We teach learners of all ages to swim and it probably won’t surprise you to find out that we teach some of our learners in private one-to-one swimming lessons. People might prefer one-to-one sessions rather than group sessions for a lot of reasons: they might want to get the entire attention of one of our talented instructors; they might have a fear or anxiety of swimming; they might need some bespoke coaching; or, one of many more reasons. Private lessons, rather than group lessons, can be a real boost to your swimming journey and like any opportunity it’s important to make the most of them and because of this we’ve put together a few tips on making sure you find one-to-one lessons a valuable experience.
1. Be clear of your objectives.
With one to one swimming lessons you really don’t have to worry about anyone’s needs but your own. You or your child will be the only learner. If you’d like to get good at a stroke for competitive swimming, you can focus on that stroke. If you’d like to focus on your swimming stamina for a triathlon, you can focus on that too. If your main objective is getting over your fear of swimming and you’re using one-to-one lessons as a trouble-free environment for this, we can focus on it. So, the first way to make sure you get the most out of your private swimming lessons is to get out of a “classroom mindset” and be clear of what you want to achieve.
2. Try to be mentally prepared.
Your time with swimming instruction is precious. Come to sessions mentally prepared to meet the challenges you will face on the way to achieving your goals (whatever your goal is). If you’re scared of swimming be prepared to start the process of facing that fear in the pool. If it’s to win a triathlon, come prepared to be pushed physically. The more prepared you are mentally for your private swimming lessons, the more you will get out of them. Think about the steps that will need to be taken by you to reach your goals during your swimming journey and be prepared to take those steps when the time comes.
3. Try to be physically prepared.
If your aim is athletic, make sure you’re physically prepared for your private swimming lessons. Things which can affect your body and overall fitness might stop you from getting the most out of your time your swimming instructor. Why? Well if your body doesn’t perform as well as it should then you won’t learn as well as you should. Making sure that you, or your child, gets enough sleep and is healthy can really help them learn generally.
4. Bring the right equipment.
We’ve written a blog on 8 things to bring to your first swimming lessons and they’re important. If you don’t have these things with you, you might find your learning is affected by water in your eyes, damp hair, water up your nose or just worry about how you’re going to get dry. Consider whether you’re properly equipped for your lessons to make sure your time with your instructor isn’t affected.
5. Practice what you’ve learned when you can.
Swimming is a life skill that gets better with practice. If you can make pool time outside of your private lessons to practice and maintain what you’ve learnt, then you’ll be helping yourself to make the most of your time with an instructor. You can also use this time to notice new things about your swimming, your technique or your mindset which might help you improve.
There’s five ways you can help yourself to make the most of your private swimming lessons with us. We love helping people meet their goals and develop, so if you’ve got any questions, regardless of your age or swimming ability, don’t hesitate to contact us!