When to stop swimming lessons

[user63214]

DD really doesn't like swimming but she has managed to get to level 4 now. She can swim 50 metres unaided. I know this isn't enough to stop swimming lessons but I am unsure either to take her out now and then just take her to family swim and I will teach her. Or if she should at least get to level 5 and learn all her strokes?

Every week is becoming a battle but don't want to take her out too soon. Interested to know what other think/ have done.

I made my dd complete level 6. She did not progress much in the last 2 years so I decided enough was enough. She's 11 and water confident. It was my intention to get to level 8 but she hates watersports and is autistic and dyspraxic so I've relaxed a bit.

I never did swimming lessons. My nieces have all done them to the point that they're comfortable in the water.

Unless you want her to be competing, I'd say take her to family swim. If she's able to swim now the constant battles to get her to swimming will make it a negative experience in her mind and she'll be terrified

Mine had lessons to the end of the course, but they liked going. They also went swimming with us every weekend too.

All of my DC completed Level 7 and went to swimming club too. They are all very strong swimmers as adults. On holiday they often swim quite deep in the sea. I'd try to ensure she could swim a mile before stopping.

@caringcarer a mile?!?!

In terms of survival, the most important skill according to the RNLI is the ability to float. And more than that probably the ability not to cold water shock from swimming in inappropriate places and to know what a riptide is. Everything else is just watersports and fun.

I've often wondered if it is worse to be overconfident that you can swim and thus be more inclined to get into trouble. My grandpa, who sunk a lot in WW2, noted that the survivors tended to be the ones that clung onto debris!

We forced ours to continue as I want them to be confident swimmers in a worst case scenario, every time they ask to stop I just look at them and ask if they could survive in a stormy sea. It's a non negotiable for me. It's such great exercise and not reliant on team dynamics etc. I'd keep going as long as you can personally.

For me swimming was non negotiable, it's a life skill that they need to be competent at so I kept them doing it until they were young teenagers. So level 10 then swimming club until they were in the A squad. My DDs both still swim for fitness.

Wild swimming is a different skill set, I grew up on an island and they have always swum in the sea there but obviously I know where to go that is safe.

ETA: historically the fishermen at home didn't swim, the cold in the north atlantic in winter will kill you however good a swimmer you are so there's no point learning.

DD did up to grade 10 in swimming/rookies/ diving synchro, and swam for the swim squad. But we live on the coast and good swimming skills are essential to then take part in watersports. I'm am as comfortable as I can be when she goes to the beach with her friends, she knows how to save someone and when not to and is a far stronger swimmer than me.

Does her swim school offer any other, more fun sessions. At DDs they could join the grade 7 synchro / diving / polo from grade 4 swimming as long as they were happy out of their depth and treading water.

Grade 5 is when they start working properly on technique and stamina I'd want her to have done that at least. Grade 6-10 is mostly competitive swimming skills and stamina. There's a lot of standing around in group sessions in the lowers stages you might find it more worthwhile to book fortnightly 1:1 sessions and she'll make progress quicker.

Also swimming is non negotiable for me too. Family members including children have died from drowning including here in the UK.
Youngest is at level 6 but will continue to level 8. Eldest didn’t go through the levels at all due to Covid disruption but can swim (sea and pool) and is fairly strong but has agreed to do a life saving course age 16. Bonus this opens doors to well paid lifeguard work in future.

(Edit) I tell my kids that they live on an island and the ability to swim well and save someone’s life in the water is as important as being able to do maths and English at school.

A few years ago there was a similar discussion on here and people said stage 5 should be the minimum. Stage 7 is probably the optimum.

My son went through a similar stage of wanting to give up and I said he had to do at least stage 5, and then he forgot he'd ever asked to stop and only stopped swimming regularly when he went to university.

I'm not sure even Adam Peaty could survive in a stormy sea...especially if it was cold.

In what circumstances would you need to swim a mile without stopping?!

What's the scenario in which your children will need to survive in a stormy sea?

@Haroldwilson well if they take part in watersports, sailing canoe/ kayaking / paddle boarding things can go wrong and being able to swim strongly or tread water for a large chunk of time in poor/windy weather is useful.

