With the wide pool of swimming coaches in Singapore, students nowadays are spoilt for choice. On the other hand, it means that making the decision of a coach is even more difficult as parents and students will need to source for coaches and then, shortlist the coaches. So, what are the makings of a great swimming coach?
1. Human connection
A swimming coach is someone you will see weekly and have many physical interactions with. If you were stuck with a boring, unenthusiastic coach, that could make you unmotivated to attend the swimming lessons and feel difficult to give your best in the pool. However, with fun and friendly coaches, it would create an environment of positive energy and increase absorption of what the coach has to teach and refine your technique.
2. Experience
Understandly, it is important to hire a coach who has subject matter expertise and knows what he/she is talking about in class. This will help you to save time and money as an experienced coach is more likely to understand the best ways to correct students and offer advice which fine-tunes the students' techniques quickly and effectively.
3. Small class ratio
In Singapore, swimming classes can hold up to ten students at a time per coach. This is in line with the Swimsafer guidelines. Most of the time, however, having ten students under a single coach will not be optimal for learning. With a smaller class, the coach will be able to spend more time and attention on every student.
4. Learning quickly
As a certain set of certification requirements need to be cleared before a student can pass the certification stage, it is up to the child to perform and coach to teach all the necessary requirements. Ideally, a great coach is able to "push" the student to clear all requirements quickly. When finding a swimming coach, it is therefore crucial to find a coach who is able to set achievable expectations for the student and consistently meet those standards. At one2swim, we categorise the learning of swimming into three stages. Every stage is expected to last about 2 to 6 months.
Beginner
In this stage, children will be able to swim 15m and execute two basic survival strokes.
Intermediate
In this stage, children will be able to swim 50m, recognise four strokes and tread water. At this stage, students will be recommended to attain SwimSafer's Level 3/Bronze certifications.
Advance
In this stage, children will be able to swim 200m, recognise six strokes and tread water. At this stage, students will be recommended to attain SwimSafer's Silver/Gold certifications.
5. Constant updates
As most parents are not present during the lessons, it is helpful when coaches take the time to update the students' parents on their child's performance. Through the updates, parents will be better able to understand their child's improvement in swimming, the time needed to reach the next stage of swimming certification and manage expectations of their child.
6. Theory exam preparation
In the different swimming tests, there will be theory questions in which students are required to clear before being able to pass the test. As the revision of these theory questions can be dry and boring, it is up to the coaches to spice things up to engage the students. At one2swim, we use innovative teaching methods such as flash cards, live demonstrations, and video feedback analyses to explain concepts to students.
Are you/your child thinking of learning swimming? Contact us here and we will personalise a lesson plan just for you!