How confident at swimming were your DC when you stopped lessons?

[Eastie77Returns]

DD is nearing completion of Stage 7. Her instructor said she basically has to improve on one manoeuvre and she’s done. She has been taking lessons at a gym that offers advanced classes and also a swim club where kids can train to compete in local races etc. DD does not want to do any of that and has no interest in continuing beyond this latest stage.

That is fine but I’ve talked to a couple of friends who’ve said they regret stopping lessons once their DC were able to swim because they didn’t improve and in some cases lost techniques once they stopped taking weekly lessons. I should add that DD was a late learner and is now 12. Most of her friends reached her current stage 2-3 years ago so stopped when they were 9/10.

Once the lessons are over I can’t see DD swimming regularly and continuing to practice. I wouldn’t mind but in my opinion she is still not super confident in water and doesn’t really like to go out of her depth. I was thinking of a compromise whereby she maybe does intensive improver lessons for a few days once a year?

In Scotland so different levels with last one where we are being club ready. She completed that and was asked if she wanted to join a swimming club. But it was to much commitment so found her a non competitive club that she goes to once a week that she really enjoys. Keeps her swimming and has friends that go so social activity as well.

I don’t know about the levels but DC were both swimming in competitions for the club and only gave up when they were told they had to start training at 6.00am before school. Both are very strong swimmers.

Well my two were aged 8 & 10 when they stopped. They were whining about going so I said once I knew they were safe they could stop lessons. I brought them to the pool to check they could swim a length and back comfortably, and then tread water while waving for “help” and was happy enough with that.

This summer I’ve been bringing them swimming in the sea and they are now confident swimming along out of their depth with wavelets splashing their faces so I’m ok with that.

DH is a strong swimmer (triathlons etc) so he’s happy to coach them down the line if their technique needs honing but honestly I just wanted them to be safe and confident jumping off piers and swimming in the sea.

I think the thing that gets missed with swimming lessons is that children don't then practise what they are taught and so their only swimming session every week is their lesson. They don't swim for fun.

Mine had intensive 1 week lessons twice at 4 so in two sets of school holidays as it is run at the local private school who have a pool. But we took them swimming every weekend since they were toddlers. They learned water confidence, then swimming actual strokes at 4. Never learned butterfly, neither did I as back when I learned to swim it was learn a stroke and then endurance so start at 25m working up to 500m, 1000m etc.

On our weekend swims they just had to do x number of lengths to keep up the endurance and then they could piss about which was swimming through legs, using dive sticks, doing tumble turns, handstands, swimming for fun. Our summer holidays abroad were in water parks so they had to be strong swimmers for that plus CenterParcs rapids every year too. At the place we swam weekly there were 1 to 1 lessons and group lessons so I witnessed that for years.

At 12 though I don't see how you can force her to keep up her skills unless you all go swimming together. Personally I don't care about a perfect technique, I care about water safety and being able to endurance swim.

Once they could swim 25 metres. I know I should have continued. We still took them swimming just stopped the lessons as they were difficult to get to.

It depends if they enjoy it or not really, eldest DD stopped after doing stage 7 for a while and she started doing a teens swim fit session instead- she’s stopped that now but just goes swimming regularly because she enjoys it. She’s really good but didn’t want to do competitions etc.

Youngest has started stage 7 last term and is still enjoying it and progressing so will leave her in lessons until she doesn’t want to do it anymore- she is great at swimming so no safety concerns with her stopping but while she still wants to go I think it’s good for her to keep going.

Is Stage 7 the same as purple hat?!
Mine had to continue lessons until they got to black hat (stage 8) and then they could choose. By then they could swim 12 lengths, tread water, mess around in the deep end confidently and swim in clothes.

One of mine got her stage 8 and stopped, which was fine by me. The other was afraid of water and as a child just would not learn, I tried multiple times but it didn’t work. They self taught at 14 when they decided being afraid was childish and are now quite good, though technique could be improved.

Fwiw I never had swimming lessons apart from a. term with the school aged 9 where I learned to swim. I’m a confident swimmer and can easily do 30 lengths .

DS1 went to stage 8 and then joined the local club. Did well in a few races but then decided he didn’t want to compete any more. Luckily he’s been allowed to continue training with them (just once a week). He complains about going sometimes, but every single time comes out invigorated, and so he’s continued. I hope to keep him swimming at least once a week till he’s 18 (and then I hope he continues with a club anyway).

I plan to do the same with DS2, though he’s found swimming (as with all sports) much harder. He’s persisted though and is making progress.