If she can swim 50 m and is confident in deep water I’d say it’s just enough. Learning butterfly is hardly a vital life skill. On the other hand swimming is a bit ‘the more, the better’. What is it that she doesn’t like? What would it take for her to enjoy it? I think just go for family swim for now.

Your post is actually an indication of how pointless it is to just state a level... Level 4 was still swimming widths at DDs lessons!

I withdrew them in Level 5/6 as they weren't actually learning anything new.

My son hated his swimming lessons, he was told it was non negotiable until level 7 was completed. He did get offered a place in swim club but refused to go. He loves swimming for pleasure now and is very confident in all types of water.

My DC1 is 10 yrs old and now in level 9/10 they were keen to continue

DC2 aged 6 is level 4 and enjoys the lessons although transition from the baby pool to the main one has not been without tears at times!

I think it depends on the individual child but to me it's important to ensure that they are competent swimmers by the end of all the lessons

If you went to swim in the sea and got taken out by the tide and you might need to swim back a mile against the tide to get back 300 metres or less.

Honestly once they can swim competently I don't think they need more lessons, unless you live on a yacht or something. Take them swimming fairly regularly and get them to swim a few lengths to stay in practice.

I’m glad those levels weren’t around when I was learning to swim - so much pointless stuff in them. I am actually a strong swimmer but never felt the need to piss around with butterfly or the twiddly bits.

So I’d say once someone is confident in the water, can do a couple of strokes competently, tread water, and swim as far as they need to for whatever they want to do recreationally then unless they really want to do competitive swimming that’s probably enough.

Mine didn't do weekly lessons, but we went swimming as a family every week from when they were toddler age. Once they were 4 and 7 and before year 3 school swimming "lessons" for Ds1 they did an intensive learn to swim course which is daily for a week which we repeated so they had 2 weeks.

After that I just made sure they did lengths every week in the pool before swimming under water, between Dh's legs, dive sticks, handstands but also learning to star float etc. Water confidence is important as is stamina. I don't really care about perfection of a stroke. Plus we benefited from the one to one lessons that were being taught in the pool. It was at a private health club.

Both Dh and I went all the way up to Endeavour or whatever it was back in the 70s/80s. I would only let her quit if she is willing in family swim to learn what you teach her. I would do that first alongside the lessons.

I was a non-swimmer until I went to adult lessons at 16 so it was important to me to get mine to be confident swimmers where their ability doesn't restrict their ability to take part in water activities if they wish.

Generally on forms, they recommend 50m as a minimum. At my DCs' lessons, that's stage 5-6.

My two are in stage 8 now. The lesson time has gone up from 30-45 mins and my 11yo is finding that a hard transition. My 13yo is finding it easier, but he has more mass.

I became a strong swimmer by the time I was 18. I've gone on to take up open water swimming. If you're sensible, you're most likely to encounter awkward conditions through other watersports/ activities. Being able to float, treadwater and breathe on alternate sides are all important skills in open water which is rougher than being in a pool. Stamina is important and being able to swim for longer is better which is why I've tried to keep my DCs in lessons for longer.

It's worth having fun sessions in addition to the lessons. In 2020/21 we were able to get back to lessons, but logistics didn't work for casual swimming and it ended up being well over a year. The DCs had a phase of getting bored, but as soon as they finally got back to a fun session their interest in the lessons perked up again.

Where is it that goes up to level 10 swimming. Around by us level 7 is the usual end point. We're on level 5 and debating whether we can call it a day. DC hates swimming at it is a battle to get them to go each week

@needmorecoffee7 You'd need to enquire at your local pool. Swim England awards go up to level 7 for general swimming skills and then they go up to 10 as an introduction to other pool based sports. Whether your local pool offers them though is probably down to pool space and parental demand. DD thoroughly enjoyed a intro to synchro, diving (off a starting block) and rookies life saving is fantastic, the competitive swimming one set her up well for when she joined the swim club and started swimming longer distances. Unfortunately we don't have any proper diving pools an our county or the next one for that matter and our nearest proper synchro club is over a hour away.

There are also Surf life saving clubs which are a great progression from lessons but I'm not sure if that's coastal only but they do use the pool in poor weather.