Frequently Asked Questions
If you can't find the answer to a question, please ask us and we'd be happy to provide you with an answer.
WHEN WILL MY CHILD BE SAFE ENOUGH?
This is a pet topic of mine. Those not in the know, may erroneously think that once their swimmer has completed their Learn to Swim program that they are 'safe' in and around water.
Unfortunately this just isn't the case. As your child ages, they are likely to be exposed to or involved with many activities that involve water, from holidays at the beach, fishing, kayaking etc.
The opportunities are limitless and a part of the Aussie way of life. So too is health and fitness, and swimming for fitness is one of the few, if not the only, sport that one can participate in for life. We believe all children should have some exposure to our Pre Squad program once they have concluded our Advanced classes.
This will ensure they are fit and strong enough to swim long distances, but also are better equipped to cope with a variety of changing conditions.
If you have ever been picked up by a wave and tossed around like a matchstick, you will understand how learning tumble turns, how to kick under water upside down and on your back without getting water up your nose, plus a whole host of activities we teach at that level, will give your swimmer the ability to cope with most of those aquatic challenges.
Being competent in a flat, calm, controlled environment is very different to the unpredictability of outdoor venues.
Pre Squad will help your child understand how to train for fitness, potentially a life skill, improve their swimming skills further, and enable them to compete at school swimming sports with confidence.
IF I HAVE AN ISSUE OR WANT TO DISCUSS MY CHILD'S PROGRESS, WHO DO I SEE?
While parents are allowed and encouraged to sit in the pool hall to spectate, we don't allow you to move about anywhere other than the seating area, change rooms and entry foyer, so teachers and swimmers can move about freely and safely on the pool deck, and to enable teachers to focus 100% on teaching without interruptions
As a result, parents are not able to interact directly with teachers. We do however have a teaching supervisor. Any questions you may have relating to your child's lesson or progress must be directed firstly to the supervisor who interfaces between teachers and parents.
If you go to the desk they are likely to just refer you back to the Supervisor. If the Supervisor is unable to resolve a problem or answer a question it will be referred to the office through the desk. The desk will record your concern or question in a book and the office will respond accordingly.
If you feel your child is NOT progressing as he or she should, please raise it with the Supervisor as we have many intervention strategies we can offer.
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE TEACHING SUPERVISOR
The Teaching Supervisor is always one of our most experienced teachers and is specifically there to:
MY CHILD DOESN'T SEEM TO BE PROGRESSING AS FAST AS OTHERS
A child progressing through our program should (on average) take between 2 and 3 terms at each level. The SPEED at which anyone progresses differs for everyone and is therefore based on a number of factors. Siblings can often differ quite a bit the age at which they achieve benchmark competencies so it's best to try not to compare.
Some initially learn quickly, then slow down, whilst others readiness may be a bit delayed, but then take off. To do a great job teaching your child, is an investment in time. You can facilitate this by giving them ample opportunities to have additional aquatic experiences, but NOT in a formal setting.
Children learn a huge amount through play called experiential learning. The more opportunities they can have at the local pool simply having fun, the quicker they learn. Well meaning parents sometimes try to add to the teaching by giving their children further instruction thinking this will speed up the process.
We find invariably, this can have a negative effect as the parent will often teach things out of the systematic order of progression that we work toward and often contradict what we do, which can cause a conflict in the child's mind and confusion. We certainly recommend you enjoy spending quality time playing with your children in the pool though.
At times we find some swimmers don't respond to a particular teacher. Some swimmers prefer females teachers, others prefer males; some need a firm teacher, others (particularly shy children) prefer a quieter, more gentle approach. If you think your child is not matched with the right teacher please tell us so we can try to find an alternative.
If at the end of 3 or 4 terms your child is still not progressing to the next level we might need to initiate some intervention strategies. Please discuss this with the supervisor sooner rather than later if this is a concern. The speed of learning is affected by:
Most learners require a large amount of manipulation so they can feel the desired shape of the movement and start to embed some muscle memory for the movement to eventually happen both correctly and automatically. Those with poor body awareness or coordination usually require muscle activation as well as manipulation.