As PP said, as with any skill, if it’s not used it’s lost. I am a terrible swimmer (stopped lessons after primary school) but swimming brings such joy to people I want my children to be capable for recreation as well as safety.

When they finished Stage 5 but their lessons were frankly rubbish. I was very disillusioned with the Swim England scheme.

I took themswimming myself to are sure they could swim competently for water sports. No point being able to do 0erfect butterfly if you haven't the endurance to swim for an hour...

Yeah my concern is once the lessons stop, DD will not do much swimming at all because the weekend swimming you describe is unlikely to happen. I will admit I don’t enjoy swimming and it’s not really a family activity we do regularly. DD enjoys the pool at the gym outside of lessons but it’s more for fun/splashing around with her brother - not practicing what she has learned or building up stamina doing lengths. So it’s all well and good that if she finishes Stage 7 but then if she doesn’t practice regularly beyond that I can’t see how she will build up the endurance which is why I wanted her to join the post Stage 7 swim club.

Have you considered synchronised swimming if there is a club near you? My DD loved that, she enjoyed swimming and enjoyed dance and it sort of combined the two.

My dds were confident swimmers and stopped swimming in Year 6 and 7. The swim school was getting boring for them. Dd1’s teacher was a horrible shouty woman so we didn’t go back.

About 9 I think. He wasn’t interested in getting particularly good at all the different strokes. I wanted him to be a strong enough swimmer so he could cope if he fell in water or wanted to go out with mates (when older obviously) And he just wanted to have the skill and seemed to like the water.

This already sounds like she has done a lot of lessons in a lot of different settings. If she is twelve and not enjoying it, I would find a different activity for her that she might enjoy more. If you try to keep her doing something that she doesn’t enjoy this would be counter productive, you have clearly given it a good shot.

Mine stopped when they could do 300 metres non stop at 3 strokes (butterfly isn't essential) , dive in and pick up a sinker at 2m deep, swim a minimum of 10 metres under water, tread water and snorkel properly.

But we went swimming as a family every single week. Maintenance matters.

Ultimately, they need to be able to swim well enough to enjoy it and to be able to get out of difficulty if swimming against a current or tide. To be able to stay afloat if they went overboard is also useful, but how likely is that to happen? My kids stopped swimming lessons when they were just being made to plough up and down the pool and it became boring. They didn't want to swim competitively. They wanted to have fun in the water with friends and snorkel on holiday. So in my opinoin, if they can past a swim test to go to a pool unsupervised or be allowed in the lanes, then they do not need lessons.

Thank you, I will look into that. She likes any kind of fun aspect of swimming so that might interest her. She says the lessons are dull and she hates the drills, swimming up and down the lanes etc.

Mine stopped lessons around aged 7/8 I think - once they'd got to stage 4 or 5?
Once they could swim and do a couple of lengths.
They weren't interested in learning butterfly or anything like that!

She might also like waterpolo. Very different to synchro but they also do stamina work if that is important to you.

I don't know if this is stating the obvious, but if you don't really enjoy swimming and she doesn't really enjoy swimming, why are you pushing swimming at all? She can swim, so what's the point in continuing?

Or do you regret the fact that you don't like swimming, and want to make sure she does better at it than you did?

I think messing around and having fun in the pool is just as important for building water confidence as swimming up and down endlessly. And if she really doesn't like swimming, when she becomes an adult she will be like you and just never do it.

Mine could do all four strokes competently and swim length after length. They could also dive safely.

I don't know what 'Stage 7' equates to, but I would be concerned about this

in my opinion she is still not super confident in water and doesn’t really like to go out of her depth

I presume the reason you took her to swimming lessons in the first place was so that she would be safe around water, and able to try things later in life - be that as teens or as an adult - that need her to be able to swim / not mind falling in. Be that kayaking, sailing, scuba diving when traveling, hanging round the pool on holiday with friends, stand up paddle boarding, or maybe just to exercise at any point during her life.

It sounds like those things haven't been achieved yet.
Mine were all younger than your dd, but all super confident diving in or under the water, splashing about, treading water, floating, and so forth, and could all swim over 1500m in one go before they stopped. So I'd say it isn't an age thing, but an "have they achieved water confidence and could they keep themselves safe until help arrived if it were ever needed' thing.

Well after writing that about her confidence, we have just returned from holiday and she swam out in the sea beyond her depth (with her dad alongside her). Yes, safety in the water is my main concern.

I have agreed she no longer has to do the weekly lessons and will instead do holiday lessons as we are not far from the London Olympic Aquatics centre where there seems to be a few intensive courses she can join.