't get close enough to the body.
I have never seen a swimming class use them and have been to many, over 4 children and the last 20 years, still attending now and all children have learnt to swim in deep end by 7.

ShanghaiDiva · 06/01/2025 13:58

Agree with pp no armbands from the beginning.

tealandteal · 06/01/2025 13:58

I think this depends on the swim school. Can you ask? My youngest is 2 and he doesn’t use arm bands in lessons (obviously he is supported by a parent) and is now starting to use a normal float and kick when parents let go. In the older classes where they swim by themselves they use floats but no armbands.

Cattenberg · 06/01/2025 13:57

My DD started weekly swimming lessons aged three. After two years she still needed armbands. But after three years she could swim without them. Many of her peers made faster progress, possibly because they spent more time concentrating on the lesson and less time mucking about.

mynameiscalypso · 06/01/2025 13:57

I'm agree with PP - apart from the odd use of a noodle to practice a stroke, DS(5) hasn't used any kind of floatation device since he started swimming lessons last year.

Nextyearhopes · 06/01/2025 13:55

They should not be using them at all!
Arm bands are counter productive - they cold the arms at an angle which does not encourage them to perfect the forward rotation needed for front crawl or backstroke. They should be using normal floats for leg kicks and pull buoys later on for arm isolation. And for heck’s sake they should teach them to swim!
Former professional swimmer here!