This technique awakens the specific muscles that need to contract to perform the movement correctly, and to connect this to the brain. It is done by using gentle resistance and can be done on land or in water. A typical muscle activation drill will be for a Breaststroke learner whose legs / feet are not symmetrical.
The teacher will firstly manipulate the feet into the desired shape, and then apply resistance as the swimmers tries to kick. By resisting the teacher is ensuring the feet stay turned the right way and the learner can feel which muscles are used to keep it that way. Repetition of this exercise will eventually replace the incorrect action as the brain increasingly takes control over the movement until it happens automatically, through muscle memory.
SHOULD WE BOOK PRIVATES OR GROUP CLASSES
GROUP LESSON - PRO'S
Generally speaking, if a child has no learning difficulties young beginners learn better in a group setting as
PRIVATE LESSON - PRO'S
Private lessons are particularly good when
PRIVATE LESSON - CON'S
HOW CAN I FAST TRACK MY CHILD"S PROGRESS?
If you wish to accelerate your child's swimming progress you can consider any or all of the following
WHY DO YOU USE EQUIPMENT?
The H2O owner, a former primary teacher has developed in-house resources and a carefully thought out curriculum that has evolved over 30 years in the industry.
Many swim schools oppose the idea of using equipment believing that children will become dependent. In our experience we have NEVER had a child become dependent on equipment and believe it is the teacher or carer at fault if they allow this to happen.
Equipment is designed for specific purposes and when used intelligently can be a great aid to learning, often speeding up the process. We believe in making every activity or drill as EASY as we can for the learner, so they have a greater chance of mastery of movements or body shapes initially by controlled use of equipment. As they begin to understand their buoyancy and their relationship with the surface, we gradually remove items until they can swim independently.
Equipment is also used for revision and different pieces of equipment will be used as they pass through the different levels and will ...
GLUE EAR AND GROMMETS
When a middle ear infection occurs, fluid is produced behind the eardrum. Over time this fluid can become thick and sticky and cause a long-term blockage of air into the middle ear from the Eustachian tube.
This blockage could result in irritability, inattentiveness, poor balance, and ultimately hearing loss. Long term there might be speech delay and difficulty at school.
To allow air into the middle ear and fluid to drain, a tiny tube called a grommet is often surgically inserted through the eardrum. The grommet will eventually fall out as the ear grows (taking from 3 months up to 1 or 2 years). Occasionally the child might need grommets inserted again.
Most children with grommets are allowed to swim but might be asked to wear earplugs and a cap to assist in keeping the ears dry. Children with grommets should not risk forcing water into the middle ear by diving or submerging more than 1 metre.
PHONE APPS
There are some great phone apps on the market and one I would like to showcase may be of particular interest to you. If you have a child under 4, the “Baby Swim” app is brilliant with loads of videos documenting Lawrie Laurence’s grandaughter’s aquatic learning journey. Great footage, will give you the confidence to introduce your baby to water in a relaxed and loving environment.
This is a pet topic of mine. Those not in the know, may erroneously think that once their swimmer has completed their Learn to Swim program that they are 'safe' in and around water.
Unfortunately this just isn't the case. As your child ages, they are likely to be exposed to or involved with many activities that involve water, from holidays at the beach, fishing, kayaking etc.
The opportunities are limitless and a part of the Aussie way of life. So too is health and fitness, and swimming for fitness is one of the few, if not the only, sport that one can participate in for life. We believe all children should have some exposure to our Pre Squad program once they have concluded our Advanced classes.
This will ensure they are fit and strong enough to swim long distances, but also are better equipped to cope with a variety of changing conditions.
If you have ever been picked up by a wave and tossed around like a matchstick, you will understand how learning tumble turns, how to kick under water upside down and on your back without getting water up your nose, plus a whole host of activities we teach at that level, will give your swimmer the ability to cope with most of those aquatic challenges.
Being competent in a flat, calm, controlled environment is very different to the unpredictability of outdoor venues.
Pre Squad will help your child understand how to train for fitness, potentially a life skill, improve their swimming skills further, and enable them to compete at school swimming sports with confidence.
IF I HAVE AN ISSUE OR WANT TO DISCUSS MY CHILD'S PROGRESS, WHO DO I SEE?
