ALLAN's SWIM and LIFE SAVING SCHOOL

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why does Allan's Swim and Life Saving School teach an additional four swimming styles?

Most swim schools just teach the basic four strokes, Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke and Butterfly. Water can be a very dangerous place even if your child can swim well. Kids do strange things without thinking, swimming into pipes and places that need specialized skills to get out of. Since our focus is on lifesaving skills it is important to know how to move in all directions without effort.  Believe me these skills can save their life.

Why do we teach all four swimming strokes? (Freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly) 

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There is a common thought that freestyle is what swimming is all about, but that’s not the case for everyone.  We teach all four strokes to give every child the opportunity to learn, and discover the strokes that they feel most confident with.  They will stay more interested in swimming because of the variety and that could ultimately help save their life.  For some children freestyle and backstroke can be more difficult to learn since it requires more co-ordination with crossing the midlines of the body.  A child that struggles with those strokes could have more success propelling them self through the water using breaststrokes, or butterfly techniques which require mirror image stroke movement.

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What can I do to teach my child to swim?

Whilst its possible to take your child to swimming lessons before the age of 3 years, we believe its possible to achieve these basic skills by yourself and save you money.
Playing with them in the water, blowing bubbles, picking up objects in the bath tub or swimming pool. Buy a kick board and practice kicking and basic floating skills.
Please supervise them at all times when performing these activities - water can be dangerous.

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At what age can I bring my child to your swim school?

We take children from 3 years of age onwards or once they are toilet trained. 

How long will it take my child to earn to swim?

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Every child is unique, physically, emotionally and mentally which makes it difficult to give an accurate answer.  Generally speaking it takes 3 to 4 terms for school age students to master the learning objectives for each level.  For preschoolers if they are swimming consistently from the age of 3-5 years have far greater water awareness and confidence, making the transgression into preschool classes a lot easier.
The best way to support the learning process outside of swimming lessons is to take them to the public pools at least once per week and practice what they are being taught during their normal swim lesson.  Mix some play time in to keep it fun, because play is still an important part of developing water confidence.  Our holiday programs are a great opportunity for fast progression since they get practice every day.

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What can I do to help my child to become a better swimmer?

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Give them the opportunities to practice and practice this is the best way to learn. Take them to friend’s pools, school or public, or book in for additional lessons.  We encourage parents to spend time with their children and practice out of the water or at home by blowing  bubbles, arm circles or kicking etc.  Parents have a great influence on their child’s progress and as a bonus we will help you at every stage if you ask.

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Does my child need to wear Goggles?

Goggles can help enhance the learning experience by making it a more enjoyable and comfortable when they go underwater.  Our teaching program encourages swimming without goggles for safety reasons e.g. if they fall in or coping in different water environments. Some children don’t like putting their head in the water without goggles. For this reason we do recommend them.