Is the calm, passive water of an empty swimming pool a problem for you?
Olympic swimming great Aleksander Popov said, "The water is your friend...treat it kindly and it will help you move."
Our aim at Swimming Without Stress is to help you improve your relationship with the water by working on the coordination of yourself. We work in and out of the pool with you, going back to basics, helping you to release unnecessary tension, guiding you through new movements and teaching you to swim with ease.
We've been helping adults and children learn to swim or improve technique, through one to one lessons, since 1996. Author of Swimming without Stress Ian and Cheryl Cross run residential courses throughout the year in North Pembrokeshire. Chie takes single, weekly lessons in Oxford. Read testimonials of people we've helped.
**Croft Farm Special Offer. One night's free stay on all 2012 swimming short breaks or 7 nights for the price of 5 (excluding school holidays)**
The harder you try to compensate for your difficulties in water, the less enjoyable and beneficial swimming becomes. Swimming Without Stress helps you learn to trust the water so it helps you move. Following the principles of The Alexander Technique and The Shaw Method, our lessons focus on relaxing your neck, breathing easily and letting the water support you; gliding through the water instead of struggling against it.
We have taught hundreds of non-swimmers to enjoy swimming. If you are afraid of water, your relationship with it is likely to change from the first lesson.
We have helped an equal number of practising swimmers become more at home and efficient in water, happier about the process of breathing and able to swim for fitness. If you want to swim in triathlons and swimming is your weakest discipline, we can show you how to swim without exhausting yourself for the rest of the race.
read more...
You can learn with Ian and Cheryl Cross through individual intensive swimming courses in Cardigan Bay, or with Chie Cross through weekly individual lessons in Oxfordshire. Oxford | Pembrokeshire | Rest of the U.K | Outside UK |
When learning weekly, momentum can be lost. With individual, intensive swimming lessons, you can make a lot of progress in a short space of time. Individual attention enables you to go at your own pace. Groups are inevitably made up of people with different abilities, which may be intimidating or frustrating. read more...
Our lessons are for individuals or two sharing. Courses run throughout the year, usually term time only.The intensive, residential course is from Monday morning to Thursday afternoon and includes eight 45 minute swimming lessons. 6 lessons over 3 days is another option and less intensive courses of one lesson a day are also available. read more...
Come on the Swimming Without Stress Secret Spots Trip
"If there's magic in this planet, it is contained in the water." Loren Eiseley, 1957
We'll collect you from your cottage and take you to one of our favourite, secret swimming spots.
We'll bring lifejackets and wetsuits and, weather permitting, you'll be able to try a bit of wild swimming, river or sea, paddle with us in our safe and stable Canadian canoe or have a go in our very easy to handle sit-on-top kayak. In the sea if conditions are right, we may swim or paddle into spectacular caves. We often see seals and sometimes dolphins.
Before heading back, we'll warm up with tea or coffee and reward ourselves with biscuits, cakes or even a tipple from our hip-flask.
" In the past week I have realised that the water will support me and am able to trust it. Your comments in the book about floating are very good and it's helped a lot knowing that I don't need to worry about star floats." - Carol, Manchester
" I just wanted to say thanks again to you both for what you taught me in the lessons I had with you, and let you know that it's had a profound and positive effect on both my swimming and life in general. " - Peter, Chester, January 2009
Patented Positive Pressure Fit system to improve fit and reduce "racoon eyes" effect. Special soft closed-cell foam gasket molds itself to your facial curves and allows you to achieve a leakproof fit without having to over-tighten the goggle. UV protected and Antifog. "Feeling is believing." Image shown is Barracuda Predator £8.99 sale price. Our Price: from £8.99 sale price
" I just wanted to give credit, where credit is due. Generally, I find service is poor in the UK and I find people are quick to complain when this is the case. People rarely take the the time to give thanks when, on the odd occasion, they are delighted with the service they have received. I placed my order on Sunday afternoon, since your site appeared, not only to have the best price, but the quickest delivery service (which was more important, as the item was purchased as a birthday gift). I was surprised but delighted when my item was delivered to my fiance's work address today (Tuesday - so essentially next day service).Thank you very much for the quality service. Staff at Swimming Without Stress should be commended." - Andrea, Gateshead
Women are more likely than men to go swimming for regular exercise. According to a survey into the nation's exercise habits (for the National Lottery Good Causes) 10% of women swim regularly compared to 7% of men.
But what percentage of these women who swim for regular exercise swim breaststroke with the head held out of the water, not knowing how to let the water support them or how to breathe out under the water?
Head up breaststroke puts a lot of strain on the neck and back and makes relaxed breathing impossible. It may do more harm than good. In the Uk a lot of women swim like this.
If you’re just getting into a pool training regime for the autumn, beware of lane rage. A swimming pool is like a microcosm of the modern world. But for you it can be a place of meditative calm… it’s your choice. read more...
With memories of Olympic legend Aleksander Popov training with a snorkel back in the
90s, we were intrigued by the Swimmer’s Snorkel by Finis and thought
we’d try one out. Not put off by Finis’s motto under the logo on the
packaging, ‘Swim Hard’, Ian has tested the snorkel during recent
training sessions with some surprising results. read more...
We like to listen to
suggestions for new ranges and feedback on existing stock.
One goggle we don't really like is
back in stock – it’s a niche market but we’ve had
enough requests to make us think we are not always right. This is
the Barracuda B300 – worth a try if all else has failed,
some people swear by them.
I need to find a pair of swimming goggles which do not leave red marks? Which would you recommend? I am a regular in-door pool swimmer. Thanks read more...
I wondered if you would be able to tell me how on earth you go from swimming in a prone position to standing up again? People talk about putting feet on floor, bending legs, raising your head and pushing back with arms: do these movements have to be done individually in any particular order or simultaneously? Best wishes, Geraldine
And
'I am fnding it very difficult to stand up in the water when I stop swimming, even though I am doing what my instructor tells me and trying to put one leg or two legs up to my chest - they just won't seem to go up and go all over the place instead! Why is this? It is easier in the shallow water. I am having 1-1 lessons as I have aquaphobia. This is spoiling it for me as I then get 'stuck' in the water until my instructor helps me. Many thanks.''Jane
When you're doing front crawl: the leading arm when you turn to breathe, mine goes down and my face then goes down and I can't take breath properly and I take in water, how best to fix that? read more...
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