While parents are allowed and encouraged to sit in the pool hall to spectate, we don't allow you to move about anywhere other than the seating area, change rooms and entry foyer, so teachers and swimmers can move about freely and safely on the pool deck, and to enable teachers to focus 100% on teaching without interruptions
As a result, parents are not able to interact directly with teachers. We do however have a teaching supervisor. Any questions you may have relating to your child's lesson or progress must be directed firstly to the supervisor who interfaces between teachers and parents.
If you go to the desk they are likely to just refer you back to the Supervisor. If the Supervisor is unable to resolve a problem or answer a question it will be referred to the office through the desk. The desk will record your concern or question in a book and the office will respond accordingly.
If you feel your child is NOT progressing as he or she should, please raise it with the Supervisor as we have many intervention strategies we can offer.
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE TEACHING SUPERVISOR
The Teaching Supervisor is always one of our most experienced teachers and is specifically there to:
- Interface between parents and teachers
- Ensures consistency between teachers and across all levels
- Ensures the curriculum is being followed and standards maintained
- Assists children to class
- Fill in as an emergency when needed
- Gives additional support and assistance to students as required
- Signs off on all promotions to ensure competencies are met to the standards we require
- Resolves most problems
MY CHILD DOESN'T SEEM TO BE PROGRESSING AS FAST AS OTHERS
A child progressing through our program should (on average) take between 2 and 3 terms at each level. The SPEED at which anyone progresses differs for everyone and is therefore based on a number of factors. Siblings can often differ quite a bit the age at which they achieve benchmark competencies so it's best to try not to compare.
Some initially learn quickly, then slow down, whilst others readiness may be a bit delayed, but then take off. To do a great job teaching your child, is an investment in time. You can facilitate this by giving them ample opportunities to have additional aquatic experiences, but NOT in a formal setting.
Children learn a huge amount through play called experiential learning. The more opportunities they can have at the local pool simply having fun, the quicker they learn. Well meaning parents sometimes try to add to the teaching by giving their children further instruction thinking this will speed up the process.
We find invariably, this can have a negative effect as the parent will often teach things out of the systematic order of progression that we work toward and often contradict what we do, which can cause a conflict in the child's mind and confusion. We certainly recommend you enjoy spending quality time playing with your children in the pool though.
At times we find some swimmers don't respond to a particular teacher. Some swimmers prefer females teachers, others prefer males; some need a firm teacher, others (particularly shy children) prefer a quieter, more gentle approach. If you think your child is not matched with the right teacher please tell us so we can try to find an alternative.
If at the end of 3 or 4 terms your child is still not progressing to the next level we might need to initiate some intervention strategies. Please discuss this with the supervisor sooner rather than later if this is a concern. The speed of learning is affected by:
- age
- flexibility
- coordination
- body awareness
- readiness
- fears / tension (these are often a reflection of parent's fears)
- frequency of practise
- duration of practise
- comprehension and ability to take instruction
- distractibility
- learning style
- attitude or willingness to learn
- cultural background
- amount of additional aquatic activity
Most learners require a large amount of manipulation so they can feel the desired shape of the movement and start to embed some muscle memory for the movement to eventually happen both correctly and automatically. Those with poor body awareness or coordination usually require muscle activation as well as manipulation.
This technique awakens the specific muscles that need to contract to perform the movement correctly, and to connect this to the brain. It is done by using gentle resistance and can be done on land or in water. A typical muscle activation drill will be for a Breaststroke learner whose legs / feet are not symmetrical.
The teacher will firstly manipulate the feet into the desired shape, and then apply resistance as the swimmers tries to kick. By resisting the teacher is ensuring the feet stay turned the right way and the learner can feel which muscles are used to keep it that way. Repetition of this exercise will eventually replace the incorrect action as the brain increasingly takes control over the movement until it happens automatically, through muscle memory.
SHOULD WE BOOK PRIVATES OR GROUP CLASSES
GROUP LESSON - PRO'S
Generally speaking, if a child has no learning difficulties young beginners learn better in a group setting as
- they often learn by watching their peers and copying them.
- Teachers will often use a swimmer in the class to demonstrate a skill, particularly important for visual learners.
