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Extra-curricular activities

Find advice on the best extra curricular activities in secondary schools and primary schools here.

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Original poster

When to stop swimming lessons

12 replies

Bitlost · 27/04/2019 20:30

DD is nearly 10 and has been taking swimming lessons in various clubs for 5 years. Her front crawl and back stroke are good but she just doesn’t get breast stroke after all these years. Do I stop lessons? Continue with lessons? Give her one-to-one tuition?

OP posts:

DameSylvieKrin · 27/04/2019 20:31

I’m guessing she doesn’t enjoy it and wants to stop?
If she could swim if she fell in a river, stop the lessons. Breaststroke might click for her later.

UrsulaPandress · 27/04/2019 20:33

I’d say when they can swim in the event of falling in to water. Unless they are competing.

Bunnybigears · 27/04/2019 20:35

Does she enjoy swimming? How far can she swim on the strokes she can do? Does she want to continue? If a child enjoys swimming and wants to continue there is no need to stop maybe stop lessons because they do get repetitive but she could join a Rookie Lifesaving class or a Swimming Club. If she can only swim a short distance eg 25m she should probably continue some form of swimming even if it's not lessons to get her stamina up.

Original poster

Bitlost · 27/04/2019 20:53

At the moment she’s in club (development). Idea was for her to 1/ become a good swimmer and 2/ do some competitions with her club if things went well in development. She has stamina and can swim 25m+. She’s just desperately slow at breaststroke and not improving. Like DameSylvieKrin says above, I think she might click later and that right now we’re pushing at a closed door, wasting time and money. In terms of how happy she is, she does complain now and then and seems to mostly want to go to lessons when she knows she’ll get to see her friend.

OP posts:

RomaineCalm · 27/04/2019 23:42

My criteria for stopping swimming lessons was when they could swim 1km fairly easily, could confidently tread water and could swim in clothes.

DC is never going to be a competitive swimmer but I want them to be able to be confident in the water and therefore able to do things like canoeing, surfing, waterskiing if they want to in the future.

NeleusTheStatue · 28/04/2019 14:36

I would let her keep going with lessons as long as possible provided she doesn't hate it (I wouldn't pay much attention to an occasional complaint). Swimming isn't all about competition. It's so beneficial, brings so much joy and opens up many doors.

My DS is 11 and still swims regularly (lesson x 1 and fun swim x 2 weekly). As a strong swimmer, he's done a few competitions but wasn't interested in the intensity and also the repetitive training so now he swims casually and enjoys surfing and other water sports all year round.

Actually, he fell in River Avon last week (!). It was deep and he said he felt a current but didn't get panicked and could save his life confidently. I was so glad he has no fear of being in the water.

NeleusTheStatue · 28/04/2019 14:40

He was worried about his phone in the bag he was carrying at the time rather than his own life...

Bunnybigears · 28/04/2019 17:09

I'm wondering if a swimming club (even if it's the development bit) is the best place for her to learn a stroke. The swimming clubs I have experience of do not teach children to swim they work on technique and stamina but if the basic technique isn't there I think a child would struggle.

Original poster

Bitlost · 28/04/2019 20:52

Dear me, NeleusTheStatue! I’m glad he is ok and that’s me convinced we should continue with the lessons.

@bunnyBigEars, it’s a club but she’s in their Development squad where they focus on technique. To be honest, she has improved a lot with them but it’s soooooo slow.

I’ll keep her in for the time being. Thank you ALL for your replies.

OP posts:

zzzzzzzx · 02/05/2019 07:47

We are in the same position. DS (8)would happily stop his lessons and says so from time to time and does so many other after school things (lots of dance, piano and football) that we would happily stop too, but want him to a certain level. At the moment he is in level 6 and can swim but with no great style in any stroke. A swim teacher once said to me that if it were his child, he would like to see them pass level 8 before he would be confident of their safety in water, so we are holding out for that and will assess it then.

NeleusTheStatue · 02/05/2019 10:25

I agree level 8 is a good target. DS stopped going to a swim club and now has a weekly swim lesson only at school. It' run by a PE teacher, not a specialist swim coach, so I don't expect it pushes DS much - as a strong swimmer he's having an easy ride there. He also swims Sat and Sun just for fun with dad and friends. After passing level 8 a long ago, these are enough for him to sustain his stamina and confidence in the water and really suit his requirement as he has no intention to swim competitively but just like to keep swimming for fun and health benefit.

It's good to learn the proper forms before going 'free' though.

Eccle80 · 02/05/2019 13:36

I have always wanted mine to be able to swim well enough to have a chance of getting themselves out of trouble if they fell in water. My eldest has continued beyond that and is in a club.

Does it matter though if her breaststroke is slow? Plenty of children are better at one or two strokes than others, and it wouldn’t stop her being able to compete in the other three strokes. It isn’t a waste if she enjoys it, and swimming is great for overall fitness.

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