Water Safety
Ages 5+: children and adults
What to do if you fall in, floating on your back, breath control and self-rescue skills. For children and adults.
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Pool coaching · All year
Private Lessons
Personal, duet and small group swimming lessons built around your level and your goal, from getting over a fear of water to preparing for a swim test.
Swimming with Nilüfer
Everyone's relationship with water is different
Some people have never learned to swim, some had a fright as a child, and some want to take a few seconds off their best time. That is why lessons are built around the person, not a group programme.
In the first lesson we look at how you feel in the water, your breathing and your body position together. Your programme is shaped by that assessment and updated as you progress.
Programmes
Lesson programmes
Programmes can be taken as personal, duet or small group lessons. Content is adjusted to age, level and goal. Tap a programme for details.
Overcoming Fear of Water
Ages 5+: children and adults
A calm process that starts in shallow water and moves at your pace. The aim is to feel at ease first, then to swim.
Learn to Swim
Ages 5+: children and adults
Balance in the water, breathing, kicking and your first strokes.
Stroke Coaching
Ages 7+: children and adults
Front crawl, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly, learned with correct technique suited to your body.
Technique and Tactics
Ages 7+: children and adults
Prerequisite: Completed Stroke Coaching
Stroke efficiency, turns, starts, pacing and race tactics. Can be supported with video analysis.
Athlete Performance
Ages 7+: children and adults
Prerequisite: Completed Stroke Coaching and Technique and Tactics
Periodised training plans, endurance and speed work for club swimmers and masters.
Open Water Coaching
Ages 14+: young people and adults
Prerequisite: Completed Stroke Coaching
Sighting, breathing in waves, swimming in a group and using a safety buoy. Preparation for SwimRoad experiences.
Swim Test Preparation
Preparation for the SAT, SAS and MAK swimming pre-selection tests. Time, technique and fitness focused preparation for sports college aptitude tests and military special forces interviews.
Water Safety
Ages 5+: children and adults
Falling into water unexpectedly can happen to anyone. Water Safety teaches you to stay calm in that moment and get yourself to safety. The aim isn't to swim fast but to make these self-protection skills second nature.
Who is it for?
- Children and adults who can't swim yet
- Anyone who wants the basics before a holiday, boat trip or sea swim
- Parents who want their child to be safe in the water
What you'll work on
- Coming back to the surface and floating on your back after a fall
- Breath control and keeping calm
- Reaching the side or a safe point
- Calling for help and helping others safely
Overcoming Fear of Water
Ages 5+: children and adults
Fear of water isn't a failing; the body simply doesn't know the water yet. Nobody is rushed in this programme. Lessons start in the shallow end where your feet touch the bottom, and each step is taken only once the last one feels comfortable.
Who is it for?
- Adults who had a bad experience with water as a child
- Anyone who panics when their face goes under
- Children who are reluctant to get in the water
What you'll work on
- Relaxing and getting used to the water in the shallows
- Putting your face in and breathing out under water
- Floating with support and feeling the water hold you
- The confidence to stop and stand up whenever you want
Learn to Swim
Ages 5+: children and adults
Foundation lessons that take you from finding your balance in the water to your first strokes. Each lesson builds on the last.
Who is it for?
- Children and adults who can't swim at all
- People who can swim a little but avoid deep water
- Anyone moving on from the fear of water programme
What you'll work on
- Balance and body position in the water
- Breathing rhythm
- Kicking and your first strokes
- Moving into deep water and resting in it
Stroke Coaching
Ages 7+: children and adults
Being able to swim and swimming well are very different things. Stroke Coaching teaches correct technique in all four strokes, adapted to your body and build. Good technique means getting less tired and swimming further and faster.
Who is it for?
- Swimmers who know the basics and want better strokes
- Anyone correcting habits they taught themselves
- Children thinking about joining a swimming club
What you'll work on
- Front crawl and backstroke technique
- Breaststroke and butterfly
- Coordinating arms, legs and breathing
- An introduction to turns
Technique and Tactics
Ages 7+: children and adults
Prerequisite: Completed Stroke Coaching
Seconds in a race are often won not in the stroke itself but in the start, the turns and pacing. This programme focuses on technical detail and can be supported with video analysis.