- Kids tend to have more fun by socialising and making friends within the group.
- Group lessons cost less for the budget conscious.
- Swimmers get less practice time while they wait their turn
- They can distract each other and lose concentration easily
PRIVATE LESSON - PRO'S
Private lessons are particularly good when
- Swimmers come from another swim school and their competencies or skills don't quite fit neatly into our levels.
- For instance if a swimmer is strong and can swim multiple laps, but their technique is not at the required level.
- One-on-one teaching can fast track the process and get them up to the level required ready to join a group
- An older swimmer who is at a lower level will have to swim with much younger children in their group.
- This will usually discourage many children and serve as a deterrent to enjoying their swimming.
- Private lessons can alleviate this problem.
- Private lessons can zero in on specific needs of the individual rather than the general needs of the group.
- It means individual weaknesses can be addressed.
- Sometimes a 'one-off' private can be booked to address a specific problem for instance Maddy has her school carnival approaching and she is worried about her diving.
- She books a single private lesson to learn how to dive.
- Can accelerate learning.
PRIVATE LESSON - CON'S
- May be cost prohibitive
- We have limited availability to offer them so we might not be able to find a time that suits.
HOW CAN I FAST TRACK MY CHILD"S PROGRESS?
If you wish to accelerate your child's swimming progress you can consider any or all of the following
- Private lessons
- 2 x lessons per week
- going to the local pool as often as possible for play.
WHY DO YOU USE EQUIPMENT?
The H2O owner, a former primary teacher has developed in-house resources and a carefully thought out curriculum that has evolved over 30 years in the industry.
Many swim schools oppose the idea of using equipment believing that children will become dependent. In our experience we have NEVER had a child become dependent on equipment and believe it is the teacher or carer at fault if they allow this to happen.
Equipment is designed for specific purposes and when used intelligently can be a great aid to learning, often speeding up the process. We believe in making every activity or drill as EASY as we can for the learner, so they have a greater chance of mastery of movements or body shapes initially by controlled use of equipment. As they begin to understand their buoyancy and their relationship with the surface, we gradually remove items until they can swim independently.
Equipment is also used for revision and different pieces of equipment will be used as they pass through the different levels and will ...
- add variety and fun
- make learning new skills easier initially
- swimmer has greater chance of success at first attempts thereby building self confidence, which in turn promotes enjoyment.
- This feedback loop is important in fostering a child's love of the water.
- It also enables the child to be more independent in class which frees up the child to do their own independent practice during the lesson and the teacher is able to keep the class flowing better.
- As a result of more practice time children learn quicker and will be getting fitter at the same time.
GLUE EAR AND GROMMETS
When a middle ear infection occurs, fluid is produced behind the eardrum. Over time this fluid can become thick and sticky and cause a long-term blockage of air into the middle ear from the Eustachian tube.
This blockage could result in irritability, inattentiveness, poor balance, and ultimately hearing loss. Long term there might be speech delay and difficulty at school.
To allow air into the middle ear and fluid to drain, a tiny tube called a grommet is often surgically inserted through the eardrum. The grommet will eventually fall out as the ear grows (taking from 3 months up to 1 or 2 years). Occasionally the child might need grommets inserted again.
Most children with grommets are allowed to swim but might be asked to wear earplugs and a cap to assist in keeping the ears dry. Children with grommets should not risk forcing water into the middle ear by diving or submerging more than 1 metre.
PHONE APPS
There are some great phone apps on the market and one I would like to showcase may be of particular interest to you. If you have a child under 4, the “Baby Swim” app is brilliant with loads of videos documenting Lawrie Laurence’s grandaughter’s aquatic learning journey. Great footage, will give you the confidence to introduce your baby to water in a relaxed and loving environment.
SELECTING GOGGLES
This is our simple 3 point guide...
1. SEAL - To test the fit you should firstly apply the goggle to the face without the strap in place and test the seal the goggle provides. It is a myth that tightening the strap will ensure your goggles give a good fit.
2. FIT - Once you have found a good seal you should fit the head-strap by careful adjustment. The goggle should sit comfortably around the nose and create a good seal. The seal around the corner of the eye should sit comfortably and not wrap too far around the corner of the eye.
