If you work with a team of swimming instructors, you know how unique everyone is. Swim instructors are as territorial and nuanced as swimming coaches. When we're the kings and queens of our domain, it's hard to have someone else tell us what to do — or worse, tell us we're doing something wrong.
Recently, one of the coaches I work with told me that the Swimming Ideas system wasn't strict enough with kicking for his kid. He wanted something different — something that emphasized kicking. He went to a program that uses short-distance swim training (like we do), uses kickboards to move (like we do), and uses floats to promote a horizontal body line. I cringed. I winced. I listened, and let him tell me about how happy he was with that system.
And for him, he was happy, and that let him think it was great. So I didn't fight, argue, or correct him. I hope he continues to have a positive experience.
I wanted to share this because when it comes to teaching swimming, our personal experiences drive most of our actions. We all mostly know where to go: the four competitive strokes. We all know the steps to get there. It isn't hard: underwater, glides, kicking, arm strokes, breathing.
Buthowdo you start that process? How do you emphasize each step? How do you get those darn little kids to have fun, love your program, and — most importantly — progress quickly?
Train to a Standard
That's the magic sauce. That's the unique ingredient that will drive your program to success. If you're a lone shark private lesson instructor, make your standard your selling point. If you're an agency or group, bring everyone up to a similar baseline standard.
There will be pushback. There will be resistance. But the asks that Swimming Ideas uses aren't dramatic. They aren't onerous. They're straightforward and explained with simple context.
Membership gets you MENTORSHIP. Every week you can meet with me to answer questions, drive alignment, and explain how to implement a standard baseline for all of your staff — or you!
Training to a standard allows your staff to be consistent when one is sick. It lets them build off the hard work of another when a time schedule changes or you have turnover. It lets you give a consistent experience across instructors to mitigate the challenges of part-time employment (people don't work the same days and times every week).
When a swimmer moves groups or levels, they won't be confused by a new instructor because everyone follows a similar framework. Your teachers will come to expect a baseline of progress and understanding so they don't have to waste time in a lesson establishing flow or structure (like rotation method or circle swimming).
Swimming Ideas Offers Online Training and Workbook PDFs
Our resources help everyone align to the same progression standard.
Instructors can flavor their lessons with their personal flare: well-dones, great jobs, high fives, and goofy laughter. They can invent their own challenges and games.
But the most important thing? They need to be aligned on framework — lane setup, circle swimming, terminology like streamline and front glide. When that happens, they thrive. Your swimmers thrive, and you build a fan base of parents who bring all of their kids and their friends to YOUR program.
Align Your Team and Bring in More Revenue
Through mentorship meetings, online courses, printable PDFs, and lesson plans, you can run a swim lesson program that provides FUN and EFFECTIVE swimming instruction.
It isn't easy to align a team and ensure compliance across the board, but with Swimming Ideas it is easier.
- Point to the book on the pool deck and ensure instructors follow the scripts and progressions.
- Review the online course on Rotation Method (circle swimming for beginners).
- Provide indestructible paper-printed lesson plans for beginners to follow until they are comfortable with the activity, activity, challenge/game formula — a formula so effective we use it for all our training and teaching.
- Meet with me, an Aquatic Professional who has been teaching swimming for 30 years.
You can make your life at work easier, more effective, and bring in more revenue when you align your team to a baseline standard. Let me help. Let's teach better lessons tomorrow, together.
Individuals
A single person can access online courses, documents, and files.
div class="wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex">div class="wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-100">$99.97 / yeardiv class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow">div class="wp-block-image">figure class="aligncenter size-large">a href="https://www.swimminglessonsideas.com/membership-all-access-for-teams-agencies-and-groups/">
Agencies & Teams
Every staff member can access online courses, documents, and files.
div class="wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex">div class="wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-100">$997.97 / year
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