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I first became interested in changing my outlook on swimming whilst on my three year Alexander Technique teacher training course. One of the fundamentals of AT is that the way we use our bodies in everything we do affects the way we function and swimming is no exception. I soon began to realise that swimming mindlessly, length after length, is a recipe for injury and can result in us putting unnecessary tension in our bodies. I realised that swimming does not have to be the hard work that I was making it and that by using the principles of the Alexander Technique I began to feel more integrated with the water and swimming with much less tension. I decided that I would like to teach this unique method of swimming as well as the Alexander Technique.
My qualifications are ASA Level 2, Shaw Method Diploma and Alexander Technique STAT approved. I am now teaching swimming to both adults and children in a number of different venues. I particularly enjoy teaching adults and children that have developed not so good swimming habits or suffer a fear of the water. I believe that the SwimWise approach to teaching swimming offers the best opportunity to overcome fear and improve stroke ability.
As a child I always liked the idea of the water and being in water whilst fearing it at the same time. At the age of nine I found an enticing and solitary pool when on holiday in Norway and threw myself in. I must have forgotten that I couldn’t swim. After that, learning to swim at school proved to be rather dull.
As I got older, swimming became something to do to get exercise. I would grit my teeth and try to do a couple of lengths more than on the previous visit to the pool, head so far out of the water that I was practically vertical . The gritted teeth and the head position meant that this was not an entirely relaxing or enjoyable experience. But still I suspected I was missing something.
Some years ago my Alexander Technique teacher encouraged me to investigate swimming using the principles of the Techique. I soon learned to swim with my face in the water and found that, rather than becoming exhausted, I was energised by time spent in the pool. I remember realising at some point that eventually I would turn into a good swimmer, something that I had previously assumed was out of my grasp.
Soon my interest in this kind of swimming had grown to such an extent that I decided to train as a teacher. i have the ASA level 2 and the Shaw Method Diploma and teach in several venues.. I still enjoy swimming and exploring the water and find that working with people to help them discover what is often a life-changing experience is both rewarding and engrossing. |
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