3. STYLE - Check how you look in the mirror! We always recommend trying 2-3 different models, this will help you compare fit, comfort and will validate your purchase decision.
Goggles are a personal preference. It's not at all a brand or even a quality consideration. Expensive brands are not necessarily the best. You have to find the right shape to fit your eye socket.
There are two things that will save you headache, red-eye and money.
One, ask to try goggles on before you buy a pair....and.... second, without the strap on, place the lenses on your eyes and push them with your index fingers into your eye socket.
If they create a suction and are almost hard to pull off even without a strap, they might well be YOUR goggles. If you have to strap goggles so hard you look like Mr. Potato Head, they will almost invariable pop off when you start and be uncomfortable in any practice longer than 15 meters.
Don't listen to the ads. If you find a large distributor who will let you bring them back if they aren't perfect for you, try on as many goggles as it takes to find some that fit comfortably. You might also want to get the drops that lessen the fogging even those advertised not to fog create. Better than spit, which works too.
1) I notice many swimmers set the strap too low around the back of their head. If you have a single strap, place it at the widest part of your head, (stand up tall eyes looking directly ahead, and the top of your head should be facing the sky. Your 'crown' should be toward the back. The strap should be set just below the crown.) Any lower and the strap can't seal the goggles properly. If you have a split strap, place one above and one below this point.
2) If they fall off or fill up when you dive in and you have strap/tightness/ seal correct, it is a DIRECT result of your head being in the wrong place on entry and it is giving you feedback to alter your head position. A perfect (note 99% right is 100% wrong. It must be 100% right!) streamlined head position protects the goggles from impact and they will stay on. You will also have a better, faster dive.
H2O sell a limited selection of different fitting goggles to suit different face shapes. The models we stock are chosen because they are ideal for the ages we teach and are a good fit for the bulk of our swimmers plus they are very well priced.
1. SEAL - To test the fit you should firstly apply the goggle to the face without the strap in place and test the seal the goggle provides. It is a myth that tightening the strap will ensure your goggles give a good fit.
2. FIT - Once you have found a good seal you should fit the head-strap by careful adjustment. The goggle should sit comfortably around the nose and create a good seal. The seal around the corner of the eye should sit comfortably and not wrap too far around the corner of the eye.
3. STYLE - Check how you look in the mirror! We always recommend trying 2-3 different models, this will help you compare fit, comfort and will validate your purchase decision.
Goggles are a personal preference. It's not at all a brand or even a quality consideration. Expensive brands are not necessarily the best. You have to find the right shape to fit your eye socket.
There are two things that will save you headache, red-eye and money.
One, ask to try goggles on before you buy a pair....and.... second, without the strap on, place the lenses on your eyes and push them with your index fingers into your eye socket.
If they create a suction and are almost hard to pull off even without a strap, they might well be YOUR goggles. If you have to strap goggles so hard you look like Mr. Potato Head, they will almost invariable pop off when you start and be uncomfortable in any practice longer than 15 meters.
Don't listen to the ads. If you find a large distributor who will let you bring them back if they aren't perfect for you, try on as many goggles as it takes to find some that fit comfortably. You might also want to get the drops that lessen the fogging even those advertised not to fog create. Better than spit, which works too.
1) I notice many swimmers set the strap too low around the back of their head. If you have a single strap, place it at the widest part of your head, (stand up tall eyes looking directly ahead, and the top of your head should be facing the sky. Your 'crown' should be toward the back. The strap should be set just below the crown.) Any lower and the strap can't seal the goggles properly. If you have a split strap, place one above and one below this point.
2) If they fall off or fill up when you dive in and you have strap/tightness/ seal correct, it is a DIRECT result of your head being in the wrong place on entry and it is giving you feedback to alter your head position. A perfect (note 99% right is 100% wrong. It must be 100% right!) streamlined head position protects the goggles from impact and they will stay on. You will also have a better, faster dive.
H2O sell a limited selection of different fitting goggles to suit different face shapes. The models we stock are chosen because they are ideal for the ages we teach and are a good fit for the bulk of our swimmers plus they are very well priced.