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AIBU?

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Original poster

To expect more from swimming lessons?

72 replies

sophielouise · 20/05/2018 20:33

My DD (7) has weekly swimming lessons at the local pool. There are often up to 10 other children in her lesson. I've noticed that during the lesson every week they just do the same thing, and the teacher just gives them an instruction such as, "now swim one length with the float doing the right arm front crawl.." "now do the left" etc. but doesn't actually seem to 'coach' them. E.g he will never comment on their swimming, telling them what's good, or how to improve. Is this normal? How are they expected to get any better if the teacher doesn't actually tell them? I was going to complain but didn't want to come across as expecting too much. What's supposed to happen at a swimming lesson? I have memories of being followed along the side of the pool and being shouted at/ encouraged as I swam...

OP posts:

speakout · 21/05/2018 06:10

I don't think swimming lessons are necessary.

BlitheringIdiots · 21/05/2018 06:14

To learn to swim is necessary if you live by the sea. Having swimming lessons isn't 'necessary' but I couldn't have taught my child to swim anymore than I will teach my child to drive. It's best to get it taught correctly

speakout · 21/05/2018 06:17

My kids are confident strong swimmers. I taught them both.
And I taught my DD to drive too.

twinkydink · 21/05/2018 06:18

@speakout

Surely you could say that about any sport then? it's not necessary to have football lessons or do gymnastics yet some children enjoy it.

In my opinion it is a good skill for all children to learn at a young age. Of course there is no requirement to carry on once you are confident but if you do chose to you should be happy with the level of teaching provided.

I agree that most clubs have a swim schools/academys attached where swimmers are taught not coached.

twinkydink · 21/05/2018 06:20

Some parents have no water confidence and are in no position to be able to safely teach their children. It's great that you could but not the same will apply to everyone.

speakout · 21/05/2018 06:24

twinkydink no of course I wouldn't say that about sport.

But swimming has some implications regarding safety. Functionally is a good thing to do for everyone.
I doubt that my kids would get any medals for style, but they can certainly swim several hundred yards and dive.
They had no interest in taking up swimming as a hobby, but they have the basics.

SeaWitchly · 21/05/2018 06:33

I too feel cross that I wasted about 3 years of my life taking my two DC to weekly swimming lessons which they hated and they learned very little.

Ten to a group and one at a time swimming the width of the pool over and over. My boys were bored stiff and didn't progress very much at all that I could see. Swimming teachers gave no reviews of their progress and if you asked would just say take them out swimming yourself between lessons for extra practice
All I can really say for the lessons is that the boys started lessons quite fearful of water and ended up less so. Youngest dc [7] still cannot swim very well and eldest marginally better.
Complete waste of time and money imo.

Eldest dc now gets taken swimming by his school once a week and youngest does no formal swimming lessons at all.

twinkydink · 21/05/2018 06:34

swimming is a sport. To say swimming lessons aren't necessary is disregarding those people who want to take it up as a hobby. You're children didn't but many children do. I have children in my classes who I know look forward to coming each week and I teach stage 4 and upwards. Not many of them are going to go on to club level but they still want to improve and that is what I am there to provide.

I just don't see how swimming differs to other sports in this respect.

Not all parents have the skills to teach the basics but I totally agree with you that all children need to learn them and that's where swimming lessons are vital.

RainbowFairiesHaveNoPlot · 21/05/2018 06:35

Moved mine out of one of those little private low-ratio swimming lesson setups as they were learning absolutely nothing, had no concept of actually looking at DD2's needs and couldn't manage DD1 at all so she spent pretty much every lesson sat on the poolside. We were the final lesson slot of the day and the teacher was fond of mooching around with her shades on going on how she couldn't be bothered that day... and it showed.

They have lessons at the local university pool now who have a swimming lesson setup a couple of times a week (it's one of those fancy pools with a raising and lowering floor so they can set it to a child appropriate depth) and even dyspraxic DD2 is showing so much more progress in a couple of lesson blocks than she did in a year of the other place. Cheaper by far as well! 4-5 kids and an instructor in the water for DD2's lesson as she's still in the beginner group, think there's 5 kids in DD1's stage 1 group with the instructor on the poolside but she does go in if she needs to show a child something close up still.

twinkydink · 21/05/2018 06:41

Please remember not all teachers are of the same quality. If you aren't happy at a swim school after a couple of terms then look elsewhere.

When I did my teacher training years ago I saw a few teaches pass that I would not have passed and obviously those teachers are now teaching somewhere.

Swimming across 1 at a time is something I would only expect in non swimmers and that is of course a safety reason. you can't set 6 non swimmers of at the same time it's extremely dangerous. From stage 1 up they should be able to swim across in small groups.

I have 8 -10 children in my Stage 7 class and I can confidently say that they receive group feedback throughout the lesson and individual feedback where needed. If I have smaller groups or 4-6 they should be getting decent feedback most weeks. If there is something in particular a child needs to work on I may mention it to the parent as well in case they take them swimming during the week.

speakout · 21/05/2018 06:41

swimming is a sport.

Swimming can be a sport, but it's not always.
Any more than running for a bus can be considered a hobby.
I taught my kids to swim, they could already swim when the school had block of swimming lessons in year 4.
If my kids had shown any interest or enthusiasm for swimming then I would certainly allowed them to join a swimming club or paid for lessons.
We visited a local leisure pool weekly for years, flumes, slides lots of fun activities. it was simply for fun and built their confidence in the water.
I don't think swimming lessons are necessary.