Who is it for?
- Swimmers who race or are preparing to
- Masters swimmers who want faster times
- Advanced swimmers who want to refine their technique
What you'll work on
- Stroke efficiency and catch
- Starts and tumble turns
- Pacing and spreading effort through a race
- Spotting faults with video analysis
Athlete Performance
Ages 7+: children and adults
Prerequisite: Completed Stroke Coaching and Technique and Tactics
Periodised training plans for club swimmers and masters. The programme is built around your target race and balances endurance, speed and recovery.
Who is it for?
- Club swimmers
- Masters swimmers
- Anyone preparing for a long-distance or open water race
What you'll work on
- A periodised plan built around your target race
- Endurance and speed sets
- Dryland training and conditioning
- Race preparation and recovery
Open Water Coaching
Ages 14+: young people and adults
Prerequisite: Completed Stroke Coaching
Even for a strong pool swimmer the sea is a new environment: you can't see the bottom, there are no walls, and there are waves and currents. This coaching starts in the pool, carries on in the sea and prepares you for SwimRoad experiences.
Who is it for?
- Pool swimmers who want to move to the sea
- Anyone who wants to join SwimRoad experiences
- Swimmers preparing for long open water swims
What you'll work on
- Sighting: lifting your head to stay on course
- Breathing in waves and to both sides
- Swimming in a group and getting in together
- Using a safety buoy
Swim Test Preparation
Performance and conditioning training for candidates preparing for the special aptitude tests of Physical Education and Sports Colleges and for military special forces preliminary interviews. Preparation for the SAT, SAS and MAK swimming pre-selection tests is also offered. The programme is built around the test's swimming course and fitness requirements.
Who is it for?
- Candidates for the SAT, SAS and MAK swimming pre-selection tests
- Candidates for sports college aptitude tests
- Candidates for military special forces preliminary interviews
- Anyone facing an entrance test with a swimming element
What you'll work on
- Timed work on the test course
- Technique and speed
- Performance and conditioning training
- Pacing and strategy for test day
How it works
How do swimming lessons progress?
Lessons are planned around each person's needs, swimming level and goals.
Personal Lessons
One-to-one lessons planned around your current swimming level, needs and goals.
Duet Lessons
Two close friends, two family members or any two people who want to learn together can take lessons as a pair.
Small Group Lessons
Groups of 3–4 people who want to learn together can take lessons among themselves. Family groups of parents and children can choose this option too.
Each lesson plan is prepared around the swimming levels and needs of the people taking part.
First chat
We talk about your goal, your experience and when you're free, on WhatsApp or by phone.
Level check
In the first lesson we assess how you feel in the water, your breathing and your technique together.
Your programme
The number of lessons and their content are set around your goal, each lesson building on the last.
Pool to sea
If you'd like, your training carries on in summer with SwimRoad open water experiences.
FAQ
Common questions
I can't swim at all. Can I start lessons?
Yes. The Learn to Swim and Overcoming Fear of Water programmes are made for exactly that. The first lessons take place in the shallow end, where your feet touch the bottom.
From what age can children take lessons?
Water Safety, Overcoming Fear of Water and Learn to Swim start from age 5; Stroke Coaching, Technique and Tactics and Athlete Performance from age 7; Open Water Coaching from age 14. There is no upper age limit for adults.
Are lessons private or in groups?
There are three options: personal lessons (1 person), duet lessons (2 people) and small group lessons (3–4 people). Families can take small group lessons too.
How many lessons does it take to learn to swim?
It varies. An adult who is comfortable in the water can learn the basic strokes in a few lessons; if there is fear, the process is longer and calmer. We don't promise a number of lessons, but you'll see progress in every one.
What should I bring?
Swimsuit, swim cap, goggles, towel and flip-flops. The pool's own rules (showering, caps and so on) apply.
What do I need to join an open water experience?
An approved, active individual athlete licence is required to take part in open water experiences. If you can't swim long distances comfortably and without stopping, we recommend open water coaching first. Everyone has a short level check before each experience.
Book lessons or ask a question
Let's work out which programme and which lesson format suit you.