Children’s swimming lessons focused on stroke development, technique and squad preparation

Yes, our swimming pools are totally indoor and heated to an average of 31.5˚, offering your family year round swimming facilities. Our pool water is checked 3-4 times a day for correct chlorine and PH levels. We consistently maintain our pools so they are always in the healthiest condition. The pools are specifically designed for teaching and coaching. We provide comfortable, heated change facilities, parent viewing area/grandstand, children’s enclosed play area with TV/Video and café.

Yes we do offer make-up lessons. Please carefully read our Policy Information Booklet for full details.

We recommend a minimum of 2 swimming lessons per week as an ideal, manageable, productive amount of weekly lessons in a drowning prevention and learning to swim program. Think of ‘Actual’ swimming lesson time: One ½ hour lesson per week = only 2 hours swimming time per month. By attending 2 lessons per week, doubles the swimming time to 4 hours per month. Regular, consistent lessons is the only way to re-enforce life saving drowning prevention drills and learn to swim skills. It has been proven that attending 2 lessons each week actually accelerates the learning in a drowning prevention and learn to swim program at 4 times the rate of attending lessons once per week.

We teach ‘Straight Arm’ Freestyle when introducing Freestyle swimming strokes, apposed to a ‘bent elbow’ during the Freestyle stroke’s recovery. We continue this technique until the later stages in our Stroke Correction Program. ‘Straight Arm’ refers to the over-arm recovery in the Freestyle stroke. This technique encourages a full length of stroke. The outdated practice of teaching a ‘bent arm recovery’ or ‘chicken wings’ only promotes children to not complete a full length of stroke, or, a short stroke, making their Freestyle less effective. We introduce a ‘Bent Elbow’ Recovery when children have mastered a full, long length of stroke, are effectively ‘pulling’ through the water with a high elbow (under the water), strong kick and good body and head position.

Like any learning activity, once a set of skills are perfected, you then move onto a more challenging set of skills. Our program has a very effective progression. We invest a lot of time in the ‘basics’ of the swimming. Once a child has excellent water safety skills, we then focus on correct head and body positions and a strong kick (the motor of the stroke) in Freestyle and Backstroke. We then introduce the Freestyle and Backstroke Arm Stroke. Not until these stroking skills are efficient, do we then teach the correct Freestyle ‘Breathing’ to the side.
Breastroke kick is then a focus, with the beginning understanding of Breastroke Arms and Timing after the Breastroke Kick is mastered. With a good foundation in Freestyle, Backstroke and Breastroke, Butterfly kick is introduced and lastly the Butterfly Stroke and Timing is developed. Race Dives, Turns and Correct Push-Offs are taught throughout the program.

We believe in teaching the correct technique with swimming strokes, over a shorter distance, to perfect these techniques. We continue ‘Short Distance Lessons’ until a young swimmer can perform each drill, with efficient technique and a strong kicking action. Swimming longer distances prior to this only creates ‘sloppy’ swimming. ‘Short Distance Lessons’ are also more effective for our instructors to correct children’s technique.

We initially teach side breathing in Freestyle on every 4th stroke only, while the Freestyle Arms and a very strong Kicking Action is developing. We also teach this until the side breathing technique is mastered and effective every 4th stroke. If Bi-Lateral Breathing (breathing to both sides - every 3rd or 5th stroke) is taught prematurely, the young swimmer will ‘snake’ in the water, making the Freestyle Stroke very ineffective.

It is a trend in a number of Swimming Schools across Australia to promote children to ‘mini’ squads or ‘junior’ squads prematurely. This enables these facilities to have large numbers of children in ‘Mini or Junior Squads’, with 10 to up to 30 children in a ‘Squad’, benefitting only the financial effectiveness of being able to have one ‘Coach’ instructing this large number of swimmers. It is a lot ‘less’ cost effective for us at SUPERFISH to keep children in classes with 1 instructor with a small number of children, until they have developed advanced and efficient stroke techniques in all 4 strokes. However, it is what we believe and know it is the only way for a child to have the best techniques possible, whether they decide to become competitive swimmers, or, as a life skill - being able to swim for the rest of their lives, with good swimming techniques. Your child needs to be able to swim all 4 strokes effectively and with good techniques, BEFORE entering a Squad Program.

It is vitally important once you start in a drowning prevention and learn to swim program to continue throughout the winter months, as infants and young children under 5 years old do not have a developed muscle memory, as older children and adults do. Basically, there is no way they will remember skills they have been taught in classes when extended breaks occur. Drowning Prevention and basic Learn to Swim is only effective in the ‘Under 5’s’ age bracket, when a consistent, continuous progression is taught, continued and developed. If this progression is haltered, even for periods of 6 weeks, you will see a decline in the comprehension and ability levels with these life saving skills.