Lowdoorinthewal1 · 21/05/2018 06:47

speakout you really need to say 'swimming lessons were not necessary for my children as I felt able to teach them'.

Surely you can see that not everybody could, or would want to, teach their own children?

twinkydink · 21/05/2018 06:51

PP worded it much better than I did!.

Some of my parents are petrified of the water and would no way be able to teach their children to the level you have. For them lessons are necessary if they want their children to be safe in the water.

MrTumblesSpottyHag · 21/05/2018 06:52

I definitely couldn't teach DD1. She is the most stubborn child in the world and we'd end up in tears I imagine! She has however decided that you must listen to teachers so she's getting along ok. I also have DD2 with me most of the time so teaching them both would be a thankless task!

Lowdoorinthewal1 · 21/05/2018 06:57

I swam on the GB junior team many moons ago. No way did I want to teach my own DS to swim! I would have expected way too much and struggled to hide my frustration.

He's several squads up in a swimming club, training 5hrs a week and not yet 8yo so I guess he is pretty reasonable for his age... but I still get frustrated with him watching him do handstands train! I am very much best off out of his swimming equation!

speakout · 21/05/2018 07:02

But I didn't actually teach them.
We had lots of holidays abroad - I think it was there that my kids somehow picked up swimming. They would spend 6 hours in the pool every day for two weeks and the ability to swim somehow crept up on them. We would visit a local pool weekly too- just for recreational reasons.
By the time swimming at school came around as they were being assessed for ability they were grouped into the " strong swimmer" catagory and actually were given no further instruction. The short block ( 10 weeks) at school seemed to be focused on the non swimmers or those who were floundering a bit.
My kids have had no swimming lessons from me or anyone.

SerialGoogler · 21/05/2018 07:03

Urgh - I am just about to complain about the same at my swimming lesson provider. AGAIN. There's only one teacher who is actually any good, the rest are so disinterested!

I know what I am talking about having taught swimming and being a relative of a career swimming teacher so not easy to dismiss me as a moaning parent.

We moved home so I had to move lessons and the previous one was 10x better. Correcting the children as they swam, keeping them busy so less time to mess about - basic class management. Going to have to look for an alternative aren't I?
Yesterday I watched as 3 teaching staff had a lovely chat whilst the 'good' teacher was talking to a parent and the large group of children did a warm up. Not one eye on the children. I tried to get their attention but they were too busy. Basic bloody safety!

Lowdoorinthewal1 · 21/05/2018 07:05

That's quite dangerous advice you are giving there speakout.

Rudi44 · 21/05/2018 07:07

Most swimming clubs won’t take them until stage 7, it sounds like she is about the right level for stage 4. My daughter did 2 years or so of the ‘stages’ up to stage 7 in a group with at least ten children and the teaching sounds similar. She has now been in a club for 2 years competing at a high level and swims every day. Her passion for swimming came from starting lessons much like you describe.

At the level your child is at its about building confidence in the water, there should be some correcting going on but not huge amounts at this level. Freestyle will get neater over time, Swimming with floats using one arm is a way of building strength and correcting the body position in the water. My daughter sometimes does that as part of a drill even now.

I would say the main thing at this stage is it should be fun, there should be a bit of jumping in and not too much shouting at them from the sides.

twinkydink · 21/05/2018 07:09

@speakout I'm assuming you were in the pool with them from a young age? What about those parents that can't go in the pool? do you not think at any point you guided your children with tips on what they should do- put your face in, kick your legs?

I don't mean you actually taught them the lesson but you have enough knowledge of swimming from your own swimming to have the confidence to let them play and pick it up themselves. not everyone will have that.

Also what is wrong with them being taught the correct stroke, this will make it easier foe them in the future if they ever want to start using swimming as a way to stay fit.

speakout · 21/05/2018 07:10

I am not giving dangerous advice.

Being able to swim is a vital life skill.

It's the means of gaining the ability that I am challenging. Swimming instructors like to make money.
Some kids may need formal instruction.
Others will learn in a less formal way.
Nothing dangerous there.

twinkydink · 21/05/2018 07:15

@serialgoogler

yes please look elsewhere! there are better teachers out there I promise!

In my experience front crawl doesn't naturally get tidier over time without corrections given. There is a difference between shouting from the sides and giving tips at the end of a length. In my stage 4/5 class they are all capable of swimming front back breast with some dolphin kick but there is a lot of work to be done on stroke improvements and I would be doing my job if I didn't focus on that.

DinoGreen · 21/05/2018 07:15

My DS is 2.2 and can already do a short stretch of doggy paddle with arm bands. This he has picked up from DH taking him nearly every week since he was about 3 months old. However I plan to put him in 1-2-1 lessons when he gets to about 4. I learned to swim in 2-2-1 lessons with a private instructor with me aged 4 and my brother aged 6. my mum pulled my brother out of the group lessons he’d been in for a year or so which had utterly failed to teach him to swim! Both of us were swimming properly within no time with the private lessons and I then went onto do the different stages in group classes.

Lowdoorinthewal1 · 21/05/2018 07:17

Really though you are suggesting that ANY child will learn to swim if you just put them in a pool and let them figure it out.

There might be people reading who find paying for swimming lessons a stretch who would be happy to give that a go. It may not work out so well for their child.

Water deserves a bit more respect than you are giving it.

twinkydink · 21/05/2018 07:19

@speakout you are making very sweeping generalisations about a whole industry there. Swimming is a huge part of my life and I take great pride in seeing my students gain confidence and improve. I find it very insulting to be told I am only in it for the money. But I admit that £60 a week does keep me in diamonds and pearls!

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